Set out on an extraordinary whale-watching expedition in Sri Lanka, where the vast expanse of the Indian Ocean set the stage for unforgettable encounters with marine giants in their natural habitat.

Today, Galle Fort is also perhaps Sri Lanka’s most exciting culinary destination with a host of fine dining venues, quaint cafes and lively taverns tucked away in its narrow cobblestone streets.

While Southern Sri Lanka is known for its stunning coastline fringed with swaying coconut palms—along with adventure sports like surfing—there’s more to the South than its beaches. The region houses tea gardens (yes, you heard it right!), dense jungles with roaring cascades, paddy fields where peacocks roam, and slow-living villages with century-old cottage industries. Much of the island’s spices and herbs grow and flourish here, while generational artists work meticulously to keep their crafts alive. By the rugged shoreline, you’ll find fishermen on stilts, a decade-old practice, while the surrounding ocean is home to whales, dolphins and other marine life. So here are the 10 best travel experiences in and around Galle, Ahangama and Weligama beyond the South’s sunkissed shores.

Once a sleepy village, Weligama is now south Sri Lanka’s buzziest surf town. It’s vibrant, laidback, and magical, with the sunny southern coast’s palm-fringed shores and inland paddies.

It’s no secret that Ahangama houses some of the most Instagrammed dining spots in the island right now. Frequented by digital nomads and those with an eye for design, this once sleepy fishing village has cemented itself as Sri Lanka’s most vibrant surf town, with a continuously evolving food scene.

Amidst an evening of elegance and celebration on the 12th of March, we gathered to honour the luminaries of our establishment, the ambassadors who epitomise the essence of hospitality at The Resplendent Awards.

Reverie personifies the art of slow living. Reverie’s collection of intimate resorts embodies this in a meaningful and conscious manner - integrating slow life by way of restful and soulful stays, relishing and nourishing cuisine, rediscovering our island home, and rejuvenating one’s well being through a host of holistic therapies.

The Dilmah Ceylon Tea Company first ventured into hospitality in 2005 when it launched Resplendent, the company behind Ceylon Tea Trails, Wild Coast Tented Lodge and Cape Weligama. It’s now created another brand, Reverie, which has three openings in prospect.