Sri Lanka is increasingly becoming a popular golf destination. The courses include three of the best in South Asia and are set in spectacular natural surroundings. The Colombo and Nuwara Eliya courses are over a hundred years old. The accommodation offer consists of comfortable bungalows and small luxury hotels.
In Kandy, on the shores of Lake Victoria, is the Victoria Golf Club, a championship golf course designed by the well-known Donald Steel. Impressive natural rock outcrops are a distinctive feature, as are the old trees that dot the countryside and the hill of coconut palms that form a backdrop. The accommodation here is impressive and includes luxury hotels like Clingendael. For those who aren’t as golfers but have a partner who is, there’s no need to fear as there are a handful of other activities to choose from including walking, mountain biking, horse riding, and day trips. to the city of Kandy, home of the famous Buddhist Temple of the Tooth.
To contrast with the large, rolling Victoria course, golf enthusiasts will enjoy the challenge of the more contained and mountainous Nuwara Eliya course, which sits in the middle of the old British hill station. The city is famous for its vegetable garden, strawberries, and April horse and motor races. After a morning of golf, guests can take a stroll through the tea plantations or into Horton Plains, now a World Heritage Site for its diverse wildlife. It is also fun to have tea on the lawn of one of the old British establishments like the Hill Club or the St Andrews Hotel.
The Kandy and Nuwara Eliya fields can be reached by helicopter or seaplane, making the transfer time from Colombo International Airport much less compared to traveling by road.
For those who want to combine a city break with a golf vacation in Sri Lanka, they can base themselves in Colombo, the emerging capital. Guests can split their time between playing golf at the Royal Colombo Golf Club, with its picturesque fairways that stretch over 96 acres, shopping at stylish boutiques, dining at gourmet restaurants, and staying at luxury boutique hotels.
Adding to these excellent courses is the tremendous news that Sri Lanka’s fourth golf course has just been declared open and is located near Marble Beach at China Bay in Trincomalee.
A golf vacation in Sri Lanka can be done as a two-week option and cover all four courses, or as a long weekend. It can also form an extension of a round trip, so in addition to spending time on the green, you can explore the rest of the island, including ancient cities and coastal areas.