This spectacular region to the north of Colombo is a magical destination largely untouched by tourism. Highlighted by wildlife-filled wetlands, a sweeping stretch of largely undeveloped coastline, a friendly, multi-cultural people and stunning rural landscapes punctuated by huge boulders, lotus-topped lakes and jungle, it is historic, wild and raw.

Stretching from Negombo, a popular beach resort that’s close to the airport, the coastline continues all the way north via Waikkal and Marawila past lagoons and wetlands to the elbow-like peninsular of palm-fringed Kalpitiya and the stunning, recently-opened Wilpattu National Park, home to elephants, bears and leopards.

The beaches along the coastal stretch north of Negombo are beautifully unspoilt; the sea off Kalpitiya is famed for its dolphins and whales (between November and April) and is also a popular spot for kite surfers as well as anyone looking to escape the crowds. Each town along this coastal stretch – Chilaw, Puttalam, Kalpitiya – are important trading centres and are still home to remnants of the island’s colonial past - Dutch forts, Portuguese churches and British administrative buildings.

Inland the scene is very rural with the numerous coconut plantations of the golden triangle north of Gampaha soon giving way to small-scale farmlands that stretch between huge boulders and pretty lakes as the climate gets drier and the people much less used to visitors. Fascinating archaeological sites at Kurunegala, Tonigala, Yapahuwa, Dambadeniya and Panduwasnuwara are also located in the North West of the country and are beautiful, if seldom-visited illustrations of the island’s rich historical past.