Also not to be missed is the Sri Lankan interior, which thrills with amazing wildlife, including elephants and at times even leopards.

Sri Lanka is a useful stop for yachts en route to the Red Sea, as well as a good point of departure for cruising the Maldives, Chagos and Seychelles.

While the northern parts of the country were out of bounds for many years, Trincomalee on the North East Coast has now opened up to cruising yachts, however, special permission must still be obtained before travelling to other northern states. Colombo, on the central west coast of Sri Lanka, has a large commercial harbour with little provision for yachts and formalities are complex.

Refuelling and provisioning at the old Port of Galle on the southwest corner of Sri Lanka is straightforward. Galle port is an arriving superyacht’s best option – this is where most yachts clear-in as conditions for visiting yachts are slowly improving.

Another option, the port of Trincomalee, is a military port and therefore unfamiliar with pleasure boat clearance. However, it is a port of entry and cruising boats have successfully cleared into Sri Lanka here. Delays may be possible, however, due to officials being more familiar with commercial vessels.

We recommend Port of Galle as the preferred superyacht port.

Also, be advised that an agent is required to clear into and out of Sri Lanka and organise transfers.

After completing a recent trip to the region, Captain Glen of M/Y Vava reported, “I am happy that we came to Sri Lanka as it gave the crew a great opportunity to have some very interesting time ashore in a country most of us have never visited.”