If you’re anything like me then you’ll love taking in the sites when you’re on holiday. Your honeymoon doesn’t have to be any different. If you’re a real culture vulture then there are some amazing experiences for honeymooners out there! So I thought over the next few weeks I’d give you some suggestions on fantastic honeymoon destinations where you can immerse yourself in history.
As a starter here are a two amazing countries that I think are jam packed with cultural delights.
Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka is a beautiful island with a rich history and bursting at the seams with amazing cultural sites. Kandy is the country’s historic capital and a World Heritage site. Home to the famous Temple of the Tooth Relic it is also one of the most venerable places in Sri Lanka for Buddhists.
It was in Kandy that 2500 years of Sri Lankan royalty came to an end when the Kandyan Convention was signed with the British! Not far from Kandy is the Royal Botanical Gardens which were founded in 1371. Renowned for its collection of orchids, the gardens have more than 300 varieties of orchids, spices, medicinal plants and palm trees.
Another must see site in Sri Lanka is the Rock Fortress at Sigiriya. Sigiriya, which means ‘Lion’s Rock’, is a popular tourist destination with the ruins of an ancient fortress and palace surrounded by the remains of a network of gardens, reservoirs and other structures.
The site is also famous for its ancient paintings and frescos depicting Sinhalese ladies. The figures within the frescos point towards the temple in Kandy and are considered sacred by locals.
A trip to the south coast to visit Galle is a must. Built by the Dutch in 1663, the fort dominates the older part of Galle, with an amazing collection of architectural structures and winding streets. The fort is still today a working place and home to administrative offices, courts, antiques shops and street traders. There is a real buzz in Galle and also a feeling that it won’t be like this for much longer as many of the un-restored original building are being sold off to be transformed into boutique hotels. So catch it while you can!
Egypt
You may think this is an obvious choice but I just couldn’t leave it out! Egypt has to be one of the most culturally rich countries in the world with a history that has fascinated people for centuries. The country’s capital Cairo is home to one of the most amazing museums in the world – the Antiquities Museum which houses King Tutankhamen’s earthly treasures and other ancient Egyptian delights. The Citadel and Khan Al-Khalli bazaar are also not to be missed.
However, the real highlight of a trip to Cairo has to be a trip out (possibly by camel is you’re feeling adventurous) to see the iconic and infamous pyramids and the Sphinx.
The other alternative in Egypt is to take a cruise down the Nile which is known as the world’s largest open-air museum and rightly so. The banks of the Nile are practically littered with temples, monuments and tombs. Highlights include Luxor and Aswan, the city of temples at Karnak, the huge temples at Abu Simbel and of course the resting place of Tutankhamen – the Valley of the Kings. The Nile is definitely best explored the ways Egyptians have been doing for centuries on a felucca, which is an Egyptian sailing boat.
Further west honeymooners can visit places immortalised in the Bible by Moses at Sinai, where he talked to God and parted the waters at the Red Sea.
A cultural honeymoon is a great opportunity to really understand and get under the skin of the country you’re visiting and immerse yourself in its past whilst enjoying it in the present. What do you think of the two examples I’ve chosen this week? Can you think of some better ones? I’ll be adding two more next week!