Escape Galle’s beaches and you arrive at an unspoilt oasis of calm where iridescent green paddy fields are bordered by overhanging palms and patches of jungle that hug hillsides and conceal homes accented by colourful bougainvillea, hibiscus and frangipani blossoms. Into this lush rural scene ancient temples such as Kathaluwa, Yatagala and Pilana are woven. During festival days, white-clothed devotees flock to these important places of worship with hands full of flowers and prayers on their breath. Narrow Dutch canals, mangrove swamps and bumpy hillocks add to the region’s verdant tapestry and its back lanes, paddy bunds and dusty tracks are best explored by bicycle as you meander your way from Galle’s hinterland towards the coast where the majority of the region’s eateries are located. Tea and cinnamon plantations, rainforests and jungle become more prominent the further you go inland.