When the idea of Sri Lanka was pitched, it came wrapped in a dreamy combo: surf, culture, jungle hikes, waterfalls, spicy eats, tuk tuk chaos, tea-stained hills—the works. A little wave here, a little wonder there.

And wow—Ella. We’re perched 1,000 metres above sea level where the air’s a bit cooler, the views are long, and the hills roll like green velvet. The hikes are solid (enough to keep my groms on their toes), and every trail leads to another jaw-dropping vista.

We’ve landed at the legendary 98 Acres—a working tea plantation turned boutique escape, smack in the middle of Sri Lanka’s lush hill country. This island doesn’t just grow tea, it lives tea—Sri Lanka is one of the world’s biggest exporters of the Ceylon Tea (also Ceylon was Sri Lank’s former name).

The Perfect Wave Travel Company stitched this trip together for us—surf meets safari meets tea trails. If you’re keen on a taste of it: 👉 perfectwavetravel.com/sri-lanka-touring

Meanwhile, back at Bondi… I just peeked at the swell charts. There’s a deep low forming off the coast and it’s about to go XXL—30-knot gales, rogue waves, buckets of rain. Hold onto your umbrellas and maybe skip the soft-top session.

:: uge