The south coast is the epicentre of a tourism renaissance, packing so much of what’s intoxicating about Sri Lanka into a small area that’s easy to explore by train, road and tuktuk. Along the south coast there is something for every budget and taste, from safari trips and luxury resorts to surf shacks and yoga retreats, and oh so much good food. A thriving barefoot luxury scene is concentrated around Ahangama and Hiriketiya. MOND, in the latter, embodies the new southern scene: an angular build of raw concrete housing four stylish rooms, planted in the palms by Swiss expats. The rooftop cafe is popular with the digital nomads, surfers and yoga fanatics who gravitate south.

Sri Lankan hotels range from clean and simple homestays to lavish resorts, with a thriving boutique scene inspired by the Sri Lankan pioneer of tropical modernism, Geoffrey Bawa. While the post-war years have seen south coast resorts boom, Cape Weligama has been the standard-bearer since it opened 10 years ago. Sprawling across an entire headland on 36m-high cliffs near the surf town Weligama, the expanse of low-slung buildings and lush gardens includes vast house-like suites, most clustered around pools shared only by two other villas. Everything from the rooms to the food offering is expansive and sophisticated, with current renovations adding a private beach club and a new level of luxury.

Sri Lankan cuisine is as layered as the country itself. Fruit, vegetables and seafood all thrive in the tropical climate, and the island’s position along ancient trade routes brought in a dizzying combination of spices, as well as introducing the world to Sri Lankan ingredients like cinnamon and black pepper. Rice and coconuts are island-grown staples, and you’re unlikely to have a meal in which one doesn’t appear, alongside flavoursome sambals, spiced pickles and colourful curries. On the south coast in particular, seafood is plentiful and affordable; in fact much of the best crab and tuna in the world comes out of Sri Lankan waters. While there, you’re most likely to encounter it in a prawn curry singing with spices, or pick up whole fish or lobster from a beachfront stall to have grilled while you wait, eating with the sand between your toes. For breakfast, always say yes to hoppers, served with still more sambals and curry.

Opposite Dickwella Beach – on a quiet road studded with coconut trees where cheeky macaques use overhead power lines as their own personal highway – Smoke & Bitters’ relaxed demeanour belies the skill that landed it on Asia’s 50 Best Bars for three years running. A custom smoker beside the thatched open-air dining room turns out smokehouse takes on local ingredients. Signature cocktails include the wild honey-infused Bananarama; and the Old & Smoked, with spiced, aged arrack, chai, orange bitters and an aromatic puff from the smouldering bark of cinnamon and native halmilla tree it arrives with. Owners Don Ranasinghe and Lahiru Perera are flying the flag for next-generation Sri Lankan hospitality.

Of the many surprises Sri Lanka holds, the safaris are a highlight. Its 26 national parks are among the best places outside of Africa to set off in search of everything from elephants and bears to wild cats, and arranging a jeep and driver is straightforward at most. Yala, on the south-eastern corner of the island, is the busiest park, but also one of the best to spy the elusive leopard, as well as wild water buffalo, wild peacocks, monkeys and giant saltwater crocodiles. The south coast is also a popular base for day safaris at Udawalawe National Park, where wild elephant encounters are all but guaranteed.

With safari trips, comes safari lodges. There are a handful of luxury Sri Lankan safari lodges, mostly around Yala on the south coast. On a wild beach just outside its perimeter, Wild Coast Tented Lodge is one of the best; offering 28 ultra-luxury safari tents fanned out from the main dining pavilions and pool, each with canopy beds, ornate brass detailing, and free-standing copper baths, 12 with private plunge pools enveloped in jungle. Lavish daily meals, and a daily safari trip, are included. You’ll share the secluded site only with a handful of other guests, and a mob of tufted gray langurs (as well as the occasional visiting elephant).

Sri Lanka has been an underground surf spot since the 1960s, but the last decade has seen the south coast emerge as one of the best places in the South Asian region for a surf holiday. Surf schools and laid-back surf resorts are found all along the coast, particularly around horseshoe-shaped bay Hiriketiya, Mirissa and beginner friendly Weligama. Serious surfers can paddle out to tricky breaks with experienced locals, while amateurs can break up their waves with king coconuts on beachside deckchairs.

In Australian terms, Sri Lanka is a straightforward direct flight, or single hop via Kuala Lumpur or Singapore. Once you arrive it’s surprisingly easy to explore, with scenic railways, affordable private drivers and ever-improving highways. Galle is a natural start and end point for many adventures along the south coastline, reached from the airport on a modern freeway in under two hours, or via a famous coastal train. From there, the south coast is a patchwork of palms and rice paddies broken up by rural towns and beach villages, linked by road and railway with tourist hotspots at regular intervals.