I’d signed up as part of an assignment on the rise of group travel, choosing Sri Lanka because – in more than 20 years of solo trips to places such as Georgia, India and Colombia – the teardrop island had somehow eluded me. And of course, I couldn’t come to Sri Lanka without visiting the ancient city of Anuradhapura. We’ve also explored the country’s largest National Park, Wilpattu, waking at 4am to photograph birds and mischievous monkeys. Sri Lanka confirmed that group travel definitely isn’t for me. The Warden’s House is the place to book for quieter safaris through Yala National Park.