Sri Lankan Highlights

The adventure begins in coastal Wattala, a suburb of the capital Colombo. The rest of the day is free to relax at the hotel and settle into the trip. Stay: Pegasus Reef Hotel (or similar).

Today we travel to Giritale, where we visit one of three parks (Kaudulla or Minneriya national parks or Hurulu Eco Park) and take to 4x4s to explore and observe elephants in their natural habitat. We then continue to Giritale, where we stay overnight. Our hotel overlooks the Giritale Tank – the early inhabitants of the island solved the dual problem of heat and lack of water by constructing large tanks to act as reservoirs and to cool the air. Nowadays, these provide an important habitat for birdlife, particularly between April and August. Stay: Giritale Hotel (or similar) (B).

Today we cycle at a leisurely pace through a series of small villages to Dambalawewa Lake. We should see plenty of birdlife including egrets, brahminy kites, kingfishers and bulbuls. We stop for lunch in a traditional village, which breaks up the journey. In the late afternoon, we return to our hotel in Giritale. If you do not wish to participate, you can hire a tuk tuk for approximately 4,400 rupees (US$13. 50) and follow the group but not cycle. Stay: Giritale Hotel (or similar) (B/L).

After breakfast, we take a short drive to Polonnaruwa, the ancient capital of the Sinhalese. There are many Buddhist relics and ruins dating from a 1,000 years ago when Sinhalese culture reached its zenith. Polonnaruwa flourished in the 12th century after the decision was made to move the capital from Anuradhapura, further from the incursions from southern India. We visit many of the temples, palaces, huge dagobas and remarkable Buddhist sculptures.

After lunch, we drive to Sigiriya (about an hour away). This impressive fifth-century rock fortress rises 590ft (180m) from the plains, overlooking the countryside with far-reaching views. The route to the top is up a series of steep steps and gangways. From the base, where a moat surrounds impressive water gardens, we ascend 655ft (200m), passing an overhanging rock under which superb portraits of native maidens holding flowers and temple offerings still adorn the rock wall.

Crowning the flat-topped summit are remains of the king's summer palace, where there are breath-taking views of the countryside. The descent is much easier and you can cool off in the hotel pool at dusk. Stay: Hotel Sigiriya (or similar) (B).

Today we head into the hills to the picturesque town of Kandy. On the way, we stop at Dambulla, famous for its cave temple, one of the most impressive sights in Sri Lanka. There are colourful, well-preserved paintings and statues of the Buddha inside, some of which date back to the first century BCE. Kandy itself is on a small lake and we spend time in and around the town.

We also visit the Temple of the Tooth, which houses the most important Buddhist relic in Sri Lanka: the Tooth of Buddha, which was taken from the funeral pyre in 543 BCE and found its way to Sri Lanka in the fourth century CE. There are hundreds of worshippers who visit the temple each day and in July/August the most spectacular ceremony takes place.

Some of our trips in July/August should coincide with the Kandy Festival, but the exact dates, decided by priests (depending on the auspicious time), are not known until five months prior to the event. We drive to a beautiful viewpoint for a great view of Kandy and its environs that are overlooked by a huge Buddha and visit a gem museum where you can see the products of the traditional methods of gem extraction.

In the evening, we may have the chance to attend a performance of the athletic Kandyan Dancing and fire walking. Stay: Hotel Topaz (or similar) (B).

This morning, we drive approximately 2hr 30min to central Sri Lanka and the picturesque tea country hills for a day trip. Our destination is Nuwara Eliya or Little England, which was a favoured cool escape for the British. At 6,128ft (1,868m) above sea level, this town is in the area of Sri Lanka most famous for tea production.

En route, we visit a tea plantation arriving in Nuwara Eliya in time for lunch. There is time to explore the town with its Colonial era bungalows and Tudor-style hotels. The area is very picturesque with lush green hillsides and small waterfalls. We return to Kandy in the evening. Stay: Hotel Topaz (or similar) (B/L).

After breakfast, we depart for Bandaragama, where we take a tuk tuk ride through the agro village. This is a chance to step inside village life and learn about the agricultural practices here. We have lunch cooked by a local family, who also introduces us to village life and shows us how they make coconut oil and cinnamon rolls. There is also a short tour of their farm, where we can see their impressive collection of 70 varieties of banana trees, pineapple and rubber plantations.

In the afternoon, we drive to our hotel in Colombo. Stay: Cinnamon Red Hotel (or similar) (B/L).

The trip comes to an end after breakfast. It's been a culture-packed adventure, so if you're craving a little R&R, speak to your sales representative about booking an extension to your hotel stay (B).