7 Days Sri Lanka Tour: Sigiriya, Tea Hills, Bentota & Colombo

Today the focus is Sigiriya, and the early start is worth it. After a quick breakfast your driver takes you to the gate soon after opening, so you walk in the cool of the morning rather than the heat of midday.

The climb tells a story in stages. First come the symmetrical water gardens, designed centuries ago with pools, fountains and channels. Then the path rises through boulders and onto narrow stairs, where you pass the famous frescoes of women in elaborate jewellery, protected in a pocket of the cliff. A curving polished wall follows, and next a landing with the huge stone paws of a lion. Beyond them you climb the last stretch to the top, where the foundations of the palace and a view over the jungle wait. The whole walk takes a couple of hours, and you should bring water, a hat and good shoes. The fortress is a monument to the ambition of the king who built it in the fifth century, and standing on his rock you start to see why he chose such a place.

After lunch there is time to rest at your hotel. In the late afternoon you head to Minneriya for a jeep safari around an ancient reservoir that dates back to the early centuries of the island's history. In the drier months, roughly July to October, wild elephants gather on the shrinking shoreline in impressive numbers, often with calves. Even outside the peak you can expect to see deer, peacocks, buffalo and birds. Wildlife is never certain, but a jeep ride at sunset is rarely dull.

You return to your hotel, where you can have dinner or ask your driver-guide for a place nearby.

Transport: Private air-conditioned vehicle with English-speaking driver-guide

This is a day of three contrasts, from a rural village to a spice garden to a sacred city. After breakfast you set out from Dambulla, with roughly 2.5 to 3 hours of driving to Kandy spread over several stops.

The first stop is a village outing, where life still follows the farming calendar. You ride a bullock cart past paddy fields, glide across a small lake in a traditional outrigger canoe and walk through a chena, a plot cleared for seasonal crops. A family then shows you how rice and curry are made over a wood fire, and you eat the result for lunch. It is relaxed, friendly and a nice contrast to temples.

Next comes a spice garden in Matale, a market town about 25 kilometres from Kandy. A guide takes you among the plants of cardamom, pepper, cinnamon and cloves, explains how they are harvested and prepared, and tells you which ones are used in Ayurvedic medicine. A cooperative of local farmers is behind the project, and you can buy spices or oils if you wish.

You reach Kandy in the late afternoon. The Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic is the city's spiritual heart, and the relic is said to have arrived on the island in the fourth century, hidden in a princess's hair. Cover your knees and shoulders, and leave your shoes at the door. Around five o'clock you attend a cultural show with drummers, dancers and a closing fire-walking act that lasts about an hour. You can dine at your hotel restaurant or somewhere nearby, and the night is quiet.

Transport: Private air-conditioned vehicle with English-speaking driver-guide

Today you climb into the cool country by road. After breakfast you leave Kandy, and the journey to Nuwara Eliya takes about three to four hours, depending on traffic and stops.

The first visit is a tea estate and factory. Most of Sri Lanka's tea grows in the central hills, where planters in the colonial era found the climate ideal. At the factory you see how freshly picked leaf is withered, rolled, fermented, dried and sorted into grades, and then you sit down for a tasting of the finished tea. Ask your guide to show you the difference between the grades, as it is surprisingly interesting.

Higher on the road comes Ramboda. Here a tall Hanuman temple stands on a hillside, built by the Chinmaya Mission and home to an 18-foot statue said to be the tallest of that god on the island. The temple is connected with the Ramayana story, which has many sites around Sri Lanka. Close by, Ramboda Falls tumbles in several steps beside the road, and it is at its fullest after rain. The viewpoint is a short walk from the car park.

By afternoon you arrive in Nuwara Eliya, a town about 1,900 metres high that the British turned into a hill retreat. Your driver takes you around the centre, the market and the lake, and if you are keen you can add the Hakgala gardens and the Seetha Amman Temple before sunset. The evening is cold, so wear a jumper. For dinner you can eat at your hotel or choose a nearby restaurant.

Transport: Private air-conditioned vehicle with English-speaking driver-guide

Breakfast comes early, because today is the longest road day of the week. You leave the hills behind and drop towards the sea. The drive is long, so plan to sit back, watch the scenery change and take breaks.

Soon after leaving Nuwara Eliya you pass St Clair's Falls near Talawakele, beside the Hatton road. It is one of the island's widest waterfalls, sometimes compared with a small Niagara, and its water tumbles through tea slopes. The falls are named after the estate that surrounds them, and a viewpoint by the road lets you see the whole curtain. Take a few minutes for photographs and a cup of tea at a roadside stall.

The long descent continues through villages, rubber plantations and paddy fields until the air turns warm and humid. By late afternoon you reach the Madu River, a wetland of mangrove islands north of Galle. A boat takes you through narrow channels between the trees, and the stops usually include a demonstration of cinnamon peeling, a small island temple and a fish-spa platform where little fish nibble the dead skin from your feet. About 64 islands lie in the estuary, and the area has been a protected sanctuary since 2006.

A turtle hatchery is your last visit. Here eggs are kept safe, injured animals are cared for and hatchlings are released into the sea. You reach Bentota in the evening, check in to your beach hotel and choose where to have dinner. If you still have energy, a short stroll on the sand is a gentle end to a long day.

Transport: Private air-conditioned vehicle with English-speaking driver-guide

After a relaxed breakfast, and perhaps a last dip in the sea, you drive north along the coast to Colombo. The journey takes about an hour and a half, and you arrive in time for a leisurely look at the capital.

Your city tour is a quick introduction to the island's commercial centre. You may start at Galle Face Green, the long seafront promenade where families fly kites in the evening, then continue to the green space of Viharamahadevi Park. The Colombo museum holds a good collection of Sri Lankan art and history, and the old Parliament building and Independence Hall in Independence Square recall the colonial and modern history of the country. You also drive through the Fort district, past the twin towers of the World Trade Center, and pass places of worship belonging to Buddhists, Hindus, Muslims and Christians that stand a short distance apart.

If you wish, there is time for shopping, with stalls and shops for tea, spices, textiles and crafts, and your driver can drop you where you prefer. Take a hat, sunscreen and light clothes, as Colombo is hot and humid. Cover your shoulders if you visit a shrine.

You check in at your hotel in the afternoon. The evening is free, and you can dine at the hotel restaurant or at a place nearby. It is a good place to repack for the flight.

Transport: Private air-conditioned vehicle with English-speaking driver-guide

After breakfast and check-out, your driver takes you from Colombo to the airport. The drive is about an hour, and we time the pick-up around your flight so there is no rush.

If your departure is in the evening, tell us beforehand. We can often arrange a late check-out or a stop for last-minute shopping on the way.

Thank you for spending the week with Volata Travels. We hope the elephants, temples, tea and sea stay with you, and that you will return for the corners of the island that we had no time for this time.

Transport: Private air-conditioned vehicle with English-speaking driver-guide