8 Days Sri Lanka Tour: Colombo, Kandy & Mirissa Whales – 4-Star Hotels

Colombo rewards a slow day, and your guide builds one that moves between old and new. After breakfast you start in the Fort district, the commercial heart of the city, where colonial-era buildings stand beside modern towers. The old Parliament building faces the sea, and not far away the twin glass towers of the World Trade Center define the skyline. Independence Square, with its memorial hall, is a quiet place in the morning.

A few minutes away lies Pettah, the bazaar quarter. Narrow lanes are crowded with stalls selling fabric, spices, hardware and fruit, and the mix of scents and traffic is vivid. A red-and-white striped mosque, the Jami Ul-Alfar, rises above the crowd, and the guide can point out Hindu temples and churches within a short walk. Together with a Buddhist temple such as Gangaramaya, a city tour passes places of worship for four religions in a single morning.

After lunch there is time for the seafront promenade of Galle Face Green, which fills with kite-flyers and food stalls toward sunset, and for Viharamahadevi Park, the city's largest green space, whose shaded paths make a calm break. The main museum in a colonial building is also an option for anyone who enjoys collections of royal regalia and masks.

The tour is flexible. If you prefer shopping, your driver can take you to craft shops, tea houses and department stores, and if you are tired, you can return to the hotel and rest. Dinner is your choice, and the hotel can recommend places nearby. Tomorrow starts early and involves a long drive.

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

Leave early, because today is a long one. The drive from Colombo to Dambulla takes about four hours with a coffee break, and the road changes from busy suburbs to coconut groves and then to the flatter, drier plains of the north-central region. Your driver makes a break at a roadside café, where you can try king coconut or a plain tea.

At Dambulla you stop first at the cave temple. A paved path and a stone stairway lead up to a ledge under a great rock, and from the porch you can see across the plain, with Sigiriya's silhouette in the distance. Five caves hold more than 150 Buddha statues, along with figures of kings and gods, and every wall and ceiling is covered in painted scenes. The temple has been a place of worship for more than two thousand years. You will leave your shoes at the base and walk barefoot, so bring socks, and cover your shoulders and knees.

After a late lunch you continue to Sigiriya, 30 to 40 minutes away, for the afternoon visit. The story begins with King Kashyapa in the 5th century, who moved his capital to this 200-metre rock and turned it into a palace-fortress. You climb through the water gardens, past painted maidens on the cliff and the polished Mirror Wall, to the Lion's Paws and the final stairways, about 1,200 steps in all, then reach the summit, where foundations and pools hint at royal life. The afternoon light is gentler than at midday, and the view over forest and reservoirs is excellent. Take water and wear sturdy shoes. If you are tired from the drive, your guide will help you choose how far to go.

You then check in to your hotel in Dambulla, where you have two nights. For dinner you can eat at the hotel or ask your driver-guide for a place nearby.

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

After breakfast you drive to Polonnaruwa, around an hour and a half from Dambulla. This was the island's capital from the 11th to the 13th century, and today it is a UNESCO World Heritage site and the most walkable of the ancient cities. The ruins lie among trees on the shore of the Parakrama Samudra, a huge reservoir built by a king who understood that water meant power. Vijayabahu ended Chola rule here in 1070, and Parakramabahu, who reigned from 1153 to 1186, expanded the network of irrigation tanks that earned the island its reputation as a granary.

Your guide takes you first to the royal palace and the council hall, then to the Vatadage, a round relic house with four seated Buddhas and fine stonework, and on to the Quadrangle. The best is saved for last: Gal Vihara, where four figures are carved from one granite face. One is reclining and one is standing with folded arms, and the expression on their faces is serene. Take your time here, as the setting is beautiful and quiet. It is hot, so bring a hat, a water bottle and a camera, and plan on two to three hours in all.

Back at the hotel you have lunch and a few hours to rest by the pool. In the afternoon you set out for Minneriya by jeep for an evening elephant safari. The park surrounds an ancient reservoir that dates back to the 3rd century, and in the drier months, roughly July to October, large herds come to graze and drink at the shrinking shore. Outside that season there are usually still elephants about, along with deer, monkeys and birds, though numbers vary and sightings are never certain. At dusk, with light low over the water, it is one of the most memorable hours in the Cultural Triangle. In some months Kaudulla replaces Minneriya as the better park, and your driver will tell you which one to choose.

You return to Dambulla for a second night, and you can choose where to have dinner.

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

Today you leave Dambulla and head for Kandy. It is a drive of about three hours in total, but you start the day with a gentler outing close to Sigiriya, a village experience that shows rural life away from the monuments. A guide meets you at the village, and you travel in an ox-cart past paddy fields, then step into a traditional outrigger canoe for a paddle across the village lake, with kingfishers and egrets along the reeds. You also visit a chena plot, a patch of cleared scrubland used for seasonal crops, and see how a family cooks rice and curries over a wood fire. The meal that follows is the best lunch of the tour.

The road to Kandy then passes through Matale, where you stop at a spice garden. Walk among the plants with a guide and see pepper vines, clove trees, cinnamon, nutmeg and cardamom, which is picked by hand in the shade. Staff also explain how many are used in Ayurvedic remedies, and some gardens offer a short massage. Buying is up to you.

After checking in at your Kandy hotel you spend the late afternoon in the city. Kandy is the last royal capital of the Sinhalese kings, a UNESCO site on a small lake in the hills. The Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic is its spiritual centre, and tradition says the relic of the Buddha's tooth was smuggled to the island in a princess's hair in the 4th century. The evening ritual involves drummers, flower offerings and long queues of pilgrims. Dress modestly in white or light colours, and take off your shoes.

A Kandyan dance performance follows, usually from five to six in the evening. Expect drums, acrobatic dancers in elaborate headdresses and a fire-walking finale. For dinner you can eat at your hotel or choose a nearby restaurant.

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

This is the longest drive of the tour, roughly seven hours at the wheel in all, so you leave soon after breakfast and take the stops at an easy pace. The road descends from Kandy through hill villages towards the lowlands. About halfway to Colombo you reach Pinnawala, home of the elephant orphanage. It opened in 1975 on a coconut estate beside the Maha Oya river and cares for orphaned and injured animals. The herd goes to the river twice a day for a bath, which is the time to be there, and young calves are still fed by bottle. You can watch from the bank and from the street above the water, and an hour or so is enough.

From there the route crosses to the west coast and runs south, with the sea appearing now and then through palm trees. If you are hungry, there are plenty of simple places for fish and rice and curry. In the afternoon you stop at the Kosgoda turtle hatchery, where five species of sea turtle nest on the beach. Staff collect and protect the eggs, tend injured turtles and release young ones to the sea. You will see tanks with turtles of different ages and learn how they find the shoreline.

Next comes the Madu River, a wetland of mangrove islands and narrow channels. A boat winds between the trees while the guide points out birds, monitor lizards and fishing nets. Stops include an island where cinnamon bark is peeled and rolled, a small temple island and a fish spa where tiny fish nibble at your feet. The wetland has 64 islands, covers about 915 hectares and has been a sanctuary since 2006.

You drive on to Mirissa, which is about two hours beyond Bentota, arriving in the early evening. You can dine at a beach restaurant near your hotel, and a very early night is wise before tomorrow's boat trip.

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

Your alarm goes off in the dark, because whale-watching boats leave from Mirissa harbour at about five in the morning. A light breakfast of fruit and tea is usually available before you go. The boat heads some distance out to deeper water, where the continental shelf drops away and whales feed. The journey out takes an hour or more, and you spend several hours at sea in all.

Mirissa is Sri Lanka's best-known base for this activity. Blue whales, the largest animals ever to have lived, are often seen between roughly November and April, and sperm whales and dolphins are also regularly spotted. Dolphins appear on many trips, sometimes leaping beside the boat. The crew look for blows on the horizon and follow at a respectful distance. A good trip is a matter of luck and sea conditions, so nothing can be promised, and every outing is different. Wear a hat, put on sunscreen, bring a light windproof layer and take a seasickness tablet before you leave if you tend to feel queasy. Choose a boat with a good reputation for keeping distance from animals, and your guide can help.

Back on shore you return to your hotel for a late breakfast, and the rest of the day is yours. Mirissa has a crescent of golden sand, calm swimming spots in the right season and a row of cafés and restaurants along the beach. Some travellers sleep, others walk along the shore or drive to nearby Galle Fort. Whatever you choose, keep the afternoon light, and enjoy dinner at a place of your choice.

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

Breakfast and a relaxed check-out start your final day. The road to Colombo's airport runs for roughly four hours along the coast, so leave a generous margin before your flight. Your driver sets the departure time based on your schedule and takes the road north through Galle, Bentota and the western resorts.

If you have time to spare, ask for a short stop on the way, perhaps for a last swim, a coffee at the beach or a quick look at the Galle ramparts. Thank your driver-guide, who has been with you all week, and collect your bags at the departures door.

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