Complete Sri Lanka Expedition – 4-Star Hotels

This is the first of the long road days, so you leave Colombo in the morning and aim for the elephant orphanage at Pinnawala, about an hour and a half away on the main road towards Kandy. In all, the journey to Sigiriya is roughly four hours of driving, with the orphanage visit in the middle making a pleasant break.

The orphanage was founded in 1975 by the Wildlife Department on a twenty-five acre coconut estate beside the Maha Oya river. It was set up to give a home to orphaned and injured elephants found in the jungle, and the idea has always been to keep conditions as close to natural as possible. The exception is feeding for the youngest animals: calves under three years old are still given bottles of milk by the keepers, which is a sweet thing to watch from the rail. Twice a day the whole herd is led down the street to the river, and this is the moment to be there. Adult elephants wade in, spray themselves with their trunks and roll about in the shallows while calves splash around the edges. Allow two hours or a little more, wear shoes that can get muddy, and follow the keepers' instructions about keeping your distance.

After lunch the scenery changes as you leave the coconut belt behind. Paddy fields, small reservoirs and the first rocky outcrops of the dry zone slide past, and by late afternoon you reach Sigiriya, where you stay for two nights. There is nothing planned for the evening, so use it to unpack, swim if your hotel has a pool and eat when you like. Tomorrow begins early.

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

Breakfast is early, because the best hours at Sigiriya are the cool ones. The rock rises roughly 200 metres from the forest floor, and locals sometimes call it the eighth wonder of the world. In the fifth century King Kashyapa chose this lump of stone for his palace, and the approach still shows how carefully he planned it. You begin in the symmetrical Water Gardens, with their pools and channels, then climb through boulder-strewn terraces to the sheltered gallery that holds the painted maidens, whose colours are still clear. Beyond them runs the Mirror Wall, and further up two huge stone paws mark where a lion-shaped gateway once stood. From there it is about 1,200 steps to the top, where the foundations of the palace spread across the summit and the view stretches over forest, lakes and distant hills. Allow around three hours, carry water, and take your time on the narrow metal stairs.

By midday the heat has built, so your driver-guide takes you to lunch and a rest before the afternoon visit to Dambulla, a short drive away. Here a long rock face towers about 160 metres above the plain, and under its overhang sit five cave temples that have been used for worship for over two thousand years. The paintings on the ceilings tell the story of the Buddha's life in dense, bright patterns, and the caves hold 153 statues of the Buddha, three of kings and four of gods. UNESCO listed the complex in 1991. A flight of steps leads up from the road, and you remove your shoes before entering, so wear socks you do not mind having on warm stone, and cover your shoulders and knees.

Return to Sigiriya for a second night. Your legs will probably be ready for dinner and bed.

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

After breakfast you head for a village on the edge of the Sigiriya countryside, and the morning is spent at the pace of rural life rather than at a monument. A bullock cart takes you along tracks between paddy fields, and a slim wooden outrigger canoe carries you over the village tank, quiet except for birds. Your hosts then show you a chena plot, the traditional method of growing crops on cleared forest land, and take you to a family kitchen where rice and curries are cooked over a wood fire. You help with the cooking if you wish, and then sit down to eat what you have helped to prepare.

Afterwards the road leads north-west to Anuradhapura, about one and a half to two hours away. This was the island's first great capital and a centre of Theravada Buddhism for many centuries. UNESCO inscribed the sacred city in 1982, and it is still very much alive: pilgrims dressed in white arrive to leave flowers and light lamps. The most revered spot is the Sri Maha Bodhi, a fig tree grown from a cutting of the tree under which the Buddha is said to have reached enlightenment and planted in the third century BC. Close by stand the colossal white domes of Ruwanwelisaya and Jetavanaramaya, each one a pilgrimage site as well as a feat of ancient building.

Dress modestly in Anuradhapura, with shoulders and knees covered, and expect to take off your shoes at the shrines, so a pair of thin socks helps on sun-baked paving. Aim to see the main monuments in the softer light of late afternoon, then settle into your hotel for the night.

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

Today you leave the first capital for the second. After breakfast you drive east to Polonnaruwa, the medieval seat of power from the eleventh to the thirteenth century and another UNESCO site. The story starts with King Vijayabahu, who drove out the Chola invaders in 1070 and reunited the kingdom under local rule. His grandson Parakramabahu, who reigned from 1153 to 1186, turned the city into a showpiece and built a network of reservoirs so large that one of them is still called a sea. The rice those tanks made possible became the basis of the kingdom's strength.

The ruins lie across flat, shaded ground beside that great reservoir, so walking between groups of them is easy. Your guide leads you to the circular Vatadage, ringed by carved steps and guardian stones, then to the walls of the royal palace, where the thickness of the brickwork hints at a building that once rose several storeys. The finest moment is Gal Vihara, where huge Buddha figures, seated, standing and reclining, are carved from a single granite face. Their calm expressions tend to quieten even the busiest group. Bring a hat, sunscreen and plenty of water, as shade is limited between sites.

After a late lunch you return towards Habarana and on to the Sigiriya area. You have already climbed the fortress, so this evening you view it from outside. Pidurangala is a smaller rock beside it, with a path that passes a little temple and finishes with a scramble over boulders. From the top you look straight across at the fortress catching the last of the sun. Sturdy shoes matter here, and a torch helps for the walk down. If you want to climb the fortress steps again instead, your guide can arrange it. Then you drive back to Polonnaruwa, roughly an hour to an hour and a half, for the night.

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

Today you leave the dry plains for the hills. After breakfast you drive south through Dambulla and on to Matale, with Kandy about two and a half to three hours beyond the Dambulla turning. Matale is a market town where the paddy fields give way to terraced gardens, and it holds some of the best spice gardens on the island, only about 25 kilometres from Kandy.

A guide leads you through the plots and introduces the plants one by one: pepper vines wound around their supports, cinnamon, cloves, cardamom, nutmeg and vanilla. You see how each spice is grown and prepared, and learn which ones serve as herbal remedies in Ayurvedic practice. A local cooperative of farmers runs the nearby processing unit, so prices are set fairly, and there is a shop if you would like to take something home, but nobody expects you to buy.

You reach Kandy in the afternoon. The last royal capital of the Sinhalese kings sits around a small lake, ringed by hills, and has been a UNESCO World Heritage city for decades. Its heart is the Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic, which houses a relic of the Buddha. According to tradition, the tooth was smuggled into the island in the fourth century, hidden in the hair of a princess from Orissa, and it has been revered ever since as the country's most prized object. Dress modestly and leave your shoes at the entrance. Photographs are best taken outside the inner shrine.

At five o'clock a cultural performance begins in town and runs for about an hour. Drummers, acrobats and dancers in heavy, glittering costumes take the stage, and the programme usually finishes with fire-walking. It is a lively way to end the day.

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

Today is a gentle one, built around two indoor and outdoor visits with time to rest between them. After breakfast you head to a gem museum and workshop in Kandy. Sri Lanka has been famous for its sapphires since antiquity, and the island produces rubies, moonstones, cat's-eye and many other stones as well. The museum explains the geology behind the deposits, shows a reconstruction of a traditional gem mine and plays a short film that follows a stone from the ground to the jeweller's bench, where it is cut and set in gold, silver or platinum. A showroom is attached, but there is no obligation to buy, and your guide will happily wait while you look.

The middle of the day is free. Walk beside the lake, ask your driver-guide for a lunch recommendation or simply rest at the hotel after the busy days behind you.

In the late afternoon you drive about five kilometres west of the centre to the Royal Botanic Gardens at Peradeniya. The gardens occupy a loop of the Mahaweli river, about 460 metres above sea level, and they are the oldest formal gardens on the island. Their history is long: a queen is said to have enjoyed the site in the fourteenth century, a Kandyan prince lived here in the eighteenth, and in the early nineteenth century the British developed it into one of the great botanic gardens of the empire. During the Second World War it even served as a regional headquarters for the Allied forces. Today more than 4,000 plant species grow here, and the highlights include the orchid house, the spice garden, long avenues of towering trees and a fine palm collection. Roughly two million visitors come each year, but the lawns are wide and you can easily find a quiet bench.

Return to Kandy for a relaxed evening.

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

After breakfast the road climbs into the heart of tea country, and the whole day follows a green staircase of terraces. The drive from Kandy to Nuwara Eliya takes roughly three to four hours by road, but there are plenty of reasons to stop on the way.

The first is a working tea estate and factory. Tea has been the economic backbone of the hills since the British realised that the climate around Kandy and further up suited the crop. You follow the leaf through each stage: plucking, withering, rolling, oxidising, drying and grading. At the end you sit with a cup of freshly made Ceylon tea and look out over the terraces. Further on, the Ramboda Falls tumble down in several tiers beside the road, and above them a bright Hindu temple is dedicated to Hanuman. It is linked with the Ramayana and houses an 18-foot statue of the god.

You arrive in Nuwara Eliya, at about 1,900 metres, in the middle of the afternoon. The town earned the nickname Little England for its colonial bungalows, trimmed lawns and flower beds, and the air is noticeably cooler. After checking in, your guide takes you through the market to see how local people shop for vegetables and spices, and out to Hakgala Botanical Gardens on the slope of a rock. Roses, tree ferns and orchids thrive in the mountain air, and monkeys and blue magpies often turn up among the trees. The nearby Seetha Amman Temple is a colourful shrine associated with the Ramayana story. If there is time before dusk, Gregory Lake and Victoria Park make a pleasant stroll.

Evenings are cold, so pack a jumper or fleece.

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

Today's journey is the one many people remember longest. After breakfast you are driven to Nanu Oya, the station that serves Nuwara Eliya, where you board the scenic train to Ella. The line was laid by the British in the 1860s to carry coffee and later tea from the hill estates, and it still follows the original tracks. Over roughly three to four hours the carriages creep through tea fields, cloud forest and tunnels, and past waterfalls, with open doors and windows from which to lean out. Your driver-guide travels ahead by road with your luggage and meets you in Ella. Train tickets are bought separately and seats have to be booked in advance, so tell us early; if no seats are available, the same stops can be made by road.

Ella is a small, relaxed village in a gap in the hills, with views that open all the way to the plains. Once you have checked in and had something to eat, the afternoon is for two of its best-known sights. Ravana Falls drops about 82 feet from a rounded rock beside the main road, inside a small sanctuary. At its fullest, after rain, it fans out like a drooping areca flower, while in the dry season it shrinks to a thin veil, so the timing of your visit matters. According to local legend, the water is connected with King Ravana of the Ramayana.

The Nine Arch Bridge, near Demodara, was commissioned under British rule in 1921 and built from stone blocks and cement, without steel reinforcement. Its arches curve across a jungle valley, and the best moment is when a train crosses. Your guide will tell you the likely times, so you can be in position well before. Return to the village for dinner.

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

Your second night here makes today the slowest of the whole expedition. Nothing needs to be done early, so sleep in, take breakfast on a terrace if your hotel has one and let the morning find its own shape.

If you would like a walk, Little Adam's Peak is the classic choice. The path starts at the edge of the village and climbs gently through tea bushes to a ridge, usually in about an hour, with a view across the valley and down the Ella Gap towards the plains. It is much easier than its name suggests, and the best light comes in the early morning or the late afternoon. Bring water and a hat, and wear shoes with grip, since the path can be slippery after rain. More energetic guests sometimes consider Ella Rock, a longer and steeper hike that is best done with a local guide, but it takes most of a morning and is entirely optional.

Ella is also a place to simply sit. The village has a string of cafes and small restaurants, and it is easy to spend an hour over a pot of tea. If a train is due, the platform is a pleasant place to watch the carriages come and go. You can also revisit the Nine Arch Bridge in different light or return to Ravana Falls if the first visit was rushed, as both are only a short ride away.

Plan on an early dinner and a good night's sleep, because tomorrow the landscape starts to flatten and the wildlife begins.

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

After breakfast you leave Ella and begin the descent from the hills. The drive to Udawalawe takes about two and a half hours without stops, and there are three good reasons to take longer.

First, the road passes Ravana Falls again. If the light was poor the day before, or you simply liked the place, this is a chance to stop for a few minutes. The second stop is Buduruwagala, near the town of Wellawaya. A British surveyor found this group of seven carved figures in the early twentieth century, though local people had known the site for centuries. The figures are cut into the east-facing face of a rock, and the name Buduruwagala roughly means Buddha images in stone. It is a quiet place with few visitors, and its mix of carved Buddha and attendant figures is unlike anything else on the route.

In the afternoon you reach the Udawalawe wildlife park, where open grassland meets a large reservoir. The park was created to protect the catchment of the Walawe river and to offer a refuge to the elephants displaced when that basin was developed. Today it is one of the most visited parks on the island, and it is rewarding because elephants are seen here in good numbers almost all year, often as family herds with calves. You also have a good chance of spotting buffalo, deer, crocodiles and many water birds. Your jeep safari usually lasts around three hours, and the late-afternoon light is excellent for photographs. Park fees and the jeep are paid separately.

Spend the night near the park. If you wish, ask about the Elephant Transit Home, where orphaned calves are looked after before being released.

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

This is the early start you have been waiting for. Your driver-guide collects you in the dark and you travel south towards Yala with a breakfast pack from your hotel, because the park is at its best at first light. Safaris leave around dawn in open 4x4 jeeps with a tracker who knows the tracks and the animals' habits.

Yala has one of the densest populations of wildlife on the island and is often described as the finest safari destination in the country. It is perhaps best known for leopards, which here are among the most densely concentrated anywhere, though seeing one depends entirely on luck and patience. Elephants are a regular sight, and you may also meet sloth bears, crocodiles on the lake edges, peacocks displaying in the open and dozens of bird species. Wildlife sightings are never promised, but a morning of around three hours gives you a good chance of at least several memorable encounters. Wear muted colours, bring a hat, binoculars and a light layer for the cool start, and expect a dusty, bumpy ride. Entrance and jeep fees are paid separately, and the park has an annual closure, which we check when planning your dates.

By late morning you are back at your hotel in Tissamaharama, ready for a shower and a rest. The town sits beside the ancient Tissa Wewa reservoir, with a gleaming white stupa at its centre, and an evening stroll along the water is pleasant once the heat has gone. If you have energy left, ask about a short trip to Kataragama, a pilgrimage town sacred to Buddhists, Hindus and Muslims, where an evening ceremony is held at the temple on the river bank.

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

Today you say goodbye to the wild south-east and head for the sea. After breakfast you drive about three hours to Galle, following the coast for much of the way. This stretch is dotted with small attractions, and if you have energy you can ask for optional stops: the Hummanaya blowhole near Dickwella, where the swell forces a jet of seawater through a rock vent, and the stilt fishermen off Weligama, who perch on poles in the surf. Each takes around half an hour, and the blowhole is at its best when the sea is rough.

Galle Fort is the afternoon's main event. A UNESCO site, it was begun by the Portuguese in 1588 and greatly strengthened by the Dutch from 1649 onwards. The old walled town was a busy spice port for more than two centuries before passing to the British. Today it is a lived-in neighbourhood, and the best way to see it is on foot. Climb onto the ramparts and walk along the sea wall, past the lighthouse and the clock tower, then drop down into narrow lanes of boutiques, galleries, cafes and old Dutch houses with deep verandahs. The Dutch Reformed church, known as the Groote Kerk, is one of the quieter landmarks. A good rule is to give the Fort at least a couple of hours and to stay for the late light, when the walls turn gold.

Then it is a short drive of about 45 minutes to Mirissa, a crescent of golden sand with a laid-back feel. Check in, walk down to the beach and choose a table facing the sunset. Whale watching trips leave early in the morning from here, usually from about November to April, but today there is only time for the view.

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

Your last morning is for a final swim, a slow breakfast or a walk along the sand at Mirissa, depending on your flight time. Your driver-guide will work backwards from your departure to decide when to leave, and since the journey north to the airport takes roughly four hours, an early start is normal.

The coast road passes Bentota on the way. If time allows, a short stop beside the river there is a nice way to say goodbye to the island, with a coffee or a coconut as the boats go by. Otherwise the drive is simple and direct, and your driver-guide helps with your luggage at the departures hall. Thank you for travelling around the whole island with us.

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