Wildlife, Hills & Coast Explorer – 4-Star Hotels

Today runs on the clock. Leave your hotel soon after breakfast, or even earlier if you want to beat the heat, and be at the Sigiriya gate when it opens. The temperature and the crowds both rise quickly, and the first hour is the best. The fortress was built in the 5th century by King Kashyapa on top of a granite column that stands about 200 m above the surrounding forest, and the route to the top is a procession through his designs.

You begin in the water gardens, where channels, pools and fountains were laid out with a precision with remarkable symmetry. Next come boulders and stone stairs, then the open walkway beside the Mirror Wall, and a spiral stair to the cave-like gallery where painted maidens in pink and gold look out from the cliff. A pair of giant lion's paws marks the former entrance to the palace. From there about 1,200 steps in total lead to the summit, where you see the ruins of the royal quarters and a view across jungle and tanks. Carry water, wear a hat and take your time. It usually takes most of the morning.

After lunch and a rest, your jeep collects you for the late-afternoon safari in Minneriya, which usually lasts two to three hours. The park surrounds an ancient reservoir, and in the drier months many elephants gather on the shoreline to drink and graze. You often see family herds with calves moving through tall grass. Later in the year, as the water level shifts, nearby Kaudulla may be the better park, and your driver-guide will choose. Your jeep fee is paid separately, and you return to Habarana after dark.

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

After breakfast, drive south to the hill country. The road to Kandy takes roughly three hours without stops, but today's schedule contains two good ones in Matale. First comes an Ayurveda spice garden, where you spend about an hour. A guide takes you between trees and vines to see nutmeg, pepper, cloves, cinnamon and cardamom growing, then shows how they are dried, ground and used in oils and herbal medicine. The garden belongs to a farmers' cooperative, so you can buy spices and balms if you like.

Your second stop, also of around an hour, is the Sri Muthumariamman temple, a Hindu shrine whose gateway tower is covered with brightly painted figures of gods and goddesses. Inside, priests make offerings of flowers and fire, and the air smells of incense and camphor. Take off your shoes and cover your shoulders and knees, and ask your driver-guide before you take photographs.

Descend into the Kandy valley and check in. In the late afternoon you visit the Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic, the revered shrine by the lake that holds a relic of the Buddha. Around five o'clock there is a cultural show of about an hour, with drummers, dancers in layered costumes and a fire-walking finale. If the show is not running that day, your driver-guide will substitute a city sightseeing tour, because the performance is held close to the temple. After the show, return to your hotel and have an unhurried supper.

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

Kandy gets a full day, and nothing needs to be rushed. After breakfast your driver-guide takes you to a gem museum and workshop, which is the best place to understand why Sri Lanka has been a gem island for centuries. Cases of raw and polished stones show sapphires and other gems in their natural colours, and a reconstructed mine shows the conditions miners work in. A short film follows the stones from the pit to the setting in gold, silver or platinum. A showroom sells jewellery, but there is no obligation to buy anything.

Use the middle of the day for lunch and a stroll in Kandy. The town curves around its lake, and the walk beside the water, past the old palace walls, is calm in the heat. Cafés, bookshops and craft stalls line the streets, and you can browse at your own speed.

In the afternoon visit the Royal Botanic Gardens at Peradeniya, roughly 5 km from the centre and about 460 m above sea level. The gardens cover around 147 acres on a bend of the Mahaweli river and contain more than 4,000 species. The orchid collection, the avenues of tall palms and the great spreading trees are the highlights, and broad lawns invite a slow wander. The origins of the gardens go back to 1371, and in the early 1800s they became one of the leading botanical gardens of the British Empire. During the Second World War they were an Allied headquarters. Allow two relaxed hours.

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

Climb out of Kandy into the tea hills. The full journey to Nuwara Eliya takes about three to four hours by road, and the programme fits in three stops before you arrive. First, visit a plantation and tea factory. British planters introduced tea to the central highlands, and the story goes that the first bush arrived from China and was planted at Peradeniya. A guide explains how the leaf travels from the bush to the cup through withering, rolling, fermenting, drying and grading, and you finish with a tasting of Ceylon tea on a terrace overlooking the slopes. Tea can move from picking to a finished drink in a single day.

Further up, Ramboda Falls tumbles in several stages beside the highway, and the road rises beyond it into cooler air. This is the place to stop for photographs and a hot drink, since the temperature drops with every bend.

You reach Nuwara Eliya, the highest town on the route, at about 1,900 m, in the afternoon. A short city tour includes the market and a drive around the colonial centre, with its clipped lawns and old bungalows. Hakgala Botanical Gardens, on a slope below a sheer rock, are known for roses, tree ferns and orchids, and monkeys and blue magpies live among the trees. Close by, the Seetha Amman temple, a colourful Hindu shrine decorated with figures, is linked to the Ramayana story. Spend the evening in a warm hotel lounge, because nights are cold.

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

After breakfast you descend from the cool plateau towards Ella, a drive of about three hours. The road drops through tea and vegetable terraces and then through forest, and the views open up as you approach the Ella Gap. If you would like to ride the scenic railway for this stretch, we can arrange seats from Nanu Oya with tickets bought separately and your luggage sent on by road.

Your driver-guide breaks the journey at two of the area's best-known sights. Ravana Falls drops about 82 ft from a hollow rock beside the road, in a curved shape that locals compare to a drooping areca flower. It is full and noisy in rainy weather and a thin ribbon in dry months, and it lies within a small wildlife sanctuary. The Nine Arch Bridge, near Demodara, is a viaduct of stone blocks and cement built in 1921 without iron reinforcement. Its arches curve across a gorge in the jungle. Try to arrive before a train crosses, and take care when walking along the track.

Check in and use the afternoon as you wish. Ella is a laid-back village with cafés, a small market and a stunning view down the gap. A sunset drink on a terrace is the usual way to end the day, and an early night is wise because tomorrow you set off for the plains.

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

Leave Ella after breakfast for Udawalawe, about two and a half hours by road. As you descend, you pass Ravana Falls again in the morning light, which makes a good photo stop if you like to see it twice. The hills fall away behind you, the air gets warmer and the landscape changes to scrub and dry-zone forest.

Near Wellawaya you stop at Buduruwagala, a rock temple where a group of seven figures is carved into a cliff face. A British surveyor came across them in the early 20th century. The cliff faces east, the older name is unknown, and the present name combines the Sinhala words for Buddha, precious image and rock. A short walk leads to the statues, which stand in a row against the stone, with the tallest figure of the Buddha at the centre. It is a quiet place, often with few other visitors.

After lunch and a rest, your jeep and tracker collect you for the late-afternoon safari at Udawalawe. The park was created to protect the catchment area of the Walawe reservoir and to give a refuge to elephants displaced by the Walawe development scheme. It is open grassland and reservoir shoreline, with good visibility, and elephants are seen in large numbers nearly every month. Buffalo, deer, crocodiles and water birds are also common. It is the third most visited park on the island. Your jeep fee is paid separately.

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

Today is gentler. Wake at your own pace after the previous evening's safari, and enjoy a slow breakfast with the sounds of the park in the distance. Near Udawalawe the Elephant Transit Home cares for orphaned calves before they are released into the park. Visitors can watch the young animals being fed from a viewing area, and your driver-guide will check the times so that your visit fits. The fee is paid separately. If you would rather have another jeep drive in the park at dawn, tell your driver-guide the night before.

After lunch you continue across the dry zone to Tissamaharama, a lakeside town and the main base for Yala. Plan on a relaxed journey with a lunch stop, because there is no rush to arrive. The change of scenery is gradual: broad paddy fields, scrub, water buffalo and small shrines along the road. On arrival you can rest or walk to the Tissa Wewa reservoir, an ancient lake with a gleaming white stupa on its bank. Late afternoon is a good time, when birds come in to roost and the light softens over the water.

In the evening you may like to drive to Kataragama, a pilgrimage town revered by Buddhists, Hindus and Muslims. The temple stands beside the Menik Ganga river, and the evening puja, with drums, flowers and fruit offerings, is a vivid sight. Go early to bed, though, because tomorrow's safari leaves before dawn.

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

This long day starts in the dark. Leave Tissamaharama in the early morning for Yala, ideally with a packed breakfast, and spend about three hours on a 4x4 safari. Yala has one of the highest leopard densities known anywhere, so the tracker will scan every branch and boulder. Elephants, sloth bears, crocodiles, peacocks and a great variety of birds also live here, and the lagoons and scrub give each hour a different character. Sightings are never promised, but the dawn drive is the usual favourite. Return to your hotel for a late breakfast and a wash.

Then the drive west begins, towards Bentota, a journey of roughly three hours to Galle and about one more beyond it, with stops. Near Dickwella you can watch the blowhole, where waves force a jet of seawater up through a rock vent, best when the swell is high. At Weligama, fishermen perch on poles above the surf, as their fathers did. A photo stop of about half an hour is enough.

In Galle, spend about an hour in the fort. The Portuguese began it in 1588, and the Dutch strengthened it from 1649. Walk past the lighthouse, the clock tower and the Dutch church, along the ramparts and through the lanes of galleries and cafés. A short visit to a turtle hatchery follows on the way north, where you can see injured turtles and tiny hatchlings. You arrive in Bentota in the evening.

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

There is no programme today, so enjoy the beach. Bentota has wide sand, a calm river mouth for water sports and a long tradition of Ayurveda. You can swim, read, take a massage or try jet-skiing, banana-boat rides or kayaking on the river if you are feeling active. The lush gardens made by the Bawa brothers are a short drive away. Everything extra is optional and paid separately. In whale season, from around November to April, some guests take a very early day trip to Mirissa, but it is a long outing.

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

Breakfast is the last meal of the tour. Check out, load your bags and set off with your driver-guide for the airport, a drive of about two hours. Your driver agrees the departure time with you the evening before, based on your flight, so there is margin for traffic and a relaxed check-in. The road runs past palm groves, fishing villages and the outskirts of Negombo, and it is a quiet way to say goodbye. Safe travels.

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