Adventure and Leisure (11 Days)

Visit the home of young elephants displaced or lost from their natural habitat, now host to the largest captive herd of elephants in the world.

Enter the Golden Temple of Dambulla, dating to the 1st century BC, to see ancient murals and hundreds of Buddha figurines across its five main caves, including the Cave of the Divine King and the Cave of the Great King, plus the giant golden Buddha statue outside.

Climb the 5th century AD rock fortress through the lion-paw entrance, viewing the famous murals, terraced gardens, ancient cisterns and the palace ruins at the summit.

Take an oxen cart ride and a catamaran safari on a calm lake, walk through paddy fields, watch a traditional cooking demonstration and eat a home-cooked lunch served on lotus leaves.

Go on a jeep safari through Minneriya National Park, known for the Great Elephant Gathering between May and October when large numbers of elephants congregate, alongside other mammals, birds, reptiles and amphibians.

Take a guided tour of a spice and herbal garden covering coriander, chilli, cinnamon, cardamom and nutmeg, with a cooking demonstration on making roti or curry powder from scratch.

Visit this UNESCO World Heritage Site in Kandy, built in the 16th century to house Lord Buddha's sacred tooth, with its painted halls, carved pillars and golden statues.

Walk the streets of this former British hill-station, past cottages, villas and mansions, visit the old red-bricked post office, and relax at Queen Victoria Park or the shores of Lake Gregory.

Explore the cloud forests and grasslands of Horton Plains near Ohiya, taking in the views from World's End, the spray of Baker's Falls and the park's endemic wildlife.

Travel by train from Nanu Oya to Ella, passing tea plantations, misty villages around Haputale, mountains, forests and waterfalls.

Walk past tea fields and rocky outcrops to the viewpoint at Little Adam's Peak, cross the Nine Arches Bridge, and finish at Demodara Railway Station with its distinctive loop-over track.

Take a three-hour safari through the marshes, forests and grasslands of this park, created as a wildlife sanctuary in the 1970s and known for its elephants and water birds, along with other mammals, reptiles and butterflies.

Explore Galle Fort, one of the best-preserved fortifications in Asia and once a Portuguese and Dutch headquarters, along with the Maritime Museum, the Galle National Museum, the lighthouse and the fort's cobblestoned streets.

Take a boat ride through the Madu River's mangroves, spotting basking crocodiles and water monitors, visiting a cinnamon-harvesting island, trying a fish massage, and watching water birds.

See the capital's historic monuments, including the Old Lighthouse, the Old Parliament, Galle Face Hotel, Galle Face Green, Gangarama Temple and the National Museum, and browse Independence Square or the Race Course area.