Ceylon Endearment (27 Days)

A beachside resort town in Galle's Southern province, known for its coral-fringed beaches. After arrival and check-in there is time for leisure at the beach resort.

Explore the old colonial city where the Portuguese and Dutch had their headquarters, centred on the Galle Fort, one of the best-preserved fortifications in Asia. Visit its museums and lighthouse and walk the cobblestoned streets with their Dutch names.

Also known as the Virgin White Tea Factory, this is where the famous Virgin White Tea is plucked and processed without being touched by human hands. A tasting session with tea and chocolate cake follows, with tea leaves available to buy.

A hill three kilometres east of Galle, topped by a white Buddhist dagoba and known as a landmark of Unuwatuna beach. Legend ties the rock to the Ramayana story of Hanuman carrying the Dronagiri mountain, and it is said to have been an abode of Sita.

Watch fishermen perched on stilts in the waters off the coast near Koggala, a craft practised here for generations, and hear from the fishermen themselves how it is done.

A crescent-shaped beach at the far eastern end of Weligama Bay, with golden sands and swaying palms that give the impression of a secluded island. Nearby attractions include Parrot Rock, Secret Beach, Turtle Point and Coconut Tree Hill.

A bare coastal plateau whose serpentine rock contains toxic heavy metals, limiting plant growth to a few adapted species. Local legend also ties the site's scorched appearance to the Ramayana story of Hanuman and King Ravana, and says it was once used as an airport for Ravana's chariot.

A full day safari in the second largest national park on the island, on the south-eastern coast. Look for Sri Lankan leopards, wild water buffalo, sloth bears and elephant herds, alongside the park's wide range of birds, reptiles and other wildlife.

An ancient Buddhist temple complex of seven statues from the 10th century, belonging to the Mahayana school. The largest Buddha figure still carries traces of its original stuccoed and painted robe, and one nearby figure is thought to depict the Bodhisattva Avalokitesvara.

Explore the town and its surroundings, passing tea fields and rocky stretches with views of Little Adam's Peak. Walk over the Nine Arches Bridge and finish at Demodara Railway Station, known for its unusual loop-over track.

A train journey from Haputale to Nuwara Eliya through mountains, waterfalls and tea country, passing small misty villages along the way.

A highland town that served as the main holiday resort for the British in the 19th and early 20th centuries, with cottages, villas and mansions lining its streets. Visit the old red-brick post office, Queen Victoria Park or the shores of Lake Gregory.

Visit Ramboda Falls, the 11th tallest waterfall in the country, with a guided tour through the nearby Mackwoods Tea Estate covering tea varieties and processing.

An hour-long performance of traditional Sri Lankan art forms, including fire dancers, sword dancers and Kandyan dancers performing to drumming.

A UNESCO World Heritage Site built in the 16th century to house and protect the sacred tooth relic of the Buddha. See its painted halls, carved pillars and gilded statues.

The Royal Botanical Gardens at Peradeniya, established in the early 19th century, hold over 4,000 species of plants including orchids, spices and medicinal plants, along with the cannonball tree and a suspension bridge.

A natural spring-fed lake near Elkaduwa, believed locally to be 30 to 40 feet deep, with a natural swimming pool alongside it.

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

Climb the 5th-century rock fortress built by King Kasyapa, entering through the paws of the lion that gives the site its name. See the famous frescoes, the terraced gardens and still-working cisterns, and the tunnels leading up to the palace.

A visit to a traditional village near Sigiriya, including an oxen cart ride, a catamaran safari on a village lake, a walk through paddy fields and a cooking demonstration, followed by a home-cooked lunch served on lotus leaves.

A three-hour safari in Minneriya, known for the Great Elephant Gathering of up to 150 elephants in the dry season between May and October, alongside a range of other mammals, birds and reptiles.

The second major ancient capital of Sri Lanka, flourishing from the 10th to 13th centuries. Walk through its ruins, including Gal Vihara, Vatadage, the lotus bath, Lankathilaka Temple and the statue of King Parakramabahu.

The Golden Temple of Dambulla, a cave complex dating to the 1st century BC, with murals of the Buddha's life and hundreds of statues across its five main caves, including the Cave of the Divine King and the Cave of the Great King. A large golden Buddha statue stands outside the complex.

An ancient temple praised by Indian poet-saints, with murals telling its history. Its cave shrine dates back to around 1580 BC, while the main temple structure developed from around 400 AD.

Originally built by the Portuguese in 1624 using stones from the dismantled Koneswaram Temple, later rebuilt by the Dutch.

One of Sri Lanka's best beaches, with golden sand, palms and clear water, and a 10th-century Tamil inscription recording the beach as part of a land grant to Koneswaram Temple.

A five-hour trip to see blue whales, sperm whales and fin whales in their natural habitat, guided by a naturalist who explains how to identify the different species.

A marine park made up of a smaller and larger pigeon island, surrounded by coral reef and home to breeding rock pigeons and a range of coral and fish species.

A village once home to ancient Tamil Buddhism, including the Girihadu Seya Stupa, said to mark the spot where the Buddha gave hair relics to two traders, and the ruins of a fortress of one of the last Vanniyar chiefs.

The city and peninsula at Sri Lanka's northern tip, with ancient Hindu temples such as Nallur, Nainativu and Mavittapuram, the Dutch Fort, recent war memorials, the Saraswathy Mahal Library, Nagadeepa Vihara and the palace of the last king of Jaffna, Cankili I.

Known as Nayinathivu, Nagadeepa or, in ancient times, Manipallavam, this island north of Jaffna is linked to the Naga people who worshipped the snake, with evidence of this history at the Nainativu Nagapooshani Amman Temple and the Nagadeepa Purana Vihara.

A Hindu temple with at least two thousand years of recorded history, tied to legends of the god Indra's worship. Its Dravidian architecture includes four gopurams, several mandapams and temple chariots, and it is one of only 64 Shakti Peedams in the world.

The capital of Sri Lanka for over a millennium until the 10th century AD, with pagodas, monastic buildings and ponds spread across the site. Key landmarks include Jetavanarama, once one of the tallest structures in the ancient world, the Sri Maha Bodhi, and the ruins of the Abhayagiri Monastery.

Visit Colombo's landmarks, including the Old Lighthouse, the Old Parliament, Galle Face Hotel, Galle Face Green, Gangarama Temple and the National Museum, along with Independence Square, the Race Course and the city's shops.

Colombo's beaches and dayclubs offer weekend parties, cocktails and music, alongside casinos and late-night boutique restaurants.

A beach town on the west coast near the airport, with a centuries-old fishing industry, water sports and diving around a 50-year-old shipwreck just offshore.