Classic Sri Lanka (20 Days)

Visit historic monuments such as the Old Lighthouse, the Old Parliament, Galle Face Hotel, Galle Face Green, Gangarama Temple and the National Museum.

Browse the malls of Independence Square or the Race Course, along with boutique shops and designer stores.

Walk through one of the best-preserved fortifications in Asia, with cobblestoned streets still bearing their Dutch names.

Also known as the Virgin White Tea Factory, learn how its famous tea is plucked and processed untouched by human hands, with a tasting of tea and chocolate cake and a chance to buy tea leaves.

Watch fishermen perched on stilts along the coast of Koggala and hear from them how this generations-old craft is practised.

A three-hour safari through the marshes, forests and grasslands of this park, created as a wildlife sanctuary in the 1970s, with water birds, Sri Lankan elephants and other mammals, reptiles and butterflies.

One of Sri Lanka's most famed observation points, with views over the Uva, Sabaragamuwa, Central and Eastern Provinces.

Pass through bright green tea fields and rocky stretches for views of Little Adam's Peak.

Walk over the bridge and hear the story of its construction.

End the hike at the station, known for its unique loop-over track design.

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

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

Formed in the early 19th century, the gardens hold over 4000 species of plants, including orchids, spices and medicinal trees, a cannonball tree and a suspension bridge.

A replica English countryside town with homes from Georgian to Queen Anne styles, an Anglican church, a golf course and well-kept parks, set high enough to keep the air cool and fresh.

Dating to the 1st century BC, the complex holds ancient murals of the life of Lord Gautama Buddha, hundreds of Buddha and deity figurines across five main caves including the Cave of the Divine King and the Cave of the Great King, and a giant golden Buddha statue outside.

Climb the 5th-century AD rock fortress of King Kasyapa, entering through the lion's-paw gateway, and see its famous murals, terraced gardens, still-working cisterns and palace ruins.

An ancient temple praised by Indian poet-saints, with murals describing its history, a cave shrine dating from 1580 BC and a giant statue of King Ravana, who legend says worshipped here.

Originally built by the Portuguese in 1624, later dismantled and rebuilt by the Dutch as Fort Frederick, using stones from the destroyed Koneswaram temple.

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

A village once home to ancient Tamil Buddhism, with the Girihadu Seya Stupa marking the spot where Buddha is said to have given hair relics to two traders, and the ruins of a Vanniyar chief's fortress.

A chance to see blue, sperm and fin whales off the south coast with a qualified naturalist, run as a low-impact excursion.

Made up of a smaller and larger pigeon island surrounded by coral reef, home to breeding rock pigeons and a range of coral types and marine fauna.

Relax on the sand, watch the sunset over the ocean, and look out for nesting turtles.

Known locally as Lellama, this large open-air fish market, one of the largest in the country, shows the local fleet bringing in its catch and wholesalers, retailers and customers trading in a lively, pungent scene.