Island Hop (19 Days)

Enjoy the sandy beaches of Negombo and watch the centuries-old fishing industry at work. Try water sports or go diving to see the coral and underwater life, including a 50-year-old shipwreck just off the coast that is now home to many fish species.

Take a boat ride down the Madu River, passing through narrow mangrove channels and spotting basking crocodiles and water monitors. The route includes a visit to a small island where cinnamon is harvested, a chance to try fish massage, and sightings of waterbirds.

Visit the Kosgoda Turtle Hatchery to learn about the five endangered sea turtle species that nest on Sri Lanka's shores and how the hatchery protects their nests. Visitors can see, touch and feed baby turtles, and sometimes injured adult turtles in care.

Walk the cobblestoned streets of Galle Fort, still bearing their old Dutch names, and visit the Maritime Museum, the Galle National Museum and the lighthouse.

Watch fishermen perched on stilts along the coast at Koggala and hear from practitioners how the generations-old craft of stilt fishing is done.

Visit Ussangoda, a treeless coastal area with toxic serpentine rock that only a few plant species can tolerate. Local legend links its bare landscape to the Ramayana story of Hanuman and King Ravana.

Join a three-hour safari in search of Sri Lankan leopards, wild water buffalo, sloth bears and elephant herds, alongside the park's many other mammals, birds, reptiles and amphibians.

Pass bright green tea fields and rocky stretches on the way to views from Little Adam's Peak.

Walk over the Nine Arches Bridge and hear the story of its construction.

End the walk at Demodara Railway Station, notable for its unique loop-over track design.

Walk through streets lined with cottages, villas and colonial-era mansions built when Nuwara Eliya was a premium British holiday town. Visit the old red-brick post office and relax at Queen Victoria Park or Lake Gregory.

Take the train from Ella to Nanu Oya, passing tea plantations, misty villages and highland scenery, with waterfalls and woodlands visible from the windows.

Visit Horton Plains National Park in Ohiya, with views from World's End and the cooling spray of Baker's Falls. Look out for endemic fauna and learn about archaeological finds in the area.

Stop at Ramboda Falls, the 11th tallest waterfall in Sri Lanka.

Walk through the shaded avenues and colourful planting of Hakgala Botanical Gardens.

Take a relaxed walk along the shores of Lake Gregory.

Visit the Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic, a UNESCO World Heritage Site built in the 16th century to house Lord Buddha's tooth relic, with its painted halls, carved pillars and gilded statues.

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

Walk through the Royal Botanical Gardens, established in the early 19th century, taking in orchids, spices, medicinal plants, rare trees, a cannonball tree and a suspension bridge.

Take a guided tour of a spice and herbal garden in Matale, learning about coriander, chilli, cinnamon, cardamom, nutmeg and their uses.

Explore the cave temples of Dambulla, dating to the 1st century BC, with their ancient murals and hundreds of Buddha figurines across the five main caves, including the Cave of the Divine King, the Cave of the Great King and the Great New Monastery, plus the golden Buddha statue outside the complex.

Climb the 5th-century rock fortress of Sigiriya, entering through the lion's paw gateway, and see the fading murals, terraced gardens, still-working cisterns and the tunnels leading to the former palace.

Walk through the ruins of Anuradhapura, capital of Sri Lanka for over a thousand years until the 10th century AD, taking in pagodas, monastic buildings and ponds, including Jetavanarama, the Sri Maha Bodhi and the Abhayagiri Monastery.

See the 40-foot standing Buddha statue at Avukana, carved from a single rock and supported only by a thin attachment at the back, with the partial remains of what was once a sheltering image house nearby.

Explore Yapahuwa, seat of government in the 13th century and once home to the Temple of the Tooth Relic, taking in its ornamental stairway, entrance arch, temple ruins and sculptures.

Explore the ruins of Polonnaruwa, which thrived as a commercial and religious centre under royal rule 800 years ago, with archaeological remains of its temples and city life still visible.

Join a three-hour safari in Minneriya National Park, known for the Great Elephant Gathering of over 150 elephants between May and October, alongside other mammals, birds, reptiles and amphibians.

Relax on Nilaveli Beach, with its golden sand, palms and clear water, and see the 10th-century Tamil inscription recording the beach's grant to the Koneswaram Temple.

See Colombo's historic landmarks, including the Old Lighthouse, the Old Parliament, Galle Face Hotel, Galle Face Green, Gangarama Temple and the National Museum, and browse malls, boutiques and designer stores around Independence Square and the Race Course.