Ramayana Holiday (10 Days)

The caves of the Golden Temple of Dambulla date back to the 1st century BC and hold ancient murals of the Buddha's life and hundreds of Buddha and deity figurines across five main caves, including the Cave of the Divine King and the Cave of the Great King. A giant golden Buddha statue stands a short distance outside the cave complex.

This orphanage near Pinnawala village in Sabaragamuwa province cares for young elephants displaced from their natural habitat and offers a close encounter with the world's largest land mammal.

Built atop Swami Rock overlooking Trincomalee, this temple is dedicated to Lord Shiva in the form of Konesar, and legend holds that Emperor Ravana once meditated on this rock.

One of Sri Lanka's two marine national parks, Pigeon Island lies just off the coast of Nilaveli and comprises a large and a small island with some of the country's best remaining coral reefs.

A popular stretch of coast near Trincomalee, Nilaveli is known for water sports including scuba diving.

This 5th-century AD rock fortress was ruled by King Kasyapa and is entered through an opening framed by giant lion's paws. Visitors see the famous unfading murals, climb a steep staircase past terraced gardens and still-working cisterns, and pass through tunnels leading to the former palace.

The spice gardens near Matale, Sri Lanka's spice capital, grow herbs, spices and plants used in Ayurveda, with a guided spice tour explaining their uses and origins.

A tour around Kandy city introduces the town before the evening's cultural performance.

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

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

Ramboda Ella is among Sri Lanka's higher waterfalls and consists of three sections; the middle section is visible from the A5 highway, while reaching the top section requires a climb via a pathway near the bridge.

Seen en route to the Hakgala Botanical Gardens, this temple features statues of Rama and Sita and modern paintings and sculptures depicting their story.

This temple marks the spot where Sita is said to have undergone her Agni Pariksha to prove her fidelity to Rama, and remains a place where people take oaths today.

This montane grassland and cloud forest park near Ohiya offers views from the precipice of World's End and the cooling spray of Baker's Falls, along with sightings of endemic fauna and sites of archaeological interest.

Set in the hill country at altitude, Nuwara Eliya was built by the British in the style of an English countryside town, with Georgian and Queen Anne-style homes, a golf course, an Anglican church and parks.

Ella's surrounding tea fields and rocky terrain give views of Little Adam's Peak. The walk takes in the Nine Arches Bridge and continues to Demodara Railway Station with its loop-over track design.

Dedicated to Lord Karthikeya Subramaniam, this temple is linked in legend to his role protecting Lord Rama from King Ravana's weapon during the war. Three poojas take place daily, with visitors able to make offerings of fruit, incense and money.

This treeless coastal area sits on serpentine rock containing toxic heavy metals, which limits plant growth. Ramayana legend attributes its bald appearance to Hanuman setting fire to King Ravana's lands, and it is also said to have been used as a landing site for Ravana's flying chariot.

This hill east of Galle, topped by a white Buddhist dagoba, is said to be a fragment of the Dronagiri mountain dropped by Hanuman while carrying it to Lanka for its healing herbs, and is linked in legend to Sita's stay on the island.

Galle's Dutch-built fort, dating from 1663, covers a promontory surrounded on three sides by the ocean and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, with colonial architecture lining its old walls and streets.

The tour of Sri Lanka's capital takes in landmarks such as the Old Lighthouse, the Old Parliament, Galle Face Hotel, Galle Face Green, Gangarama Temple and the National Museum, along with shopping areas around Independence Square and the Race Course.

This regional Hindu temple complex near Chilaw has existed since at least 1000 CE and is associated in legend with Rama from the Ramayana. It is one of five ancient temples dedicated to Shiva in the region.