Day 1Upon arrival in Sri Lanka transfer to the Browns Beach Hotel located just half and hour away on the north-west beaches of Negombo, an ideal place for acclimatising to Sri Lanka’s tropical climes and rejuvenating after the long flight. Explore Negombo’s quaint fishing villages or join a fisherman on his catamaran as it sets sail into the sunset. You may like to take a boat ride along the old Dutch canals that criss-cross the local area, or experience Negombo's Colonial heritage including Catholic churches and the ruins of the Dutch Fort.

Day 2, 3, & 4Journey to the Cultural Triangle where you will be staying for the next three days at Chaaya Village in Habarana. The ancient capital of Polonnaruwa, the Lion Rock of Sigiriya and Dambulla’s Buddhist Cave Temples are all UNESCO world heritage sites and are included in your package. Explore these three cultural sites, all set in beautiful scenery, at your own pace, planning your days with the assistance of our expert driver. You might also consider a safari at Minneriya National Park when you visit Polonnaruwa or an adventurous elephant safari at Habarana where you’ll be taken on elephant back through a jungle trek and across shallow waters.

Day 5 & 6The journey from the cultural triangle to Sri Lanka's hill capital – the small lakeside city of Kandy – will occupy most of the morning. Check into the Ellerton Lodge, a plantation bungalow in Gampola on the outskirts of Kandy with magnificent mountain views. Visit the Temple of the Tooth in Kandy where a sacred tooth relic of the Lord Buddha is enshrined since 4th Century A.D. The temple has decorative walls, a golden roof and fine woodwork. Religious services (pooja) with traditional music and drumming are held daily at dawn, mid-day and in the evening where guests can participate.

Day 7 & 8This morning you hop on aboard a train and head to Haputale in the tea-growing Southern Highlands – a land of lush tea plantations, majestic peaks and rushing waterfalls. Haputale is one of the favourite haunts of the tea millionaire Sir Thomas Lipton. Check into Kelburne Mountain View Cottages and spend your time here savouring the magnificent views. Stroll through the Kelburne Tea plantation and visit the tea factory where you will gain insight into the manufacturing process as well as an opportunity to taste and purchase the different grades of hill country tea. Adisham - a Benedictine Monastery with a century old stone buildings, several waterfalls including Dunhinda, Diyaluma, and Ravana Ella are all located nearby in the towns of Haputale and Ella.

Day 9Head southeast to the serene and tranquil town of Tissamaharama, which was the capital of the ancient Ruhunu Kingdom in the 2nd century B.C. Tissa is dominated by lakes and gigantic Buddhist Dagobas (temples), lush green paddy fields and lotus-filled lakes attracting many species of water birds including cormorant, purple heron, Caspian tern and the painted stork. Travel on to Yala where you will stay the night at the Yala Village Hotel located close to the game park and its 40 stylish cabanas blend subtly into scrub forest. Yala National Park, with a total protected area of 126,768 hectares, consists of scrub plains, lagoons and rocky sections and offers the broadest cross-section of the country’s flora and fauna. In terms of game-viewing this is probably the best place to see all of the 'big three': elephant, leopard and water buffalo.

Day 10, 11, 12, & 13Travel along the scenic southern coast to the Heritance Ahungalla, a Geoffrey Bawa creation, where you will be staying for the next four nights. A day’s excursion to the city of Galle, an hour’s drive from Ahungalla, will enable you to explore Portuguese and Dutch period architecture within the 17th century Galle Fort, a UNESCO protected world heritage site. Several hours can be spent wandering along narrow streets, well preserved ramparts, the lighthouse, the Dutch Reform Church, and several houses with the typical manor house style architecture with columns, courtyards, and verandas. There are several newly renovated interesting boutique hotels with excellent cafes and restaurants within the Fort.