6 Day Scenic Sri Lanka

Once you arrive in Colombo, you’ll be met by your English-speaking chauffeur and set off for Kandy. This pretty city is Sri Lanka’s cultural capital and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. You’ll take a tour of the city, where folklore, legends and traditions are still very much alive. Stroll around Kandy Lake – built by King Sri Wickrama Rajasinghe in 1798 – and browse local markets. You can also visit the sacred Temple of the Tooth, which houses a tooth of Buddha.

In the evening, you’ll be entertained by a colourful performance of traditional Kandyan dancing and drumming. You’ll spend your first night in Kandy.

After breakfast, make the most your morning by visiting Peradeniya Royal Botanical Gardens. Then, you’ll ascend nearly 2,000 metres into cooler climes as you drive through Sri Lanka’s Hill Country. You’ll stop at a tea factory and find out more about the famous Ceylon tea, and learn how to become a discerning tea-taster.

Surrounded by beautiful mountainous scenery, Nuwara Eliya is Sri Lanka's most popular hill city. It’s in the heart of Sri Lanka's plantation country, which produces some of the best tea in the world. You’ll also find Sri Lanka's highest mountain – Pidurutalagala – here.

If you wish, you can climb Sri Lanka’s holy mountain, known as Adam’s Peak or Sri Pada. If you opt for the hike, you’ll just need to stay one extra night in Nuwara Eliya.

You’ll spend the night in Nuwara Eliya. Breakfast is included.

Today, you’ll be exploring Horton Plains National Park. You will need to set off early, as the plains are often only visible before 10am, as heavy misty engulfs the area. And it’s certainly worth getting up for – the plains form an undulating plateau over 2,000 meters high, which is home to grasslands, forests and a range of flora and fauna. World’s End – a sheer 1,000-foot vertical escarpment – is the most striking feature

Next, if you wish, you can take the train back to Nuwara Eliya. It’s a fabulous way to see Sri Lanka’s tea country and hill villages, and gives you insight into the daily lives of the local people. Once you’re back at your hotel, you’ll also have the opportunity to tuck into traditional high tea.

You’ll spend the night in Nuwara Eliya. Breakfast is included.

In the morning, your chauffeur will take to Udawalawe, home of the eponymous national park famous for its elephants. On your drive through the hills, you’ll stop off at a spectacular waterfall, Rawana Ella, to stretch your legs. You’ll also have the option to visit a local village school where, if you wish, you could distribute some pens and notebooks, and spend some time with the children.

Once you reach Udawalawe, your first stop will be the Elephant Transit Home, where orphaned elephants are rescued, rehabilitated and returned to the wild. Charity Born Free makes sure the orphans receive all the milk, care and medical attention they need.

Then it’s time for more elephant adventures, as you venture out into Udawalawe National Park on a Jeep safari.

You’ll spend the night in Udawalawe. Breakfast is included.

Today is sure to be one of the highlights of your Sri Lanka tour, as you go on safari in the incredible Yala National Park. Set up in 1938, the park covers nearly 400 square miles and has the highest density of leopards in the world. But that’s not all. Yala is also home to elephants, sloth bears, sambar deer, spotted deer, wild boar and much more. In the waterholes you’ll see crocodiles, storks, ibis and egrets, too.

You’ll spend the night in Yala. Breakfast is included.

After breakfast, on the final day of your tour, you’ll head to the city of Galle. Thanks to British, Dutch and Portuguese influences, there’s a real blend of cultures and architecture here. Both the old Galle Fort and the New Town are worth a visit. Within the Fort walls, you’ll find cobbled streets, colonial buildings and sleepy cafes. But step through the gates, and you’ll discover a hive of activity in the city beyond.

Galle has enjoyed a bit of a renaissance, and its recent revival has seen this part of Sri Lanka become a popular holiday spot. The beaches are beautiful, and dotted with boutique hotels.

At the end of your tour, your chauffeur will take you to either your chosen beach hotel in Galle, or Colombo  Airport if you’re heading home or to onward destination.