Sri Lanka · 9 nights

Rock, Rail, Leopard, Reef

The journey.

The flight lands early. One night by the coast twenty minutes from the airport beats driving inland exhausted.

North to the triangle, with the cave temples at Dambulla on the way, arriving with the afternoon still ahead of you.

Sigiriya climbed at seven in the morning, before the heat and the crowds, with the plain laid out below and the frescoes properly lit.

A spice garden on the way, then Kandy in time for the evening ceremony at the Temple of the Tooth, drummers and all.

Kandy to Nanu Oya on reserved seats, on the side that faces the view. Widely held to be one of the great rail journeys anywhere.

A working estate with the planter: picking, the factory floor, then drinking what you picked an hour earlier. The afternoon is yours at altitude.

South to Yala for an afternoon drive in a private jeep, in the block with the highest leopard density in the world.

A morning drive, then two nights facing the Indian Ocean. The trip stops moving here.

Blue whales pass Mirissa between December and April, closer to shore than almost anywhere. Or Galle Fort. Or the pool.

Up the expressway, timed to your flight, with a king coconut on the way.

• Ceylon Tea Trails, Wild Coast Tented Lodge and Cape Weligama among the choices

• A private car and English speaking chauffeur guide for all nine days

• Reserved seats on the hill country train

• A private jeep and tracker at Yala

• All entrance fees on the itinerary

• Sri Lanka ETA and breakfast every morning

Every day and every hotel here has alternatives, with live pricing as you choose: https://packages.tripn.in/sri-lanka-rock-rail-leopard-reef