Sri Lanka Classic: Rock, Temple & Coast

Meet Isabella at Bandaranaike International Airport and transfer to the iconic Galle Face Hotel, a colonial landmark overlooking the Indian Ocean. After settling in, an early-evening stroll along Galle Face Green — where kite-flyers and coconut vendors have gathered at sunset for over a century — introduces you gently to Sri Lanka's easy pace. Dinner in the hotel's Plates restaurant, where modern Sri Lankan cuisine meets ocean breezes.

A morning devoted to Colombo's most characterful neighbourhoods. Begin in the Dutch-built Fort district, where 17th-century warehouses now house boutiques and cafes, then plunge into Pettah — the oldest market district in Asia, a sensory riot of spice stalls, silk merchants and street food. The Gangaramaya Buddhist Temple, its eclectic collection of Buddha images gathered from across the Buddhist world, makes for a fascinating mid-morning visit. Lunch at Gallery Café, set in Geoffrey Bawa's former architectural studio. Afternoon at leisure before a tuk-tuk tour of the Colombo 7 neighbourhood's grand colonial villas.

An easy three-hour drive north through coconut groves and paddy fields brings you to the Dambulla Cave Temples, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and Sri Lanka's largest and best-preserved cave temple complex. Five caves shelter over 150 Buddha statues and 2,000 square metres of murals spanning two millennia. The ascent is gentle — 150 steps on a wide rock path — and the views over the jungle from the summit are magnificent. Continue to your Sigiriya hotel for a relaxed afternoon by the pool before a sunset cocktail on the terrace overlooking the rock.

An early 7am start for Sigiriya in the cool of the morning — the most important decision in making the ascent comfortable. King Kashyapa's 5th-century fortress rises 200 metres from the surrounding jungle, its summit reached via a series of wide staircases and a final iron spiral staircase through the lion's paws (the original lion-head entrance, now ruined). Midway up, the Sigiriya frescoes — beautiful apsara maidens painted in natural pigments 1,500 years ago — are extraordinarily vivid. The summit panorama, ancient gardens and pools spread below and jungle stretching to every horizon, is genuinely breathtaking. Afternoon at leisure; some guests take a bicycle around the water gardens at the base.

The ruined medieval capital of Polonnaruwa, Sri Lanka's best-preserved ancient city, rewards a morning visit. The Gal Vihara — four massive Buddha figures carved directly from a single granite face — is one of the great works of Asian art. Explore by bicycle-taxi (trishaws fitted with wicker chairs) to cover the extensive site without too much walking in the heat. After lunch, the drive south to Kandy winds through the hill country, the road climbing through forests and tea estates as the temperature drops pleasantly. Check in to the Theva Residency, perched on a ridge with a vertiginous infinity pool view over the Knuckles mountain range.

Kandy at its most sacred and most beautiful. Morning at the Royal Botanical Gardens at Peradeniya — 147 acres of orchids, spice gardens, giant bamboo and a magnificent avenue of royal palms that requires no effort to walk and considerable effort to leave. Lunch beside the sacred lake then an afternoon at the Sri Dalada Maligawa — the Temple of the Tooth Relic — where Sri Lanka's most important Buddhist relic, a tooth of the Buddha himself, is housed in a golden casket within a gilded shrine. The 6:30pm evening puja ceremony, with its rhythmic drumbeats, sweet incense and candlelit procession of robed monks, is one of the most moving spectacles in Asia. Isabella prepares you with the protocols so the experience feels natural rather than voyeuristic.

The morning river-bathing at Pinnawala Elephant Orphanage, where around 90 rescued elephants wade into the Maha Oya river for their twice-daily wash, is one of Sri Lanka's most joyful spectacles. The orphanage was founded in 1975 to care for injured and abandoned elephants; many have been there for decades and approach their familiar keepers with obvious affection. After the 10am bathing, continue south through the hill country and down to the coast, the warm coastal air rising to meet you as the road levels. Check in to your beachfront hotel at Bentota — beautiful gardens, a pool lapping the edge of the lagoon and the Indian Ocean directly ahead.

A day entirely at your own pace on Sri Lanka's most beautiful stretch of west coast. Bentota's long golden beach is calm and safe for swimming; the lagoon behind the hotel offers kayaking and boat trips to spot monitor lizards and water birds. For those who'd like a cultural excursion, Isabella can arrange a visit to the Geoffrey Bawa estate at Brief Garden, the celebrated Sri Lankan architect's private jungle garden, just 20 minutes away. Alternatively, the turtle hatchery at nearby Kosgoda, where leatherback and green turtle eggs are collected for protected incubation, makes for a fascinating gentle morning.

Drive south along the coast road to Galle, the best-preserved colonial fort city in Asia. The Dutch-built ramparts enclose a labyrinth of 17th-century streets where boutique hotels and independent shops occupy centuries-old merchant houses. Walk the ramparts as the Indian Ocean crashes against the walls below, explore the Dutch Reformed Church and the National Maritime Museum, and browse the extraordinary independent bookshop Barefoot Galle. Lunch at the Fort's most atmospheric restaurant before returning up the coast to Bentota for a final evening of sundowners on the beach.

A final coastal drive north to Colombo, stopping en route at the fish market at Negombo where the overnight catch is landed and auctioned each morning — a vivid, colourful spectacle. Transfer to the airport for your onward flight, departing with a collection of images — rock fortresses, ancient frescoes, elephant splashing, gilded temples and a golden Indian Ocean shore — that will take weeks to fully absorb.