The much awaited arrival at ‘the pearl in the necklace of India’. Your magical holiday commences with the journey to Kalutara.

Kalutara, situated on the south-west coast of Sri Lanka and which hosts a typically stunning beach and also a majestic three-storey Buddhist temple which has the world’s only hollow stupa.

Arrive at your beachside haven.

Dinner and overnight at Kani Lanka Beach Resort, Kalutara

After breakfast proceed on a day tour to Galle. Enroute visit the Kosgoda Turtle Hatchery, operated by the Wild Life Protection Society of Sri Lanka, established in 1981 to protect Sri Lanka’s turtles from extinction.

Galle’s location at the south-western tip of Sri Lanka, with only the Antarctic more than 5,000 miles beyond, ensured the prominenceof the port during the early history of navigation. Not surprisingly, it became the natural focal point at the southernmost part of the Silk Routes that connected Asia with the Mediterranean.

Take a pleasant stroll along the circuit of the Fort walls. Do not miss the Main Gate, Old Gate, Zwart Bastion, Flag Rock etc. Inside the Fort, visit the National Museum, the National Maritime Museum and the Dutch Reformed Church.

Return to Kalutara for dinner & overnight at Kani Lanka Beach Resort.

After breakfast leave for Habarana. Not to be missed enroute is the Pinnawela Elephant Orphanage, where you can get up close and personal with over 60 pachyderms, ranging from cute babies and mischievous adolescents to majestic tuskers.

Arrive at the Cinnamon Lodge, a charming resort set in the little town of Habarana, located at the heart of Sri Lanka’s world famous cultural triangle of Kandy-Anuradhapura-Polonnaruwa.

Dinner & overnight at Cinnamon Lodge, Habarana

After breakfast leave for Sigiriya, the most intriguing and popular World Heritage Site, dubbed “the eighth wonder of the world”. Climb the stupendous rock on which a patricidal king built a magnificent palace.

After the sun begins its westward descent, proceed to Polonnaruwa, the medieval capital in the 12th c. AD. Its ancient splendor will not fail to inspire you.

Dinner & overnight at Cinnamon Lodge, Habarana

After breakfast, continue with your magical journey to the Royal City of Kandy. Enroute visit the remarkable cave Temples of Dambulla, which are a masterpiece of Buddhist art. Pass by paddy fields, areca nut plantations and pepper vines on the road to Kandy. Visit a spice garden and Batik factory in Matale.

Nestled amidst lush mountains in the north of the island’s hill country, the city was home to Sri Lanka’s last independent kingdom. Visit the Dalada Maligawa also known as the Temple of the Tooth and which is home to the sacred relic of the tooth of the Buddha.

Witness the process of gem cutting and polishing in Sri Lanka at a gem museum. In the evening, experience the pulsating drum rhythms and colourful traditional dances at a cultural show.

Arrive at Amaya Hills where every aspect of the last kingdom is embodied in unequalled charms.

Dinner & overnight at Amaya Hills, Kandy

After a royal breakfast at the Amaya Hills , pay a visit to Sri Lanka’s largest botanical garden situated in Peradeniya, the royal pleasure gardens before the arrival of the British. This houses Asia’s largest single collection of orchids. A major attraction is the giant Javan fig tree on the great lawn which covers 1600 square metres.

Arrive at River View Wathsala Inn for dinner, rest and await midnight to begin the ascent.

Soaring above the surrounding hills is Adam’s Peak, known also as Sri Pada (sacred footprint) due to the curious footprint-shaped indentation at its summit it attracts many pilgrims. The ascent requires stamina rather than mountaineering skills and consists of 4,800 steps to the summit. The ascent is during the night, when the twinkling lights of the illuminated pathway appear to rise like a stairway to heaven. Watch dawn break at the summit an intensely spiritual experience. Pilgrims whisper reverently to each other as the sun rises and casts a perfect triangular shadow on the clouds below, one of the island’s more unusual natural phenomena.

Leave after breakfast to the island’s commercial capital, with its colonial heritage, fine dining and shopping opportunities.

In 1803, Robert Percival claimed of Colombo: "There is no part of the world where so many different languages are spoken, or which contains such a mixture of nations, manners, and religions."

When so many people complain about the hustle and bustle in Colombo, be one of the few who can see through the surface to the core. Begin in Fort, previously the centre of Dutch and Portuguese domination, where you can still view examples of Colonial architecture.

Visit frenetic Pettah, where business people wheel and deal from dawn until dusk. Whatever it is you want, it can be found in Pettah.

Not surprisingly, Colombo offers the widest possible range of shopping experiences, from Westernized department stores to distinctly Oriental street bazaars. Spend time at one of the shopping malls in air-conditioned comfort and you can pick up fantastic bargains on fashionable clothes and shoes (labels like Gap, Nike and Banana Republic manufactured in Sri Lanka) - as well as having a delicious lunch from a food court.

Just inland is Slave Island, so called because the Dutch used to house their slaves there. Curiously, Slave Island has an island of its own. World-renowned Sri Lankan architect Geoffrey Bawa designed the Sima Malaka Meditation Island in conjunction with the Gangaramaya Temple just across the road. It sits on the Beira Lake and is the perfect retreat for those looking to escape the city among the serene Thai Buddha statues. Its mother-temple was built in the 19th century and features a small museum, beautiful stone carvings and Buddhist paintings.

Enjoy your dinner in the city and thereafter, proceed to Katunayake.

Overnight at Taj Airport Garden Hotel, Katunayake.

The conclusion of a memorable holiday. Depart to the airport with treasured memories and experiences and hopes to return once again to our small miracle.