Sri Lanka Ramayana Yatra (11 Days)

Our driver meets you at Bandaranaike International Airport, your arrival point (airport, railway station or hotel) at the agreed time, for the 20-minute drive to Negombo, a fishing town on a lagoon just north of the airport. Rest after the flight, walk on the beach or see the Dutch canal and the fish market in the evening. Dinner at the hotel and a briefing on the route.

Overnight: Negombo

Drive north about one and a half hours to Chilaw. Munneswaram, one of the island's five ancient Ishwaram temples, is where Rama is believed to have prayed to Shiva to cleanse himself after the war; its gopuram and tank sit in a village of temple streets. Nearby at Manavari is the Ramalingam, the only lingam named after Rama, believed to be the first he installed. Continue inland about three and a half hours to Habarana, a quiet base in the cultural triangle.

Overnight: Habarana

Leave early for the two-hour drive east. At Kanniya, seven hot-water wells of different temperatures stand within a walled enclosure; tradition links them to Ravana, who is said to have struck the ground here while performing rites for his mother. Then Koneswaram on Swami Rock inside Fort Frederick, the clifftop Shiva temple with the ocean below and the Lovers' Leap point alongside. Lunch in town, a short rest at Uppuveli or Nilaveli beach, and return to Habarana.

Overnight: Habarana

Climb Sigiriya in the cool of the morning: the 5th-century rock fortress of King Kasyapa, about 1,200 steps past frescoes and the mirror wall to the lion-paw terrace and summit, 200 m above the plain. Those who skip the climb can see the gardens and museum below. Drive about three hours to Kandy via Matale and, in the late afternoon, visit the Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic timed for the evening puja when drummers play and the relic chamber is opened. Walk around Kandy lake before dinner.

Overnight: Kandy

Climb into tea country, about three hours with stops at a tea factory to see the leaf processed and at the Ramboda falls. The Sri Bhakta Hanuman temple of the Chinmaya Mission stands above the Kotmale valley, which tradition says Hanuman searched for Sita; its 16-foot granite image is one of the largest Hanuman murtis outside India. Arrive at Nuwara Eliya (about 1,870 m) and settle in for two nights in the cool.

Overnight: Nuwara Eliya

Morning darshan at the Seetha Amman temple in Seetha Eliya, a few kilometres from town. The temple is built where Sita is believed to have spent her captivity in the Ashok Vatika; beside the stream are large hollows in the rock revered as Hanuman's footprints, and the surrounding hillside, Hakgala, is identified with the garden. The rest of the day is unhurried: the Hakgala botanical gardens, Gregory Lake, Victoria Park, the old post office and the market. Those who wish can visit the Gayathri Peedam temple in town, associated with Ravana's son Meghanada.

Overnight: Nuwara Eliya

Drive south through Welimada to Divurumpola, a Buddhist temple where tradition places Sita's agni pariksha; the site is still used by villagers for taking oaths before a Bo tree. Continue to Ella: the Ravana Ella waterfall, about 25 m high, and the Ravana cave on the hillside above, a steep climb of some 600 steps for those able, where Sita is said to have been hidden. Then descend about three hours to Kataragama for the evening puja at the Murugan shrine, where devotees of several faiths carry fruit platters through the courtyard to the sound of drums.

Overnight: Kataragama

Morning free at Kataragama for a second darshan or the Kiri Vehera stupa, then drive west along the coast about three hours. At Rumassala, a hill above the Unawatuna bay, tradition says a piece of the Himalayan mountain Hanuman carried for the Sanjeevani herb fell to earth; the hill is still known for unusual medicinal plants, and the Japanese Peace Pagoda on its slope gives a wide view of the bay. In the late afternoon walk the ramparts of Galle Fort, the Dutch-built walled town that is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, with its lighthouse, churches and lanes of old merchant houses.

Overnight: Galle

A short coastal drive north. At Balapitiya take a boat through the Madu river estuary, a wetland of mangrove tunnels, cinnamon islands and a small island temple, with kingfishers and monitor lizards along the banks. Visit a sea-turtle hatchery at Kosgoda, then check in at Bentota for a free afternoon on the beach or by the pool.

Overnight: Bentota

Drive to Colombo by the expressway, about one and a half hours. Visit the Kelaniya Raja Maha Viharaya, a temple believed to date from the Buddha's own time, with murals of the island's history and a shrine to Vibhishana, who is worshipped as a guardian of Sri Lanka and completes the Ramayana circuit. In the afternoon see the Gangaramaya temple, the Seema Malaka pavilion on Beira Lake, Independence Square and the old Fort and Pettah quarter, with time for shopping.

Overnight: Colombo

Breakfast and check-out. Depending on your flight, a last visit to a Colombo temple or market, then transfer to Bandaranaike International Airport, your departure point (airport, railway station or hotel).

Overnight: Not applicable (departure day)