From the airport, your private driver will take you directly to Sri Lanka’s Cultural Triangle and the rice paddies, villages and jungle-flanked roads of Sigiriya. Here, you can take a guided hike up Lion Rock, an ancient fortress built on the summit of a massive outcrop or go on an elephant safari in one of the nearby national parks. With everything so close, there’s still plenty of time to escape the afternoon heat with dips in the pool. You’ll also spend a morning exploring Anuradhapura, one of the island’s oldest cities, weaving between its ancient stupas and Buddhist relics on bike or tuk-tuk.

Your private driver will take you into the Hill Country, with the option to stop in Kandy, Sri Lanka’s cultural capital. We like to combine a city walk with a street food tour, taking in some of Kandy’s most important Buddhist sites while getting a feel for the everyday life that has grown up around them. Along the way, you’ll stop to try a mix of sweet and savoury local snacks.

But it’s not all tuk-tuks beeping and street sellers hawking here. Head west out of the city and into the jungle-fringed tea plantations of Kegalle. You’ll be staying in a restored 1920s colonial bungalow, surrounded by working rubber and tea plantations and forested hills.

Days here can be as active or as idle as you like. Cycle beneath the jungle canopy, head out on foot between the tea and rubber plantations, or visit the nearby temple to give alms. Or do very little at all. Take a dip in the pool, sit with a cup of tea and a slice of freshly baked cake, and take in views across the surrounding hills. Kegalle sees relatively few overseas visitors, so chances are you won’t bump into many other tourists either.

Known as the country’s tea capital, Hatton can be reached by the central highlands railway from Kandy or by car. Either way, you’re in for some of Sri Lanka’s best views across tea-covered hills and mountain ridges. From your elevated colonial hideaway, you can explore nearby hiking paths, like the Pekoe Trail or Adam’s Peak, kayak on Castlereagh Reservoir, tour the tea plantations or simply sip local brews from up high with your feet up. If, like us, you’re partial to Sri Lankan food, we also recommend a cookery experience with a local Tamil woman. You’ll learn to make dosa, the South Indian pancake brought to Sri Lanka by Tamil tea workers in the 1800s, while getting a glimpse of how Tamil culture has shaped life in the hill country.

No trip to Sri Lanka is complete without seeing the sea, and Galle Fort is one of the best places to do it. Wrapped in stone ramparts on the south coast, this old port passed from Portuguese to Dutch to British control over several centuries. On a walking tour with a local resident, you’ll see how that layered history still shapes everyday life, from the architecture and street plan to the food, shops and traditions that remain part of the town today.

Fly over the waters of the Laccadive Sea to the Maldives. The flight is under two hours, and from Malé it’s a quick speedboat or seaplane transfer to your island of choice. These days are yours to spend at your leisure, and there are plenty of water sports or boat excursions to fill them. If your thirst for adventure has been quenched, simply stroll along the sandy bays, snorkel in the crystalline water and bask in the shade of tall palm trees laden with coconuts. But if you prefer to continue your active adventure, book windsurfing, go parasailing, or, for the very brave, go swimming with whale sharks.