Eighteen days of gems and hills

A large Catholic church known for the painted ceiling inside, at the centre of the town.

A rafting trip of about two hours over a series of grade 2 to 3 rapids on the Kelani river, ending with a swim in calm water.

An archaeological cave with evidence of habitation from about 8,000 years BCE, where stone tools and ostrich eggshell beads of Balangoda Man were found. It lies in the Kuruwita area.

An ancient shrine to the god Saman, guardian of Sri Pada (Adam's Peak), rebuilt in the Kandyan period, with a Buddhist temple in the same compound.

A visit to a working gem pit outside town, where miners haul up gravel in baskets and wash it in the river to find stones.

A large cave in the Bulathsinhala area of Kalutara district, where excavations found Late Pleistocene human remains and signs of occupation from about 33,000 years ago. Its name comes from a local legend about the monk Faxian, which has no archaeological or historical support.

A small museum in an old walauwa (manor house) with fossils, gems and finds from the prehistoric cave sites of the area.

A waterfall about 30 metres high whose shape is said to resemble a leaf of the bo tree, near Kuruwita on the way to Colombo.

A guided walk of three to five hours along the main trails, through tall forest and across streams, looking for birds, giant squirrels, lizards and frogs.

A half-day jeep safari across grassland and scrub, with herds of elephants, water buffalo, crocodiles and birds of prey.

The viewpoint where Sir Thomas Lipton is said to have surveyed his tea estates, with views far across the southern plains on a clear morning.

A Tudor-style stone country house built for Sir Thomas Lester Villiers in the 1930s, now St Benedict's Monastery, with gardens and a shop selling the monks' jams.

A working tea factory built by Thomas Lipton in 1890, with short tours of the withering lofts, rolling and sorting floors.

A steeper half-day hike to a cliff top above the valley. Go early with a guide or good offline map, as the paths split.

An easy, well-trodden walk of about 45 minutes each way through a tea estate to a grassy summit with views across Ella Gap.

The stone railway viaduct at Demodara, in a valley of tea and forest. Check the timetable if you want to see a train cross.

A tall waterfall beside the main road below Ella, at its best after rain.

A working tea factory a few minutes from town, with a short tour of the processing floor and tea tasting with views over the estate.

A reservoir from the British period at the edge of town, with a lakeside path and boats for hire.

An hour of traditional Kandyan drumming and dance, usually staged in the early evening at halls near the lake.

A flat 3.4 km loop around the lake in the centre of town, best early in the morning or before the evening service.

Sri Lanka's largest botanic garden, on a bend of the Mahaweli river, known for its avenues of royal palms, orchid house and giant Javan fig tree.

The shrine of the Buddha's tooth relic, with drumming during the daily services and several museums included in the ticket.

A busy Buddhist temple with an eclectic museum, and the Geoffrey Bawa-designed Seema Malaka pavilion floating on Beira Lake nearby.