The route? There are several options of tours you can take. To get a real taste of this incredible country the minimum I would recommend you stay is about 10 days, to make sure you’ve ticked off all the key places of interest. The easiest way to get around if you’re not on an organised trip is to hire a personal car and driver. Sounds extravagant I know, but it actually works out cheaper and less stressful. To hire your own car with a driver come tour guide for a week cost about £350 or $500, which when shared between passengers isn’t so bad when you see how much ground there is to cover.

The next stop on the Sri Lanka trail is Dambulla (about 2 hours from Pinnawela), which is a great base for visiting several of the surrounding tourist spots, I would recommend at least 2 nights here. The most interesting places to visit here include:

The hill capital of Sri Lanka, its another Unesco world heritage site. There’s lots to do here so a couple of nights stay is advisable, plus you can relax and sun bath in the lush green, warm surroundings. Places of interest here include the Tooth Temple, Spice Gardens & Medicine Lands; to heal your every need; the ornate Hindu Temple, The Royal Botanical Gardens and several tea factories.

Sri Lanka’s best beach resorts are on the South west of the island, they vary between tourist havens like Bentota and quiet beaches like Kalutara. Galle, which was a former Portuguese seaport and fort used for trade, is today a bustling beach hub with a large ex-pat community. A beach stay is the perfect way to end a trip round the beautiful and still quite untouched country of Sri Lanka. I’d recommend you take this trip now before it becomes over commercialised.