Colombo to Mirissa, Sri Lanka
Hill-country train, a proper safari, and a coast you stop on rather than pass through.
Sri Lanka is small enough to cross and varied enough that crossing it feels like three countries. The mistake is doing it too fast — this is twelve days with only five moves.
The Kandy to Ella train is the section everyone photographs and it deserves it, but the part people miss is stopping at Ella for three nights instead of one. Little Adam's Peak at sunrise, Nine Arches without the crowd, and the tea estates in the afternoon.
Yala is booked with a private jeep and a 5:30am block, which is the difference between seeing a leopard and seeing eleven other jeeps.
Transfer to Negombo, sleep off the flight.
Drive up through the coconut belt. Afternoon free at the hotel.
Sigiriya at 6:30am before the heat and the queue. Dambulla caves in the afternoon.
Drive south, stopping at a spice garden that isn't a shop in disguise. Temple of the Tooth in the evening.
Kandy to Ella, seven hours, reserved observation seats. This is the day people remember.
Little Adam's Peak at sunrise, Nine Arches mid-morning, tea estate in the afternoon.
Ravana Falls, a cooking class, or nothing. Deliberately unscheduled.
Drive down to the park edge. Early night — tomorrow starts at 5.
Private jeep, dawn block. Back for breakfast, second drive late afternoon.
Drive to Mirissa. Nothing scheduled from here on.
Whale watching if you want it, otherwise the beach and the headland at sunset.
Coastal drive back to Colombo for the flight.