Flights from Hong Kong to Sri Lanka tend to touch down late at night. A large proportion of visitors come for the beaches, and they tend to head straight for the coastline as soon as they step out of the airport, arriving at a beach resort just as the sun is rising.
For those with days to spare, we suggest a trip into the hills as an exciting introduction to the country, while saving the sun and sand for later.
Sri Lanka's unruly traffic tends to make driving anywhere a hair-raising experience. So reduce your anxiety by hiring a car and a driver, and relax as you enjoy the passing scenes.
The main destination in a journey into the hills is the charming, historic city of Kandy, which is about three hours from the capital, Colombo.
The Colombo-Kandy road is dotted with interesting places, all worth a brief stop. You will find the sweetest pineapples in Yakkala, and heavenly roasted cashews in Cadjugama (Cashewnut Village). Pinnawela, Sri Lanka's famed elephant orphanage, near the town of Kegalle, is always a huge attraction. The 10-hectare sanctuary holds one of the world's largest elephant herds in captivity.
Ask the driver to point out the rock of Utuwankanda, hideout of Sardiel, a local Robin Hood who terrorised travellers in the 19th century. A few kilometres on is Bible Rock, so called because it resembles an open book. The Kaduganawa mountain pass has historical significance. It is said that the locals repelled British colonialists by rolling large boulders down its steep slopes. (Sri Lanka experienced waves of colonisation between 1505 and 1948, first the Portuguese, then the Dutch and finally the British.) Stalls selling durian and avocadoes line the road along Kaduganawa.