Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka packs an extraordinary amount into an island not much larger than Telangana: ancient rock fortresses, sacred Buddhist temples, cool tea country, rainforest, wildlife parks and a long coastline of palm-fringed beaches. It is barely an hour's flight from South India, it shares the same time zone as India, and its food, culture and Ramayana links make Indian travellers feel instantly at home.

Our six-night package moves in a loop. From Colombo you head to the Cultural Triangle to climb Sigiriya, the 5th-century palace fortress on a 200-metre rock, and on to Kandy for the Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic and the botanical gardens at Peradeniya. The road then climbs into the hill country at Nuwara Eliya, a cool town of tea estates and colonial bungalows where the Seetha Amman Temple is linked by tradition to the Ramayana. The scenic train ride to Ella, past waterfalls and tea slopes, is one of the most famous rail journeys in Asia, and Ella's Nine Arch Bridge and Little Adam's Peak make a relaxed final hill stop.

The trip ends on the southwest coast at Bentota, with river safaris, beaches and turtle hatcheries, and a visit to the Dutch-era Galle Fort, a UNESCO World Heritage site. Sri Lanka suits families, couples and first-time international travellers. Indians need an Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) before travelling, and the island is easy to get around with a private driver. Distances look short on the map, but hill roads are slow, so the itinerary keeps daily drives comfortable.