Listening to the soothing voice of Bob Dylan while chugging through the Hill Country of Sri Lanka, with the sun beaming between the leaves and smiling locals offering me bananas, has to be one of my favourite memories on this island.

Another is a perfect week we spent with my mother- and father-in-law and our friends sight-seeing in Kandy, which lies on the edge of the Hill Country in the centre of Sri Lanka.

This metropolis offers tourists a wildlife-filled lake, scores of Chinese and Indian restaurants, a monkey-infested forest and the biggest botanical gardens I've ever strolled through. In this royal green space, people can observe bamboo collections, palm avenues, spice plants and a wide and wonderful selection of giant trees stretching off into the blue sky - some were more than 200-years-old and others came with a Cobra warning that the deadly snake may be lingering within the long sinewy branches. We ended our four-hour tour of the carefully crafted garden with a Denmark ice cream, served with nuts and chocolate.

Each night in Kandy, traditional dances are staged at the theatre by the lake, with sparkling costumes and an infectious drum beat, the performers jumped and swirled their way through scores of Sri Lankan moves, concluding with two superhuman men rolling fire over their arms, into their mouths and dancing on flaming coals.

Kandy is a perfect base to see some elephants as two sanctuary are within a few hours taxi ride. We were guests at the Millennium Trust, a charity set up to cares for old or injured elephants.

At this care home I was allowed to scrub an elephant's back while she bathed in a shallow river, take a short ride on her-nearly bareback and feed her fruit.

Her trunk was amazing. It's the equivalent of a human having a very long bendy hand. She seemed to be able to reach anything with it.

From Kandy, which did sell candy floss, we took a six-hour train trip to Ella. The landscape along the track was amazing, with locals popping up along the line, measureless waterfalls, endless stretches of mountains in the shape of a hand's knuckles, hundreds of varieties of trees and children screaming through each train tunnel as though they were on a ghost ride.

Ella itself is very small and filled with holidaymakers and travellers. Despite this, there is still a tranquil atmosphere, with the main road lined with cafes and restaurants. We trekked up Ella Rock, it took two hours walking through pine trees and along rail tracks. It felt similar to walking in the Lake District due to the wildness of the surroundings.

Anyone stopping in Negombo either to or from the airport should watch out for tuk-tuk drivers’ scams. We went to this little hamlet twice and on both occasions the driver claimed to get lost then tried to charge us double.

And so bought an end to our time in 'Sun Lanka', a country well worth a visit for the chilled out tourist.