13-Nights Exploring the Maldives, India and Sri Lanka: A Luxury Expedition By Private Jet

Dambulla

Dambulla is a town in Sri Lanka located in the Matale District in the Central Province. Dambulla is famous for the Golden Temple of Dambulla, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and the largest and best-preserved cave-temple complex in Sri Lanka. There are 157 statues in the complex, and the rock in the center towers over the complex at 520 feet. The religious art in the shrine-caves date back to the 3rd century BC, and the Buddhist cave-temple complex has been in continuous use through present day. Additional attractions in the area include the Rangiri Dambulla International Stadium as well as the largest rose quartz mountain range in South Asia, and the Iron Wood Forest (Na Uyana Aranya).

Maldives

The Maldives boast some of the finest tropical beaches in the world. The very name, Maldives, arouses visions of exotic tropical beach sun and barbeques on luxury island hotel resorts surrounded by clear calm coral reef fringed warm waters of the Indian Ocean. Visitors to the Maldives, blessed by superb underwater visibility and abundant coral life, are treated to breathtaking sights of underwater marine life. The Maldives offer the best diving spots in Asia, with most resorts having experienced diving instructors. With only 200 islands inhabited, over 75 islands have been reserved for development of tourist resorts which are among the most luxurious in the Indian Ocean.

Hampi

Hampi, India, was the capital of the fortified metropolis of Hindu Vijayanagar in the 15th century. Located 350 mi/565 km southeast of Mumbai, the mighty kingdom covered one third of India and was known for its riches, foreign trade and exemplary administration. It was later destroyed, ransacked and burned by invaders in the 17th century—only the stone buildings from that time remain.

Take a bus or rickshaw from the railway town of Hospet to see the extensive ruins of this former capital of a Hindu kingdom. Allow a full day to see the relief carvings and Hindu shrines (still in use). The ruins are spread over a huge area, so wear comfortable shoes.

Striking the stone pillars at Vitthala Temple causes them to emit different musical notes; however, after centuries of striking, sometimes with unsuitable materials, the pillars have eroded to the point where they are in danger, and it is now forbidden to hit them. A life-size stone replica of a chariot is in the complex, and the Indian epic Ramayana is depicted through carvings at Hazara Rama Temple.

Amritsar

As the holy center of the Sikh religion, Amritsar, India, a 16th-century Punjabi city near the Pakistani border and 255 mi/450 km northwest of Delhi, is a good place to go for insight into the Sikh culture. The religion's adherents don't cut their hair. The men are easily identified by their turbans, beards and silver bracelets; the women by their salwaar kameez, a dress-and-pants combination that has become popular throughout the country.

Amritsar's main attraction is the beautiful Golden Temple made of white marble, bronze and gold leaf. To enter the temple, you must don a traditional headscarf, wade through a shallow pool (a purification ritual) and merge with the mass of bodies that circle the embankment around the holy structure. The temple sustained damage when it was the site of a bloody battle between Sikh and government forces in 1984, a conflict that also led to the assignation of then-prime minister Indira Gandi at the hands of her Sikh bodyguards. Lunch or dinner at the langar, the communal temple cafeteria, is a must—the food is safe to eat, delicious and wholesome. After eating, many visitors choose to literally clean their plates by joining the dishwashing assembly line on the ground floor.

Nearby Jallianwala Bagh memorializes hundreds of Indians killed when British troops opened fire on unarmed villagers in 1919.

Depending on the current political situation, the India-Pakistan border at Wagah can be worth a look: The guards on both sides take part in morning and evening military rituals that are symbolic of the violent relationship the two countries share. India is investing 1 million rupees for upgrading tourist facilities at the site, which is also a stopover for the bus running from Amritsar to Lahore. Other sights include the Baba Atal Tower and many beautiful gardens.

Athens

Even though you've probably come here to see the "glory that was Greece," perhaps best symbolized by the Parthenon and the superb statues and vases in the National Archaeological Museum, allow some time to make haste slowly in Athens. Your best moments may come sitting at a small cafe, sipping a tiny cup of the sweet sludge that the Greeks call coffee, or getting hopelessly lost in the Plaka -- only to find yourself in the shady courtyard of an old church, or suddenly face to face with an ancient monument you never knew existed. With only a little advance planning, you can find a good hotel here, eat well in convivial restaurants, enjoy local customs such as the refreshing afternoon siesta and the leisurely evening volta (promenade or stroll) -- and leave Athens planning to return, as the Greeks say, tou chronou (next year).