Day 1
Leave for Kandy, and visiting the Elephant Orphanage at Pinnawela and Spice garden en-route.
Witness a cultural dance performance and also visit Temple of the Tooth Relic in the evening..
Pinnawela Elephant Orphanage - Pinnawela is situated off Colombo-Kandy road, where an elephant orphanage was started in 1975 to house abandoned and wounded elephants. The number of elephants increased to more than 65 now, including baby elephants brought from various parts of the Island as well as those born as a result of the captive breeding program. The best times to visit is feeding time and bathing time - when all the elephants are taken to the river close by.
Kandy - The hill capital; venue of the annual Esala Perahera (Local festival in Kandy); the last stronghold of the Sinhala kings, was finally ceded to the British in 1815. Surrounded by hills, the Mahaweli River and the virgin forest, it is the center of Buddhism, arts, crafts and culture in Sri Lanka. Kandy is an example of Buddhism’s influence in Sri Lanka today. Temples, shrines and monasteries keep Buddhist traditions alive. To Buddhists of Sri Lanka and the world, Kandy is one of the most sacred sites as it is the home of the ‘Dalada Maligawa’ - Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic of Lord Buddha. One would always return a second time to this beautiful city.
After lunch, sightseeing in Kandy includes:
The Kandy market square
The arts & crafts centre
The Kandy lake and Upper Lake Drive
Dinner and Overnight stay in Kandy
Day 2
Breakfast at the hotel, leave for Nuwara Eliya, and visiting Royal Botanical Gardens at Peradeniya en route.
Royal Botanical Gardens at Peradeniya – Started in 1374 as a pleasure garden of the kings of Kandy, 147 acres in extent, it has more than 4,000 species of rare and endemic trees and plants as well as flora from the tropical world. This is a haven not only for scientists but to every nature lover too. The Spice Garden and Orchid House within the Gardens are popular with tourists.
Nuwara Eliya - The ‘Little England’ of Sri Lanka, is set against beautiful backdrops of mountains, valleys, waterfalls and tea plantations and is 6,200 feet above sea level. In 1826 some British Officers out on hunting, discovered Nuwara Eliya plains, and Sir Edward Barnes developed it. In 1828 a road was constructed over the ridge at Ramboda Pass and a station for convalescent soldiers was established. It was Sir Samuel Baker who fell under the spell of Nuwara Eliya, brought hounds, horses, cattle, sheep etc. and started a typical English farm here. Flowers and vegetable were brought from England and planted. It is supposed to be one of the coldest places on the Island, but is really just like an England spring day although the temperature does drop at night. The Victoria Park, in the middle of the town, is a lovely place for a stroll or a picnic. Seasons may be absent elsewhere in Sri Lanka, but here you can read them by the flowers, which bloom during spring (March to May) and the fall (August and September).
Sightseeing points include:
The golf course
The Hindu Shrine - Seetha Eliya
Little England - this residential area still has the traces of the British rule, in Sri Lanka. Some of the cottages are still in their original form.
Scenery of Water Falls
Dinner and overnight stay at a selected hotel in Nuwara Eliya
Day 3
Breakfast at the hotel, leave for respective hotel or resort, visiting Tea Plantation and Tea Factory en route.
Tea Plantations - Tea was first planted in Sri Lanka in 1824 at the Royal Botanical Gardens in Peradeniya, when a few plants were brought from China. More were introduced from Assam in 1839. In 1867, a Scottish planter named James Taylor planted tea seedlings in 8 hectares of forestland in the Loolkondura Estate. In 1873, the tea export industry of Sri Lanka began with a modest 23 lbs. being shipped to London. Today more than 200,000 hectares in highlands and other areas are under tea and around 300 million kilograms (25% of world tea exports) are exported by Sri Lanka as the world’s largest tea exporter. Tea grows only on rolling terrain and is classified by elevation into Low Grown, Medium Grown & High Grown.
Beach stay extension or Airport for your onward journey