Day 1
Arrival at Colombo Airport and transfer to Negombo
Lunch at the hotel.
Full day leisure at the beach and enjoy the Negombo.
Overnight stay in Negombo
Day 2
After breakfast, leaving for Cave Temple Dambulla en-route visit Pinnawela Elephant Orphanage.
Lunch at a restaurant in Kandy
Dinner at the hotel
Overnight stay in Dambulla
Pinnawela Elephant Orphanage - In time to witness the bottle-feeding of the baby elephants. The orphanage is home to nearly 90 abandoned or injured Elephants who are looked after with affection. The Elephants at the orphanage are bathed daily in a river located nearby .
Thereafter proceed to Habarana, If time permits visit to Dambulla cave temple.
Dambulla - is a vast isolated rock mass 500 feet high and a mile around the base. Here is found the famous Rock Temple dating to the First Century B.C. The caves of Dambulla sheltered King Walagamba during his 14 years of exile from Anuradhapura. When he regained the throne he built the most magnificent of Rock Temples to be found in the Island.In the first Cave is a recumbent image of the Buddha 47ft long cut out of the Rock. There are images of deities associated with Buddhism all around. The frescoes on the walls and the ceiling are the oldest here but they are over painted in the Kandy period. In the Second Cave, the finest and the largest of all, there are 150 life-size statues of the Buddha in various postures with few statues of Gods and Kings. The ceiling is also covered with frescoes, which depict great events in the life of the Buddha and landmarks in the history of the Sinhalese people.
Day 3
After breakfast, excursion to Polonnaruwa.
Lunch at a restaurant in Polonnaruwa.
Return to Dambulla. (Optional Elephant Ride at Habarana en-route)
Dinner at the hotel.
Overnight stay in Dambulla
Polonnaruwa - Polonnaruwa was the medieval capital of Sri Lanka from the 11th to the 13th century AD. It has the feeling of a city that was once ‘lost in the jungle’ – which indeed it was, until it was ‘rediscovered’ by colonial administrators in the 19th Century. ThePolonnaruwa periodachieved a great revival in the country, politically, economically and socially speciallyduring the periods of kings Vijayabahu 1, Parakramabahu 1 and Nissankamalla. The monuments here are better preserved than at Anuradhapura - the previous capital.
The Inner Quadrangle area of the ancient city contains the most exquisite historical remains in the whole of Sri Lanka. The highlight of any visit to Polonnaruwa is The Gal Vihare (Temple Of The Rock) consisting of 4 rock cut Buddhas that are among the masterpieces of Buddhist Art, and one of the world’s great artistic treasures.
Day 4
After breakfast, visit Sigiriya
Thereafter leave for Kandy, having lunch at a restaurant and visiting a spice garden at Matale en-route.
Witness a cultural dance performance and also visit Temple of the Tooth Relic in the evening.
Dinner at the hotel.
Overnight stay in Kandy
Sigiriya- Morning climb to the top of the UN World Heritage Site of Sigiriya, home to the 5th century ‘Fortress in the Sky’ which is perhaps the most fantastic single wonder of the Island. It is also known as Lion Rock because of the huge lion that used to stand at the entrance to the fortress. Within its triple-moated defence, the huge rock rises to a sheer height of almost 500 feet. On its summit are the foundations of what was once a great and sumptuous palace and gardens complete with swimming pool. On one of the stairways, the only known ancient work of Sinhala secular painting survives in the form of frescoes of life-sized damsels in all the freshness and delicacy of their original colours. Attached Museum is another site to explore.
Spice Gardens at Matale - See the plants of luscious cinnamon, cardamom, pepper etc. You can also purchase your requirements of spices. Afterwards visit a Batik factory where you can see the manufacture of beautiful Batik prints and also purchase a wide variety of Batik items.
Kandy - The hill capital; venue of the annual EsalaPerahera (Local festival at 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 ‘DaladaMaligawa’ - Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic of Lord Buddha. One would always return a second time to this beautiful city.
Evening witness the cultural performance.
Day 5
After breakfast, visit Royal Botanical Gardens at Peradeniya.
Thereafter proceed to NuwaraEliya, visiting a tea plantation en-route.
Lunch at a Restaurant
Overnight stay in NuwaraEliya
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.
NuwaraEliya - 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, discoveredNuwaraEliya 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 NuwaraEliya, 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).
The Victoria Park, in the middle of the town, is a lovely place for a stroll or a picnic and is also good for Birding as you get some rare birds in this Park.
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.
Day 6
After breakfast, leave for Tissamaharama, visitingSeetha Amman Temple en-route.
Lunch at a restaurant.
After lunch, jeep safari at Yala National Park.
Dinner at the hotel.
Overnight stay in Tissamaharama or hotel in Yale
SeethaAmman Temple - which is known to be the part of “Ramayana Trail”.
Optional Train Journey - NanuOya – Ella
Ella Train Trip - NanuOya Ella Train journey considered one of the most scenic train journeys in the world.
Tissamaharama - The ancient capital of the province of Ruhuna, to which Sinhalese patriots rallying support against Indian invaders fled. No systematic excavation of the known (and unknown) archaeological sites of Ruhuna has yet been undertaken. The exposed monuments consists of Menik, Yatala, Tissamaharama and Sandagiriyadagobas and the large-pillared hall close to YatalaDagoba supposed to be the temple where the Sacred Forehead Relics of the Buddha was kept until it was enshrined at the TissamaharamaDagoba.
Yala National Park -is 378 sq. miles in extent. Yala was established in 1938 from what originally was Sportsman’s shooting reserve.Yala National Park is famous for big herds of elephants, highest concentration of recorded number of leopards, spotted deer, sambar, crocodiles, mongoose, wild boars, wild buffaloes and many other animals. More than 130 bird species have been recorded which include the resident birds and winter visitors. The common birds found here are spot-billed pelicans, cormorants, egrets, spoonbills, herons, storks, ibises, bitterns, Indian moorhens, white-breasted water hens.
Day 7
After breakfast enjoy another day amongst the wild animals, with jeep Safari in the YalaNational Park
Lunch and Dinner at the hotel
Overnight stay inTissamaharama or hotel in Yale.
Day 8
After breakfast, leave for Mount Lavinia (Colombo South Beach), having lunch and visiting the Dutch Fort in Galle en-route.
Dinner at the hotel.
Overnight stay in Mount Lavinia
Galle - The south coast’s major city is Galle, whose oldest landmark is the massive Dutch Fort which is a ‘World Heritage Site’ in which the central city is contained. But the city may be much older. Some scholars believe it to be the ‘Tarshish’ of the Old Testament, to which King Solomon sent his merchant vessels and to which Jonah fled from the Lord. Today, the 90-acre Galle Dutch Fort shows no evidence of its Portuguese founders. The Dutch incorporated the Portuguese northern wall in a great rampart in 1663. A second, taller wall was built inside of it. Between the two walls, a covered passage connected the central bastion with the fort’s two half bastions overlooking the sea. The Dutch also installed a sophisticated drainage system, complete with brick-lined underground sewers that were flushed twice a day by the high and low tides. The original gate to the fort was by the harbour. It is still there, marked by the British Coat-of-Arms on the front and the Dutch V. O. C. (VereenigdeOostindischeCompagnie) with the Coat-of-Arms with a rooster crest on the inner side of the fort.
Mount Lavinia – A peaceful yet lively beach resort just 12 kilometres south of Colombo with a maze of narrow lanes, small beachside restaurants and wayside boutiques. This township will also appeal to an adventurous spirit.
Day 9
After breakfast, proceed for Beach Stay extension or to Colombo Airport for departure flight.
END OF TOUR