Paradise of Sri Lanka

You will be met upon arrival at Bandaranaike International Airport in Colombo, and transferred to your hotel.

 

The remainder of the day is free to relax and enjoy the hotel or take a walk in Colombo city.

Let’s take the Colombo City Tour today.  We will drive past Independence Memorial Hall, built in 1948 to mark the independence of Sri Lanka from British rule. Visit the National Museum of Colombo, one of the largest museums in Sri Lanka.

 

Then visit the Gangaramaya Temple, one of the best Buddhist temples in Colombo. Within the temple complex, you will find a small Hindu temple and a museum.  The museum houses a library, an open-air meditation hall, a Bodhi tree, and a large collection of antique artifacts, Buddhist sculptures and statues.

 

A short drive away from the temple is Seema Malaka by the Beira Lake. This is one of Colombo’s most restful and tranquil meditation venues with beautiful statues of Lord Buddha surrounding the main hall - an iconic shot of Colombo.

 

Later we drive along Galle Face Green park, past the old Parliament of Sri Lanka. We visit the old Dutch hospital, one of the oldest buildings in the Colombo Fort area, now beautifully renovated, housing an eclectic collection of some of Colombo’s finest restaurants and shops.

 

Avid shoppers, take note! Sri Lanka is renowned for its tea, gems, ceramics and handicrafts. There are numerous Noritake outlets in Colombo with wonderful ceramic collections. To shop where the locals shop, head to Odel shopping center. For a quirky collection of artifacts, visit Barefoot Limited.

 

Breakfast      Welcome Dinner

After breakfast embark on your drive to Habarana in north central Sri Lanka.

 

We will stop by the Pinnawala Elephant Orphanage. Started back in 1975, the elephant orphanage houses abandoned and wounded elephants. You can observe elephants being fed and bathed by the orphanage staff.

 

Continue to Habarana for the overnight stay.

 

Breakfast

After breakfast enjoy an excursion to Anuradhapura, a UNESCO World Heritage site situated on the banks of the historic Malvathu Oya River. Anuradhapura, an ancient city founded in the 5th century B.C., is home to the largest number of monuments of the great Sinhala civilization. Visit the ancient royal palaces, shrines, dagobahs and Sri Mahabodhi. Also visit the “Bodhi tree” which is over 2,200 years old, grown from a branch of the tree under which Lord Buddha attained enlightenment.

 

Return to Habarana for overnight stay.

 

 Breakfast 

After breakfast, we visit the UNESCO World Heritage site of Sigiriya Rock, built by King Kassapa in the 5th century AD. Today the rock is a treasure trove of rare art. In a pocket of the giant rock are the famous frescoes of the heavenly maidens of Sigiriya. Also called the ‘Rock Fortress’ or ‘the Lion Rock’ because of the huge crouching lion image that is carved at the entrance to the fortress.  This citadel rises more than 1,000 ft. from the jungles below. If you wish to climb Sigiriya Rock, there are about 1,200 steps and, on an average, it takes about 1.5 hours to climb the rock (actual time varies from person to person).

 

Later embark on your scenic drive to the UNESCO World Heritage site of Polonnaruwa, the second capital of Sinhala kings dating back to 11th & 12th century A.D. During this time a great revival was achieved in the country, politically, economically as well as socially. The entire landscape of the region is punctuated by huge man-made reservoirs, the most famous of which is the ‘Parakrama Samudra’. Numerous monuments are found in this city such as the ruins of the Royal Palace & ‘Gal Vihara’ (Stone Temple) where 3 splendid statues of Buddha in 'Upright', 'Sedantry', and 'Recumbent' postures are carved out of the rock, the Audience Hall, and the Parakrama Samudraya lake built by King Parakramabahu the Great. In here, we will also visit the Polonnaruwa museum.

 

Return to Habarana for an overnight stay.

 

Breakfast

After breakfast, embark on your drive to Kandy.

 

En route, visit another UNESCO World Heritage site, the Rock Cave Temple of Dambulla which dates to the first century BC. The temple consists of a series of 5 caves filled with statues and paintings, including a 47 ft. long statue of Lord Buddha. This is the largest and best-preserved cave temple complex in Sri Lanka.

 

Continue drive to Kandy, visiting the Spice Garden at Matale on the way. Upon arrival in Kandy, check in at your hotel for overnight stay.

 

Breakfast

After breakfast, explore the sacred city of Kandy, one of Sri Lanka’s 8 UNESCO World Heritage sites.

 

Today we will visit the Temple of Tooth Relic of Buddha, located in the royal palace complex which houses the relic of the tooth of Buddha. Since ancient times the relic has played an important role in local politics because it is believed that whoever holds the relic holds the governance of the country. Visitors are not allowed inside the inner chambers and cannot see the tooth relic.

 

This afternoon, visit the Royal Botanical Gardens at Peradeniya, which spreads over 67 hectares (160 acres) of exquisite beauty and houses more than 4,000 species of flora, a haven for nature lovers.

 

This evening we relax and enjoy a cultural dance show featuring traditional Kandyan dancing and Sri Lanka drumming.

 

Breakfast

 This morning embark on your scenic drive to Nuwara Eliya, the ‘Little England’ of Sri Lanka, set against beautiful backdrops of mountains, valleys, waterfalls and tea plantations.

 

Today in Nuwara Eliya, enjoy an experience of tea plucking, wearing the local Sri Lankan attire – saree for the ladies, sarong for the men. You will get a demonstration of how to pluck tea leaves and place them in your basket. Professional tea pluckers will accompany you – you’ll be amazed at how efficiently and quickly they manage to fill their baskets to meet their minimum target of 15 kg (33 lbs) a day!

 

After tea plucking, we will arrive at the Mini Tea Factory.  The chief tea taster will inspect your efforts. Then we tour the Mini Tea Factory to learn the tea manufacturing process, from the initial drying (withering) of the leaves, through rolling, fermenting, sifting, to produce the different types of tea. Finally, you can taste different teas, from flowery pekoe to green tea and teabag dust, to appreciate for yourself the differences in color, flavor and strength.

 

Overnight stay at hotel at Nuwara Eliya.

 

Breakfast

After breakfast, embark on a leisurely drive to Yala, the most visited and second largest national park in Sri Lanka.

 

The Yala National Park is spread over an area of 979 sq. km (378 sq. miles). Yala was one of the first two official designated national parks in Sri Lanka. This game park is famous having one of the highest densities of leopards in the world.  Yala park has 3 of Sri Lanka’s Big Five: Leopards, Asian Elephants and Sloth Bears.  Unfortunately, the remaining 2 of the Big Five (Blue Whales and Sperm Whales) are unavailable on land.  44 other species of mammals and other wildlife occupy the park including wild bears, peacocks, wild buffalo, sambar, spotted deer, in addition to 130 species of birds.

 

Upon arrival, check in at your resort for 2 nights stay.

 

Breakfast

Enjoy morning and afternoon jungle safaris in the Yala National Park. These are interesting safaris and you are likely to see spotted deer, wild boars and wild elephants in addition to a wide variety of birds. There are also high chances of spotting a sloth bear and leopard (with an average 1 leopard per sq. km Yala has the highest density of leopards in Asia!)

 

Breakfast

Leaving the national park we proceed to the Indian coastal town of Galle, a UNESCO World Heritage site and a thriving beach destination in Sri Lanka.

 

Galle was the most ancient and important harbor of Sri Lanka, until the Colombo Harbor was established. Galle is identified as one of the possible sites of ‘Tarshish‘ of the Bible. The harbor was captured by the Portuguese in 1587, the Dutch in 1640  and the British in 1796. Most of the existing buildings date back to Dutch Period.

 

The town is known for Galle Fort, the fortified old city founded by Portuguese colonists in the 16th century. Stone sea walls, expanded by the Dutch, encircle car-free streets with architecture reflecting Portuguese, Dutch and British rule. Notable buildings include the 18th-century Dutch Reformed Church. Galle Lighthouse stands on the fort’s southeast tip. En route you will witness a curious feature - the stilt fishermen of Weligama who carefully balance themselves before casting their fishing lines.

 

Upon arrival check in at your hotel for 3 nights stay.

 

Breakfast

Day of leisure at the hotel or stroll through the cobbled stone pathways of the Galle Fort. 

 

Breakfast

Enjoy your breakfast, after which we will drive back to Colombo for your departure flight. The tour comes to an end. You are advised to schedule your international flight home after 8pm to provide an ample buffer.

 

Breakfast