Highlights of Sri Lanka

DAY 01: ARRIVE COLOMBO AIRPORT – NEGOMBO
Meet & Greet by tour guide at the airport. Thereafter proceed to Negombo.

Negombo – sometimes known as “Little Rome” due to the profusion of Christian Churches, this archetypical fishing village has now grown to a major beach resort in the west coast, north of Colombo and 15 minutes from the International Airport. The wide sandy beaches and safe sea bathing are major attractions, as is the fish market where busy trading of a variety of fish, prawns and crabs takes place each morning (except Sunday) when the fishing craft return to shore. Traditional large sailed outrigger canoes are a splendid sight in this village which was once a trading port for the Portuguese and Dutch. Other attractions are the old Dutch fort gate built in 1672 now a part of the prison and the Dutch Canal which was then a supply route for the Dutch administration.

Overnight stay at Beacon Beach or similar

DAY 02: WILLPATTU (BD)
After breakfast, check out and proceed to Willpattu National Park – Land of the Villus (Lakes); for a specially modified 4×4 safari jeep. Drive along winding paths through different habitats that make the park unique.

The park contains numerous limestone depressions in the ground that holds fresh and brackish water, that form the characteristic habitat of the park. Driving along the sandy road of the park, keep an eye for some of the island’s iconic wildlife. Leopards roam the sandy roads; Sloth bears dig up the rain-soaked termite mounds, Elephants enjoy the plush water plants in the villus and buffalo graze on the green grass. Heading deeper into the park towards the western boarder you come across a unique stretch of shoreline where the sand is red in colour. Reminisce the amazement that Prince Vijaya – the founder of the Sinahala race had when he landed on these red sandy beaches. The Villus which are the only natural large water bodies in the island together with the wildlife, history and culture of Willpattu National park make it interesting for the avid nature lover and history buff alike.

Overnight Big Game camp or similar

DAY 03: TRINCOMALEE (BD)
Morning after breakfast, check out and proceed to Anuradhapura to explore the city. This UNESCO World Heritage Site located in the north central part of the Island was the first capital (5th century BC – 9th century AD), the center of the island’s Buddhist civilization and undoubtedly the grandest city of ancient Sri Lanka. In antiquity and the interest, it is the equal of any ancient ‘buried city’ in the world. The oldest historically documented tree on earth (over 2,200 years old) – The Sri Maha Bodhi, brought as a sapling of the tree under which the Buddha attained enlightenment, and the island’s oldest Buddhist shrines – some dating back to the 3rd century BC, impressive white ‘Dagabas’ (relic chambers) and monuments embellished with handsome stone carvings or sculpture, pleasure gardens, beautifully executed stone baths and ponds and a superb irrigation system of reservoirs and canals are the main attractions of Anuradhapura.

After the Anuradhpura ancient city experience continue drive to Trincomalee – a small tourist town on Sri Lanka’s Northern coast, popular for beaches and whale watching. Evening free time to explore the area.

Overnight Anantamaa Hotel or similar

DAY 04: WHALE WATCHING – PLONNARWA (BD)
Morning do snorkeling at Pigeon Island.

After snorkeling, proceed to PLONNARWA – a UNESCO World Heritage Site, rose to fame as the capital (10th – 12th century AD) after the decline of Anuradhapura. The entire landscape of the region is punctuated by huge man-made reservoirs, the most famous of which is the Parakrama Samudra or the Sea of Parakrama, larger in size than the Colombo harbour. The monuments are relatively well preserved and give clear evidence of the glory of Sri Lanka’s past. Highlights are the Royal Palace complex including the Kings Palace and Audience Hall, the Quadrangle with its concentration of ancient heritage and the spectacular Gal Vihare complex of four massive images of the Buddha, cut from a single slab of granite – a highlight of ancient Sri Lankan rock carving. Some of the best examples of the Hindu influence – the Temples of Shiva, intricate statues of Hindu Gods, fascinating Buddhist temples, the Lankatileka and Watadage, the Galpotha, the Lotus bath, the Kiri Vihare Dagoba and the remains of a former Temple of the Tooth are other impressive sights.

Overnight Kassap Lions Rock or similar

DAY 05: SIGIRIYA – DAMBULLA (BD)
Morning after breakfast proceed to Sigiriya where you will explore the rock fortress.

Imagine walking through the mouth of a Lion lying atop a 200-meter-tall rock and enter a king’s fortress like no other. With a 360-degree view of the surrounding landscape it was the perfect location for a fortress of a king anticipating an invasion. The king surrounded his fortress with a boulder and water garden that to date sprouts water on a rainy day. The frescos painted on to the rock are ones not to miss as they show off the mastery of the artists of old. The rocky outcrop and the surrounding areas were in use by humans much before the time of King Kashyapa. Aligala (Elephant rock) situated close to the main fortress is one such location where early man occupied the area over 5000 years ago. Termed as the 8th wonder of the world this complex used as fortress and as a monastery is truly a marvel of architecture, design and art and is something that should not be missed by anyone traveling to the island.

Afternoon visit Dambulla cave Temple – a UNESCO World Heritage Site which dates back to the 01st century BC. This is an amazing complex of 05 caves, first used as a refuge by an ancient king who on regaining his throne, commissioned magnificent carved images within the living rock. Later kings made further improvements and the caves contain over 150 images of the Buddha of which the largest is a colossal figure spanning 15 meters. Cave inscriptions from the 2nd Century BC are found and on the walls are many paintings most of which belong to the Kandy period (early 19th century). This temple is a perfect location to view evolution of ancient Sri Lankan art and is an important historical site due to the amalgamation of the material from many eras.

Overnight Kassap Lions Rock or similar

DAY 06: KNUCKLES MOUNTAIN RANGE NATIONAL PARK (BLD)
Morning after breakfast, check out and proceed to Knuckles Mountain Range National Park for a variety of excursions including trekking, bird & butterfly watching. Your excursions will take you along narrow, sun dappled trails, through pristine countryside, across bridges spanning swiftly rushing water and wayside shrines to unknown deities. You will ford an icy cold river, cross half tilled fields, slither down moss covered rocks and take a breather on a sun warmed rock by a natural pool, your bare feet in the cool water. Afternoon you have village trekking to explore the local village way of life.

Overnight Stay at Corberts Rest or similar

DAY 07: KNUCKLES MOUNTAIN RANGE NATIONAL PARK (BLD)
After breakfast you will go for trekking experience, The trek takes you along the main road down to the village of Kaikawela – steeped in the history of the area. The Lakagala Mountain is an imposing peak that protrudes out of the valley like a giant sentinel guarding this ancient village. King Ravana, according to legend used the mountain as a landing site for his Dandu Monoraya [a flying machine resembling a giant peacock]. The peak had been used as a navigation point for incoming ships to the ancient harbor of Trincomalee. The last King of Kandy sent his two daughters to the village for safety from the British. Recently Meemure was the location for the award winning Sinhala film ‘Sooriya Arana’. A small path from the village leads you to the Dindi Oya, a stream with rock pools of unparallel beauty. We can arrange a simple village lunch for you at the pools and a discussion with the village elders on the legends, which has come down through the ages.
Distance: 16km
Time: 4-5 hours.

Overnight Stay at Corberts Rest or similar

DAY 08: KANDY (BD)
Morning after breakfast, check out and proceed to Kandy.

Kandy was the last capital of the ancient kings’ era of Sri Lanka. The city lies in the midst of hills in the Kandy plateau, which crosses an area of tropical plantations, mainly tea. Kandy is both an administrative and religious city and is also the capital of the Central Province. Visit the Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic (Sri Dalada Maligawa), one of the most sacred places of worship in the Buddhist world. and also a world heritage site in Kandy. 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.

Evening you have Kandy City Tour experience.

Overnight Stay at Rivendell Hotel or similar

DAY 09: TRAIN RIDE – HORTAIN PLAINS – NUWARA ELIYA (BD)
After early morning breakfast, check out and drive to Kandy Railway Station / Hatton Railway Station to take local train to Nanu Oya. This stretch of rail road running through the mountains & valleys covered with tea plantations like green velvet is regarded as one of the most picturesque one in the world. While the train pulls on the winding road, one can witness the wide vistas of Sri Lankan central hills. along one of the most picturesque train tracks in the world.

After a 1 or 3 hour train ride, your guide will pick you up at the station and you will then make your way to Hortain Plains.

Horton Plains national park is situated on Sri Lanka’s highest plateau over 2100m above sea level in the central mountains. It is a strange and tranquil region with an astounding variety of scenery – from misty mountains to grasslands, from marshes to ice cold streams, lakes and waterfalls. Sri Lanka’s best flavoured “high grown” teas are from estates in the surrounding areas.

Two highlights are the spectacular view from ‘Worlds End’ where the plateau plunges almost 1000m in a sheer drop and the beautiful “Bridal Veil” Bakers Falls. Another cliff known as the Lesser World’s End of 270m is located not far from World’s End. Distinctive flora with a high level of endemism, colourful butterflies, many rare endemic, resident or migrant birds and several species of mammals including Sambar, Bear Monkey, Barking Deer, Giant Squirrel, Fishing Cat, Wild Boar, Hare and even a few very rare sightings of Leopard are recorded.

• Distance: 9 km
• Duration: 4-6 hrs
• Elevation: 1000m – 1400m
• Difficulty: Moderate

After the trek, drive to Nuwara Eliya, a hill city means “city on the plain (table land)” or “city of light”. Enjoy the picturesque landscape and temperate climate here. At an altitude of 1,868 m, the city is considered to be the most important location for tea production in Sri Lanka. The city is overlooked by Pidurutalagala, the tallest mountain in Sri Lanka.

Overnight stay at Heaven Seven Nuwara Eliya or similar.

Note: Train ticket is subject to availability.

DAY 10: ELLA – LITTLE ADAM’S PEAK, NINE ARCH BRIDGE (B)
Morning after breakfast, check out and proceed to Ella hill town and explore the nine arch bridge and Little adams Peak,

Ella is a small village in the highlands of Sri Lanka which is filled with tea estates, mountains, waterfalls and fresh air. Lots of people make Ella as one of their must visit destination just to witness the breathtaking views it creates. It is a dream place for many trekkers with some of the best hikes the Island provides. This hidden village is vastly popular among the tourists lately. Views of mist and clouds covering the summits of the mountain range and the morning sunrise in Ella are spectacular scenes to witness and captured. Ella has its own historic values with the link to the Legendary Ravana stories too. You can explore all of them while you are here.

After a fresh hike in the morning to Little Adam’s Peak, we rest for awhile before go for a rail walk to famous Nine Arch Bridge in the evening.

Overnight at 88th Ella or similar

DAY 11:  UDAWALAWE NATIONAL PARK (BD)
After breakfast, check out and drive to Udawalwe, where you have evening Elephant safari at the Udawalawe National Park. This National park is spread out in an area of 31,800 hectares, which was declared a protected sanctuary with full National Park status in 1972. Surrounded by mountain ranges, the terrain of the park is a mixture of grassland, shrub jungle, wild teak plantations and two important factors which make this park special – the large Udawalewe Reservoir and the Walewe River, which ensure a supply of water for the fauna within. Internationally renowned for its large herd of elephants, the park is also known for several species of Deer, Wild Boar, the dangerous Wild Buffalo, Jackal and rare sightings of Leopard.

Overnight at Grand Udawalawe Safari Resort or similar

DAY 12: GALLE (BD)
After breakfast check out and transfer to Galle for Galle Fort (UNSCO world heritage site) tour. According to James Emerson Tennent, Galle was the ancient seaport of Tarshish, from which King Solomon drew ivory, peacocks and other valuables. Galle had been a prominent seaport long before western rule in the country. Persians, Arabs, Greeks, Romans, Malays, Indians, and Chinese were doing business through Galle port. In 1411, the Galle Trilingual Inscription, a stone tablet inscription in three languages, Chinese, Tamil and Persian, was erected in Galle to commemorate the second visit to Sri Lanka by the Chinese admiral Zheng He. The “modern” history of Galle starts in 1502, when a small fleet of Portuguese ships, under the command of Lourenço de Almeida, on their way to the Maldives, were blown off course by a storm. & reach Galle. In 1640, the Portuguese had to surrender to the Dutch East India Company. The Dutch built the present fort in the year 1663, using solid granite, and built three bastions, known as “Sun”, “Moon” and “Star.

Overnight stay at Fairway Sunset or similar

DAY 13: WHALE WATCH (BD)
Early morning collect packed breakfast and drive to Mirissa Fisheries Harbour for Whale Watch Cruise. You will head out to sea in search of the largest animals to have ever lived on the planet – the Blue Whale. Return back to Galle in time for own lunch and you are free to rest and relax or indulge in the local restaurants and bars.

Overnight stay at Fairway Sunset or similar

DAY 14: COLOMBO (B)
After breakfast, check out and enjoy a scenic drive down to the largest city in the island, Colombo. Colombo like many capital cities in developing countries is fast changing its face. Almost overnight, skyscrapers arise from where old buildings once stood, yet in some parts; the old-world charm is retained. A 100-year-old clock tower and several British built, colonial buildings are still seen in the city. The Pettah bazaar – where one can shop for bargains, a Hindu and a Buddhist temple, residential areas where you find the stately homes of the affluent, the Colombo museum, the Bandaranaike memorial international conference hall – an outright gift to Sri Lanka from the people’s republic of china, the new parliament in Sri Jayawardenapura and the Folk Art Center are some of the places of interest that one can visit to.

Today, Colombo is a fascinating city – a happy blend of east & west, past & present, with a charm of its own. A less known but amazingly true fact is that Colombo has a superb range of high-quality restaurants serving food from all over the world and some of the best shopping opportunities in Asia.

Overnight stay at Fairway Colombo or similar

DAY 15: DEPART COLOMBO (B)
After breakfast, check out and enjoy your free time in the city before departure to the airport for the flight home.