Duration: 12 Nights / 13 Days
Destinations : Colombo - Habarana - Kandy - Nuwara Eliya - Yala - Bentota - Colombo
Day 01: Airport - Colombo
Arrive at Bandaranayake International Airport and meet with our representative at the airport. He will take you to the designated vehicle and you will be starting your journey.
Proceed to Colombo hotel. Spend the rest of the day leisurely.
You may also take a stroll in the city, go out for dinner.
Overnight stay in Colombo.
Day 02: Colombo
Breakfast at the hotel. Enjoy a city tour in Colombo. Visit Galle Face Green, Viharamahadevi park, Fort Bazaar, tuk tuk ride in busy streets.
Overnight stay in Colombo.
Day 03: Colombo – Habarana
After breakfast at the hotel, proceed to Habarana. If interested (OPTIONAL) visit Pinnawala elephant orphanage on the way.
Pinnawala Elephant Orphanage (PEO) ; just as the name suggests holds a unique disposition in the ex-situ animal care. Its success and fame has travelled not just within the country but throughout the world to an extent where Pinnawala is synonymous with the Sri Lankan Elephant.
Currently being a home to 93 elephants the concept was actualized by the late Hon. Minister Kalugalle on the 16th of February 1975. Pinnawala at the time was a very remote area with lush coconut plantations and most importantly an area where the availability of mahouts was not lacking. Also the immense amount of water required by the elephants is supplemented with the availability of “Ma oya” running close by. Spice Garden- You will be introduced to different spices and shown how some of these spices are grown and processed. A processing and training unit has been set up in the area and farmers are grouped in a cooperative to ensure fair prices and you will also be able to purchase spices.
Gardens are open to visitors, a delightful place to stroll in fragrant greenery and learn about nutmeg, pepper vines, clove trees and curry, cinnamon and the precious cardamom, a relative of ginger. It grows in the shade of high jungle trees and can only be harvested by hand.
Visitors may buy spices, traditional remedies and cosmetics, taste a herbal brew and in some venues, enjoy the full flavors of Sri Lankan spices over lunch or an Ayurveda massage based on natural products from the garden.
Dinner and overnight stay in Habarana.
Day 04: Habarana
After breakfast at the hotel, visit Sigiriya rock fortress and Dambulla cave temple.
Sigiriya, also known as Lion Rock, an ancient capital place in Sri Lanka.
And one of the most important UNESCO World Heritage sites that you would encounter during the Sri Lanka Tour. Besides that, this world-famous rock fortress has legendary links to Ramayana.
The Cobra Hooded Cave in Sigiriya houses many prehistoric drawings on its ceiling. The cave and Sita are related distinctively. It is inscribed as ‘Parumaka naguliya lene.’
Naguliya Cave in Sigiriya is believed to be one of the places Ravana kept Seetha Devi captive in Sri Lanka.
Dambulla Cave Temple- A sacred pilgrimage site for 22 centuries, this cave monastery, with its five sanctuaries, is the largest, best-preserved cave-temple complex in Sri Lanka. The Buddhist mural paintings (covering an area of 2,100 m2) are of particular importance, as are the 157 statues.
In the evening you may enjoy a Village tour (Tractor ride, Catamaran ride, lunch at a village hut, walk in the paddy fields)
Day 05: Habarana – Kandy
After breakfast at the hotel, proceed to Kandy.
Dinner and overnight stay in Kandy.
Day 06: Kandy
After breakfast, enjoy a city tour of Kandy.
The mesmerizing view point is located on the Rajapihilla Mawatha and is ranked 5th out of 105 tourist attractions in Kandy. The place is located near the Kandy Lake and is enclosed in breathtaking landscapes of mountains and meadows. From the city, you have to take the Rajapihilla Mawatha Route, after which a 1 km steep climb will guide you to the view point. You can also hire a tuk-tuk to reach the top.The panoramic view that you would get to see is worth the pain of the ascent. The entire Kandy town lies ahead of your eye, and from the top, you can also spot the Kandy lake and Dalada Maligawa.
Royal Botanic Gardens, Peradeniya are about 5.5 km to the west of the city of Kandy in the Central Province of Sri Lanka. In 2016, the garden was visited by 1.2 million locals and 400,000 foreign visitors. It is near the Mahaweli River (The longest river in Sri Lanka). It is renowned for its collection of orchids. The garden includes more than 4000 species of plants, including orchids, spices, medicinal plants and palm trees. Attached to it is the "National Herbarium of Sri Lanka". The total area of the botanical garden is 147 acres (0.59 km2), at 460 meters above sea level, and with a 200-day annual rainfall. It is managed by the Division of National Botanic Gardens of the Department of Agriculture.
Dinner and overnight stay in Kandy.
Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic or Sri Dalada Maligawa (Note - The word ‘Temple’ is an incorrect translation of the word Maligawa. The English word for ‘Maligawa’ is ‘Palace’.), is a Buddhist temple in Kandy, Sri Lanka. It is located in the royal palace complex of the former Kingdom of Kandy, which houses the relic of the tooth of the 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. The relic was historically held by Sinhalese kings. The temple of the tooth is a World Heritage Site mainly due to the temple and the relic.
Enjoy a cultural dance performance in the evening.
Dinner and overnight stay in Kandy.
Day 07: Kandy – Nuwara Eliya
After breakfast at the hotel, proceed to Nuwara Eliya and visit a tea factory plantation on the way. Also you will have many picture perfect sceneries you’d love to stop and take a picture.
Dinner and overnight stay in Nuwara Eliya.
Day 08: Nuwara Eliya
After brakfast at the hotel, you may take a trip around the town. Nuwara Eliya is also called “Little England” you will witness the architectural similarities and the weather to be agreeable to this name.
Dinner and overnight stay in Nuwara Eliya.
Day 09: Nuwara Eliya – Yala
After breakfast at the hotel leisurely proceed to Yala. Arrive in Yala and spend the rest of the day at leisure
Dinner and overnight stay in Yala.
Day 10: Yala
You may enjoy a game drive early morning and afternoon.
Morning safari starts at 6AM, should proceed with packed breakfast from the hotel. and this will go on for 3.5 to 4 hours time. And evening safari, latest starting time is 2PM.
Yala combines a strict nature reserve with a national park. Divided into 5 blocks, the park has a protected area of nearly 130,000 hectares of land consisting of light forests, scrubs, grasslands, tanks and lagoons. Two blocks are currently opened to the public.
Situated in Sri Lanka’s south-east hugging the panoramic Indian Ocean, Yala was designated a wildlife sanctuary in 1900 and was designated a national park in 1938. Ironically, the park was initially used as a hunting ground for the elite under British rule. Yala is home to 44 varieties of mammal and 215 bird species. Among its more famous residents are the world’s biggest concentration of leopards, majestic elephants, sloth bears, sambars, jackals, spotted dear, peacocks, and crocodiles. The best time to visit Yala is between February and July when the water levels of the park are quite low, bringing animals into the open.
Dinner and overnight stay in Yala.
Day 11: Yala – Bentota
After breakfast at the hotel, you have the full day to explore Bentota and its activities or spend the day by the beach.
Dinner and overnight stay in Bentota.
Day 12: Bentota
After breakfast at the hotel enjoy all/ any of the following activities.
Bentota, you may enjoy a nice and calming Madu River Mangrove boat safari, visit a turtle hatchery for a more fun and educational experience about turtles.
Dinner and overnight stay in Bentota.
Day 13: Colombo – Airport
After breakfast at the hotel proceed to the airport for your scheduled flight back home. With so much to remember and cherish!
-End of the program-
