Srilanka : Sri Lankan Adventure

 Meet and assist on arrival and transfer to Colombo.

 Late afternoon proceed on a city tour of Colombo… COLOMBO… Sri Lanka’s capital up to recent times, spread along the shore of the Indian Ocean for some miles, where business and commerce begin and end. A drive through the city will take you to Colombo’s most fashionable residential district - the Cinnamon Gardens and the Pettah, Colombo’s busiest and most traditional bazaar area. Visits to the Hindu temple with elaborate stone carvings, the Dutch Church at Wolfendhal dating back to 1749, the historic Devatgahaha mosque and the Gangarama Temple. While the city holds less obvious interest than many other parts of the island, it's still a colorful enough place and worth a visit to see what makes Sri Lanka tick.

 Dinner and overnight stay at Galle Face Hotel.

Breakfast at Galle Face Hotel, and proceed to Polonnaruwa arrive in Polonnaruwa and proceed on a city tour.

 Polonnaruwa the island’s medieval capital (11th – 13th Centuries AD). A unique Irrigation complex (the sea of Parakrama) watered the city as well as the surrounding plains. The largest of the man made reservoirs, the huge Parakrama Samudra, is larger in size than the Colombo harbour. Of all the brilliant structures found in Polonnaruwa, the Gal Vihara is the best known, where colossal Buddha images are carved on the face of a granite boulder. Continue to Habarana where you will be staying overnight. Dinner and overnight stay at Chaaya Village

After breakfast at Chaaya Village, climb the Sigiriya rock fortress, Sigiriya… meaning lion rock is more than just a fortress; it was one of the most unique cities in the history of Sri Lanka. A massive monolith of red stone that rises 600ft, this famous rock fortress, stark and forbidding, haunted by an epic story of murder and betrayal, was built in the 5th Century AD by King Kashyapa. The climb to the summit is reached between the paws of a lion. A niche in the rock is decorated with frescoes of spellbindingly lovely maidens; it has a moat abutted by a wall and is surrounded by rock and water gardens.

 On return to the hotel proceed on an interesting and exciting Elephant back safari (1 hour) in Habarana.Dinner and overnight stay at Chaaya Village.

Leave to the Hill capital Kandy after breakfast; visit the Dambulla cave temple en route Dambulla... the Dambulla cave temple is by far the most impressive of all the many cave temples in Sri Lanka. Among the cave’s numerous statues – there are 48 of the Buddha alone – are images of Upulvan (Vishnu) and Saman dating from the 12th Century (they may be the earliest devala statues to appear in a Buddhist image house). The cave’s history dates to the 2nd or 1st Century BC, when King Valagam Bahu took refuge here after being driven out of Anuradhapura by invading armies. Continue to Kandy via Matale visiting the spice gardens…

 Arrive in hill capital Kandy and check-in to Chaaya Citadel. Dinner and overnight stay at Chaaya Citadel.

Breakfast at chaaya Citadel. Visit the elephant orphanage. Pinnawala… the Elephant Orphanage located on the banks of the Maha Oya, is mainly to house young elephants who find themselves displaced and lost from their natural habitats for various reasons – environmental changes due to development projects, being abandoned by their parents when they fall into pits and ravines, etc. It is most interesting to visit at feeding or bathing time.

Return to Kandy

Late evening visits the Temple of the Tooth Relic and views a cultural Kandyan dance performance. Dinner and overnight stay at Chaaya Citadel.

Breakfast at Chaaya Citadel, proceed on a city tour of Kandy… Kandy… this royal city, sheltered by the hills and looped by the Mahaweli – Sri Lanka’s longest river, still holds religious and cultural significance. A stroll around the sleepy, but serene Kandy Lake, where balmy winds waft across, a walk through the Royal Botanical Gardens located at Peradeniya and a visit to the University of Peradeniya – the spacious green campus laid out near the banks of the Mahaweli is a must for any visitor to Kandy. Visit a Tea factory and view a tea plantation en route, arrive in Nuwara Eliya and proceed on a city tour…

 Nuwara Eliya… nestled in a wooded basin at the foot of Mount Pidurutalagala Sri Lanka’s highest peak, this region at 6,183ft above sea-level Has a cool, crisp climate unknown elsewhere in Sri Lanka. A serene retreat from the hustle and bustle of Colombo, the town seems like a piece of the English Lake District. Unusual plants, birds and animals thrive here besides natural feature like waterfalls and caves. Tea, the glistening green leaves of this lovely shrub, along with neat rows of green, cloak ridges and valleys providing a lasting impression of Sri Lanka’s Hill Country. The golf course – one of the most finest and picturesque in Asia – the serene Anglican Church of the Holy Trinity, beautiful parks and well kept lawns and hedges give the place an air of nostalgia.

 Dinner and overnight stay at Grand Hotel.

After early breakfast proceed to Horton Plain Natural Reserve (Soft Trekking) and visit World End. The Horton Plains National Park is the only National Park situated in the Hill Country and falls within the Nuwara Eliya district and is 200 km. away from Colombo. Panoramic scenic beauty of the Hill Country could be witnessed within the Park. The famous `Worlds End' is a major attraction within the Park. Endemic slender loris and endemic purple monkey are among the important animal species that could be seen in addition to sambhur, a member of the cat family etc. There are some endemic avifauna also found within this Park.

Return to Nuwara Eliya and proceed to Tissamaharama. Dinner and overnight stay at Rosen Renaissance.

Breakfast at Rosen Renaissance

.Proceed on safari to Uda Walawe national park… Uda Walawe National Park … It is situated around a reservoir of the same name in the south central area of the island. This park comprises grasslands, thorny scrubs and many valuable species of trees. Large herds of elephants, species of deer, wild boar, water buffalo and jackals are some of the wild animals found, along with a variety of avifauna that abounds the park.

 Return to hotel… Late evening visit the famous Katharagama temple shrine… Katharagama is one of the 16 principal places of Buddhist Pilgrimage to be visited. According to the great chronicle of Sri Lankan history, when the Bo-sapling was brought to Anuradhapura from India 2300 years ago, the warriors from Katharagama were present on the occasion to pay homage and respect. Katharagama is famous for the Hindu Shrine (Devale) and Dageba (Buddhist Pagoda - Kirivehera). Lord Buddha and his third and the last visit to Sri Lanka were believed to have met the King Mahasena who ruled over the Katharagama area in B.C.580. Thus the Sri Lankans believe that Katharagama was sanctified by Lord Buddha.

 Dinner and overnight stay at Rosen Renaissance.

Breakfast at Rosen Renaissance…

Leave to Bentota Beach for your beach stay, en route visit the Galle, Galle … the port city, standing on one of the main sea routes in the southern part of the city, it has a unique charm among the many historic places in Sri Lanka. The Dutch built the 1st Protestant church in Sri Lanka here, UNESCO declared World Heritage Site the magnificent Dutch fort is the most popular attraction of the town. 300 year old Dutch atmosphere is still very much alive around the fort and amidst its many historical buildings not invaded by the skyscrapers. The earliest European administrative centre of Sri Lanka was the major port and the largest city until the British shifted the port to Colombo. The City of Galle had been the European administrative centre over 4 centuries.

Visit the turtle hatchery in Kosgoda…

Dinner and overnight Bentota Beach Hotel.