A week in Paradise
Destinations : Colombo / Dambulla / Kandy / Nuwara Eliya / Yala / Betota / Colombo
Day 1 – Airport / Colombo
You will be met with traditional Sri Lankan hospitality at the airport and taken in your own private air-conditioned vehicle by our courteous English -speaking driverand proceed to the hotel in Colombo. Overnight stay at the hotel in Colombo.
Day 2 – Colombo / Pinnawala / Sigiriya / Dambulla
After breakfast proceed to Dambulla via Pinnawala and visit the Pinnalwala Elephant Orphanage, which is one of the largest elephant orphanages where they rear Elephants who were lost to their herds due to the human-elephant conflict and other such reasons. Early in the morning you will witness the bottle feeding of the baby elephants. Afterwards you can be witness to the beautiful sight of seeing all the elephants (babies and adults) joyously walking up to the river for a bath. Watching them lying down in the cool waters of the river, as they play and enjoy themselves is a treat for the eyes.
Continue to Dambulla and check-in to the hotel.In the evening, proceed to Sigiriya,where you will make a leisure climb up the Sigiriya Rock Fortress. (Lion Rock Citadel of Sri Lanka built by King Kasyapa in the 5th century A.D. It was the royal citadel of King Kasyapa for more than 18 years and has been named as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1982). One of Asia’s major archaeological sites, Sigiriya presents a unique concentration of fifth-century urban planning, architecture, gardening, engineering, hydraulic technology and art. The Sigiriya site contains the ruins of an upper palace located on the flat top of the rock, a mid-level terrace that includes the Lion Gate and the mirror wall with its beautiful frescoes, the lower palaces located behind the lavish lower gardens, and moats and ramparts which protected the citadel. The site was both a palace and a fortress. The upper palace on the top of the rock includes cisterns cut into the rock. The moats and walls that surround the lower palace are exquisitely beautiful.
Day 3 – Dambulla / Minneriya / Matale / Kandy
Collect breakfast packets from the hotel and leave early morning at around 5am for a safari at the Minneriya National Park. The Minneriya National Park affords the opportunity to sight herds of Elephants throughout the year. Wild elephants from the surrounding wilderness make their way to the shores of the Minneriya Reservoir adjoining the Minneriya National Park in search of food and water. Huge herd of elephants, sometimes numbering up to 300, converge together within a few square kilometres of the lake. This Elephant Gathering is a thrilling spectacle to all who are fortunate to witness it.
Afterwards, proceed to Kandy via Matale.Visit a spice garden in Matale to see many different types of spices Sri Lanka is famous for. Just 25 km from the hill capital of Kandy, the Matale spice gardens are among the best in the island. You will be introduced to different spices and shown how some of these spices are grown and processed.
Continue to Kandy.Kandy, a world heritage site, is home to numerous Buddhist temples including the sacred Temple of the Tooth Relic (Dalada Maligawa). Set in a valley surrounded by rings of mountains, the city of Kandy is the gateway to the Salubrious hill country of Sri Lanka.In the evening enjoy a cultural show of traditional dances. Overnight stay at the hotel in Kandy.
Day 04 - Kandy / Nuwara Eliya
After breakfast proceed to Nuwara Eliya. Nuwara Eliya of Central Highlands of Sri Lanka at an altitude 6,200 ft above the sea level was made into a health resort by the British in the 19th century. Such is the character of the district of Nuwara Eliya, with its home gardens of plants and flowers and cultivation of vegetables, even today it is known as Little England. En-route visit to a tea plantation.
Sri Lanka is one of the world’s largest exporters of tea. Since the introduction of tea to Sri Lanka in mid 19the century Nuwara Eliya has been the capital of the tea industry. For many miles prior to reaching Nuwara Eliya from either direction you will find acres and acres of tea plantations. There are many factories open for visitors which also have tea sales outlets. Overnight stay at the hotel in Nuwara Eliya.
Day 05 – NuwaraEliya / Ella / Yala
After breakfast proceed to Yala. On the way to Yala, pause at the paradise like village of Elle to admire the magnificent view of Ella gap. Continue to Yala, and do a safari at Yala National Park.
The Elephant, undoubtedly the best known attraction at Yala is seen in small & large herds. Herds of spotted deer are seen all over the park. Monkeys-the pinkish rhesus and the Grey-faced Langur Monkey, live and play on the tree-tops and the ground below. Wild buffalo & wild boar could give you a good surprise & the sight of a leopard sunning itself or drinking water at a water hole could be memorable experience. The peacock is easily the most famous of the birds at Yala. The painted stork, many varieties of heron, the spoonbill, the bee-eater, parakeets, and king-fisher & wood pecker are some of the birds can be seen in the park. Overnight stay at the hotel in Yala.
Day 06 – Yala / Galle / Bentota / Beruwala / Kalutara
After breakfast proceed to South West coast of the country via Galle. Sri Lanka, an island floating in the blue waters of the Indian Ocean and the Bay of Bengal. Endowed with over a thousand miles of beautiful beaches fringed with coconut palms. Places like Galle on the west coast with its historical heritage, are included in the attraction even without the lure of the sun, sea and sand. You can also stop on the drive down the west coast for interesting side trip like visiting a batik factory or a turtle hatchery, paying your respects at the local temple or sampling the local fruit and getting first-hand knowledge on the art of toddy making. Overnight stay at the hotel in Bentota.
Day 7 – Bentota / Beruwala / Kalutara / Airport
Leave the hotel at the standard check-out time and proceed to the airport for the departure