Cultural and Wild Sri Lanka

The brief island tour has been designed to capture the glimpse of nature, culture and wildlife. Begin the one-week tour from the elephant orphanage en route Kandy, which has the greatest herd of elephants in captivity in the world. The cultural city of Kandy offers you a mix of heritage and scenic beauty. Visit Nuwara eliya to indulge in salubrious climes in the surroundings of rolling tea plantations, cascading waterfalls and misty mountains. Your final days will be spent in perfect wilderness along Sri Lanka’s southern region, with a visit to the most popular safari destination the Yala National Park. You will finish up with a stay at the UNESCO-protected historical Galle city in the surroundings of secluded Indian Ocean beaches.

 

Day 01Airport / Colombo

- Arrival at the Bandaranayke international airport.
- Meet with our representative who will page you and welcome you at the airport.
- Transfer to your Hotel, in Colombo.
- Afternoon – do a city tour of Colombo.

 

COLOMBO – Sri Lanka’s commercial capital and sea-port is a blend of old and new. This is a city, which has many reminders of its European colonial past. Bustling bazaars, Buddhist and Hindu Temples and Muslim Mosques contrast with, smart modern Shopping Malls and multi-national chain hotels. Sightseeing highlights include the old parliament houses, Buddhist Temple, Town Hall, and the Bandaranaike Memorial International Conference Hall. Apart from excellent shopping, Colombo offers visits to one of the world’s leading tea auctions, an 18 hole Golf Course, seasonal Buddhist and Hindu pageants, international cricket tournaments, plush casinos, enjoyable evening entertainment and excellent restaurants. State-of-the-Art communications and Cyber services are available in the hotels and other outlets.

Overnight: Hotel in Colombo

 

Day 02Colombo / Pinnawela / Kandy

After breakfast, leave for Kandy en route visiting an Elephant Orphanage at Pinnawela.

 

PINNAWELA ELEPHANT ORPHANAGE – Here you will find elephants of all ages, which were abandoned or orphaned. They are been looked after with loving care until such time they are ready to be freed back to the wild. The unique feature of this place is that visitors can feed the baby elephants with bottles of milk during the feeding times.

- Proceed to Kandy & does a city tour of Kandy.

 

KANDY – The last capital of the Sri Lankan kings is a World Heritage Site. The name “Kandy” conjures visions of splendor and magnificence. Many of the legends, traditions and folklore are still lovingly kept alive. Drive around the Kandy Lake built by the last Sinhala king, Sri Wickrama Rajasinghe in 1798. Visit the Kandy town and Bazaar, the arts and crafts centre, a gem museum and a lapidary.

- Check in at your hotel & relax.
- Evening – visit the Temple of the Tooth Relic and witness a beautiful Cultural show.

Overnight: Hotel in Kandy

 

Day 03Kandy / Nuwara Eliya

After breakfast, leave for Nuwara eliya and visit the Royal Botanical Gardens.

 

ROYAL BOTANICAL GARDENS – This Botanical Garden was first built as a pleasure garden by a Sinhala king and was expanded by the British. It is 147 acres in extent and provides an amazing variety of trees, plants and flowers.

NUWARA-ELIYA – A cool green mountain valley, the heart of Sri Lankan hill country boasts rolling hills interspersed with gushing streams and tumbling waterfalls. It is also acclaimed for its golf courses and amazing tea plantations.

Overnight: Hotel in Nuwara Eliya.

 

 

Day 04Nuwara Eliya / Yala

After breakfast, leave for Yala.

- Arrive in yala and Do a jeep safari in Yala National Park.

 

YALA NATIONAL PARK – Sri Lanka’s best known national park is popular for Elephants, Leopards, Bears, Crocodiles and Wild Boar. Three times larger than Udawalawe at 97,800 hectares, this is the second largest of Sri Lanka’s national parks. Its open, undulating terrain made it famous for elephants for many years, but the park is also now famed for its Leopard population due to publicity by National Geographic and the Discovery TV channels, which focused on a leopard research/conservation and identification project. Claims have subsequently been made that Yala National Park has the world’s highest concentration of leopard per square kilometer. This park is primarily shrub jungle with several salt and fresh water lagoons. The areas popular with leopards are rock strewn hillocks with dense shrub in which animals hide.

Check in at your hotel & relax.

Overnight: Hotel in Yala

 

Day 05Yala / Galle

After breakfast in hotel, leave for Galle. Arrive in Galle and does a city tour of Galle.

 

GALLE – Capital of southern Sri Lanka in 1587, the Portuguese annexed Galle from its Singhalese kings and built its first fortress naming it “Santacrusz”. Its old world charm appeals as a tourist destination. To this day it looks back to 500 years of nurture under Singhalese, Portuguese, Dutch and British stewardship. The influence of the Dutch on the people of the city architecture and especially the dress code is evident today. The town is the first international commerce and trade Centre of the island, and even today Galle plays an important role in Sri Lanka’s economy. The sandy beach here enhances the natural beauty the city is blessed with.

- Check in at your hotel & relax.

Overnight: Hotel in Galle or Hikkaduwa

 

Day 06Galle or Hikkaduwa

After breakfast, spend the day at leisure by the beach.

 

 HIKKADUWA -Popular for its beach and corals, Hikkaduwa is primarily a tourist attraction serving as a place to snorkel, surf and simply enjoy the sun amongst other activities. It is located in the Southern Province, about 20 km north-west of Galle. Hikkaduwa has a reputation for its vibrant nightlife. It is also well liked for board surfing and is known as an international destination for board-surfing. It is especially well known as a surfing destination on the international circuit and annually attracts surfers from all over the world. There are plenty of good surfing points as the wave size ranges up to 3 meters during the season. Dive in the beautiful paradise island with hundreds of fabulous dive sites. Come dive the dozens of famous ship wrecks dating back to the colonial era and also visit coral reefs, under sea caves & rock formations all around our island.

 

 Overnight: Hotel in Galle or Hikkaduwa.

 

Day 07Galle or Hikkaduwa / Airport

After breakfast, transfer to Colombo airport for the departure flight.