Tour Highlights
- Dambulla Rock Temple
- Polonnaruwa
- Sigiriya Rock Fortress
- Habarana Village Tour
- Spice Garden in Matale
- Kandy
- Pinnawala Elephant Orphanage
- Peradeniya Botanical Gardens
- Nuwara Eliya
- Negombo
Day 01 – Negombo
Meet and assist on arrival at Airport by Sri Lanka Christi Tours representative and transfer from Airport to hotel. Overnight stay hotel at Negombo.
Day 02 – Dambulla
After breakfast, proceed from Negombo to Dambulla.
Dambulla Rock Temple was built by king Walagambahu in the 1st century B.C. and it is a World Heritage Site. It is the most impressive of Sri Lanka’s cave temples. The complex of five caves with over 2000 sq. meters of painted walls and ceilings, is the largest area of painting found in the world. It contains over 150 images of the Buddha of which the largest is the colossal figure of the Buddha carved out of rock and spanning 14 meters.
Then transfer to Sigiriya. Overnight stay hotel at Sigiriya or Dambulla.
Day 03 – Polonnaruwa
After breakfast, proceed to Polonnaruwa.
Visit Polonnaruwa which was the 2nd capital city of Sri Lanka built in the 11th and 12th centuries AD and which is a World Heritage Site. Here you can see the ruins of the Royal Palace, the Gal Viharaya where 4 splendid statues of the Buddha in ‘Upright’, ‘Sedentary’ and ‘Recumbent’ postures carved out of rock could be seen, the Audience Hall, the Lotus Bath, the statue of king Parakramabahu and the Parakrama Samudraya – a lake built by king Parakramabahu the great. There are alsomonuments of famous places of worship such as the Shiva Temple, the Lankathilake, the Vatadage, the Galpotha, the Kiri Vehera and the remains of a former Temple of the Tooth Relic.
Transfer from Polonnaruwa to Sigiriya. Dinner and overnight stay hotel at Sigiriya or Dambulla.
Day 04 – Sigiriya / Habarana
After breakfast proceed to Sigiriya.
Climb the 5th century Sigiriya rock fortress which is a World Heritage Site, built by King Kashyapa (477 – 495 AD). The ‘Lion Rock’ is a citadel of unusual beauty rising 200 meters from the scrub jungle. The rock was the innermost stronghold of the 70 hectare fortified town. A moat, rampart and extensive gardens including the renowned water gardens ring the base of the rock. Visit the world-renowned frescoes of the ‘Heavenly Maidens’ of Sigiriya, which are in a sheltered pocket of the rock approached by a spiral stairways. These frescoes are painted in earth pigments on plaster.
Transfer from Sigiriya to Habarana.
Do the village tour which is a 3 hours trek through this archetypal Sri Lankan village. The trek begins with a scenic walk along a bund of a Wewa (man-made reservoir). The amazing bird life, butterflies and possible sightings of crocodile only add to the charm of the trek. Sight of the villagers as they go about their early morning tasks of fishing or washing clothes at the periphery of the lake. Initially one wades through a shallow stream and thereafter crosses a wider tributary in a catamaran of an obliging farmer to inspect Chena cultivation (slash and burn agriculture). Enjoy the farmer’s humble hospitality. With the guidance of the farmer, pick some fresh vegetables from the plot. Dinner and overnight stay hotel at Sigiriya or Dambulla.
Day 05 – Matale / Kandy
After breakfast, proceed to Matale.
Visit a Spice Garden in Matale to see different spices for which Sri Lanka is famous for. Here, clients could see different spices and how some of these spices are grown processed.
Transfer from Matale to Kandy. Overnight stay hotel at Kandy.
Day 06 – Pinnawala / Kandy
After breakfast, proceed to Pinnawala.
The Pinnawala Elephant Orphanage, established in 1975, commenced with seven orphaned elephants. Today some of these orphans enjoy the fortune of seeing their grandchildren born in the same location. The original objective of establishing the orphanage inclined more towards tourism, but is soon became a conservation and educational center. With the help of local and foreign elephant experts, Pinnawala started a scientific captive-breeding programme for elephants. The free movement of the herd enhanced the chances for respective individuals of both sexes to get together and mate. The nearby river played a dominant role in this regard, and in 1984, the first baby of Pinnawala was born. The success story of Pinnawala has drawn the attention of scientists from all over the world. A considerable number of books and research on Pinnawala have been published in several languages. The members of the Pinnawala herd have been filmed, videoed and photographed thousands of times by professionals.
Transfer from Pinnawala to Peradeniya.
Peradeniya 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.
Transfer from Peradeniya to Kandy.
Kandy was the last capital of the Sri Lanka kings and 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, the bazar, an arts & crafts center and a gem museum & lapidary. Also visit the Temple of the Tooth Relic and thereafter witness a cultural show. Overnight stay hotel at Kandy.
Day 07 – Nuwara Eliya
After breakfast, proceed to Nuwara Eliya.
En route visit a tea plantation and a tea factory, where the best tea in the world is produced. Here you could observe all about the process of manufacturing tea. You can also see how tea is graded. Taste a cup of pure Ceylon tea in the factory.
Transfer from Tea Factory to Nuwara Eliya.
Visit Nuwara Eliya. Nuwara Eliya, because of its invigorating mountain climate and scenery is Sri Lanka’s most popular hill resort. Nuwara Eliya is also the heart of Sri Lanka’s tea country producing a significant share of the world best tea. Sri Lanka’s highest mountain Pidurutalagala (8282 ft) is located here. Nuwara Eliya also has one of the finest 18 hole golf courses in South Asia. Overnight at hotel at Nuwara Eliya.
Day 08 – Negombo
After breakfast, proceed from Nuwara Eliya to Negombo. Overnight stay hotel at Negombo.
Day 09 – Airport
After breakfast transfer to Airport for departure.
— Tour End —