An unparalleled experience from cultural sights to historical pagodas and in depth mesmerizing places a must take tour.

Day 1: Arrival in Colombo  

Arrival at the Katunayake Airport. Receive a warm welcome at the airport & Transfer to the hotel. Check in to the hotel.

Evening do a city tour in Colombo. Including Galle Face Promenade, Dutch Hospital Shopping precinct, Colombo harbor , Lake House Complex Public, Library, National Museum, Nelum Pokuna Theatre, Colombo Town hall , Race Course Ground Independence Square , BMICH, Replica of Aukana Buddha Statue, , Pettah market, fort Railway Station , Wolvendaal church.

Colombo – like many capital cities in developing countries Colombo is fast changing its face. Almost overnight, skyscrapers arise from where old buildings once stood, yet in some parts, the old world charm is retained. A 100-year-old c lock tower and several British built, colonial buildings are still to be seen in the city. The Pettah bazaar – where one can shop for bargains, a Hindu and a Buddhist temple, residential areas where you find the stately homes of the affluent, the Colombo museum, the Bandaranaike memorial international conference hall – an outright gift to Sri Lanka from the people’s republic of china, the new parliament in Sri Jayawardenapura and the folk art center are some of the places of interest that one can visit to.

Dinner and overnight at Kingsbury Hotel, Colombo.

Day 2: Colombo / Anuradhapura / Mihintale / Aukana / Habarana  

Breakfast at the hotel.

Proceed to Anuradhapura

Lunch at Palm Garden Village hotel.

Do a city tour in Anuradhpura.

Anuradhapura – is located in the north central part of the Island, it was the first capital and undoubtedly the grandest city of ancient Sri Lanka. It is the home o f two world heritage sites. Many places of historical and archeological interest could be visited.

Sri-Mahabodhi (sacred Bo-tree), brought as a sapling of the tree under which the Buddha attained enlightenment, it is over 2,200 years old and is the oldest historically documented tree in the world. Brazen palace (2nd cent. B.C.) the 1600 stone columns you see are all that is left of a magnificent multi-storied residence for monks. RuwanweliSeya (2nd cent. B.C). This is the most famous of all the Dagobas. It originally depicted the perfect “water-bubble” shape that modern restoration has not been able to accurately reproduce. Samadhi Buddha (3rd cent. b.c.), one of the most famous statues, depicting the Buddha in a state of “Samadhi” or deep meditation. Isurumuniya rock temple (3rd cent. b.c.) Well known for its rock carving of “the lovers”. Kuttam Pokuna – twin ponds (3rd cent. b.c.) used by the monks of old as a bathing pool. Thuparama Dagoba (3rd cent. b.c.), the oldest Dagoba in the island. It enshrines a relic of the Buddha.

Mihintale – was where Buddhism was first introduced to Sri Lanka and is therefore regarded as the cradle of Buddhism. On this rock are many shrines and dwellings, originally used by monks. A grand stairway of 1,840 steps made of granite slabs 15 feet wide, leads to the summit from where one could get a splendid view of the surrounding countryside.

Dinner and overnight at Cinnamon Lodge Hotel , Habarana.

Day 3: Habarana / Sigirya-Polonnruwa-Habarana  

After breakfast proceed to Sigiriya Rock Fortress.

Sigiriya sometimes also referred to as the eighth wonder of the world dates back from over 7,000 years ago, through Pre-Historic to Proto-Historic to Early Historic times, then as a rock-shelter mountain monastery from about the 3rd century BC, with caves prepared and donated by devotees to the sangha. The garden city and the palace was built by Kasyapa 477 – 495 AD. Then after Kasyapa’s death it was a monastery complex upto about the 14thcentury. Sigiriya is a unique witness to the civilization of Ceylon during the years of the reign of Kassapa I. The site of the ‘Lion Mountain’ was visited from the 6th century AD, by passionate admirers. The frescoes of Sigiriya inaugurated a pictorial style which endured over many centuries. Halfway up the rock, within an inaccessible rocky shelter in the vertical wall of the western face these rock paintings can be seen which have brought universal acclaim to the site of Sigiriya – ‘The Maidens of the Clouds’, 21 non-identified female figures, comparable to the most beautiful creations of Ajanta. Though traces of plaster and pigments occur all over this area, only two pockets of paintings survive. These are in a depression of the rock face, about 100 meters above the ground level. These paintings represent the earliest surviving examples of a Sri Lanka school of classical realism, already fully evolved by the 5th century, when these paintings had been made. Earlier the Sigiri style had been considered as belonging to the Central Indian school of Ajanta, but later considered as specifically different from the Ajanta paintings. The ladies depicted in the paintings have been variously identified as Apsaras (heavenly maidens), as ladies of Kasyapa’s court and as Lightening Princess and Cloud Damsels.

Proceed to Polonnaruwa. Do a city tour in Polonnaruwa. Transfer to Polonnaruwa. Polonnaruwa – is the 2nd capital of Sri Lanka. Built in the 11th and 12th centuries A.D, and is a world heritage site. Here you can see the ruins of the Royal Palace, the Gal Viharaya (3 splendid statues of the Buddha in upright, sedentary and recumbent postures carved out of rock). The audience hall, the lotus bath, the Polonnaruwa statue (12th century) and the Parakrama Sam udra tank (lake) built by king Parakramabahu the great. There are also ruins of famous places of worship such as the Shiva temple, the Lankatileka, the Watadage, the Galpotha, the Kiri Vihare Dagoba and the remains of a former temple of the tooth.

Dinner and overnight at Cinnamon Lodge Habarana.

Day 4: Habarana / Dambulla / Matale-Nalanda / Kandy  

fter breakfast proceed to Kandy. En route visit Rock cave temple in Dambulla. visit Dambulla Rock Temple – was built by king Walagambahu in the 1st century B.C. Dambulla is a world heritage site and 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 paintings found in the world. The caves contain 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.

Continue towards Kandy. En route we stop at a spice garden to see the different spices that Sri Lanka is famous for. You will be introduced to different spices and shown how some of these spices are grown and processed.

Massage with natural garden products.

Lunch at spice garden in Matale.

Arrive in Kandy,. Do a city tour in Kandy.

Visit Kandy City including temple of tooth relic founded in the 14th century, is the southern tip of Sri Lanka’s ‘Cultural Triangle’. The city became the capital of the kingdom in 1592, during a troubled time when many of the islanders were fleeing to the interior, away from the coastal areas the European powers were fighting over. Although taken several times, the city remained one of the bastions of Sinhalese independence until the British troops entered it on 14 February 1815. From Vimala Dharma Suriya I (1591-1604) to Sri Wickrama Rajasinghe (1798-1815), it was the last seat of royal power. It remains the religious capital of Buddhism and a sacred city for millions of believers. Enshrined in the Dalada Maligawa is the relic of the tooth of Buddha which has long been greatly venerated.

Dinner and overnight stay in Cinnamon Citadel Hotel Kandy.

Day 5: Kandy / Peradeniya / Kandy  

Breafast at the hotel. Proceed to Peradeniya.

Visit to Peradeniya Botanical Gardens.

Lunch at Amaya Hills Hotel.

Evening hotels visits in Kandy area.

Dinner and overnight stay in Cinnamon Citadel Hotel Kandy.

Day 6: Kandy / Nuwara / Eliya  

Breakfast at hotel and proceed to Nuwara Eliya. En route visit a Tea factory in Nuwara Eliya.

Tea Plantation – visit a tea plantation and a tea factory where one the best tea in the world is produced. You will be told all about the process of manufacturing tea and also see how tea is graded. Taste a cup of pure Ceylon tea in the factory.

Lunch at a local restaurant.

Upon arrival in Nuawara Eliya check-in to the hotel.

Do a city and sightseeing tour in Nuwara Eliya.

Nuwara Eliya – is Sri Lanka’s premier hill resort with a fine bracing mountain climate. Nuwara Eliya is also the heart of Sri Lanka’s tea country producing 50% of the world’s best tea. Sri Lanka’s highest mountain Pidurutalagala (8282 ft) is located here. Nuwara Eliya is the location for one of the finest 18 hole golf courses in Asia.

Hotels visits in Nuwara Eliya area.

Dinner and overnight stay in Grand Hotel Hotel Nuwara Eliya.

Day 7: Nuwara Eliya / Yala National Park  

Breakfast at hotel and proceed to Yala.

Do a safari in Yala National Park.

Afternoon do a Jeep Safari in Yala National Park.

Yala – Situated 309 kms south of Colombo, Yala is approximately 1259 kms in extent and is located in the southeastern corner of the Island. The terrain is varied, flat plains alternating with rocky out crops. The vegetation ranges from open parkland to dense jungle. The specialty here is the large numbers of Elephants. Yala is the largest national park in sri lanka and is the home of wild elephants, wild boar, wild buffalo, leopard, bear, deer and crocodiles. Visitors can also see large flocks of migratory and indigenous birds.

Dinner and overnight stay in Cinnamon Wild Hotel Yala.

Day 8: Yala-Galle / Hikkaduwa  

Breakfast at hotel and proceed to Hikkaduwa. Lunch at Cantaloupe Aqua hotel or similar.
Enroute visit the Dutch Fort of Galle. The Galle Fort, also known as the Dutch Fort or the “Ramparts of Galle”, withstood the Boxing Day tsunami which damaged part of coastal area Galle town. It has been since restored. The Galle Fort also houses the elite Amangalla resort hotel, located near the Dutch Reformed Church. It was originally built in 1684 to house the Dutch Governor and his staff. It was then converted into a hotel and named then as the New Oriental Hotel in 1865, which catered to the European passengers traveling between Europe and Galle Port in the 19th century. Also you will be taken to witness “stilt fishing” which can be only seen in South Sri Lanka. It is visible from the road and makes a very unique way of fishing practice. The fisherman sit on a stick planted about 200 meters from the beach fish with a rod made out of seasoned dry palm leaf. The fishing is done either in early morning or evening.

Dinner and overnight stay in Chaya Tranz Hotel Hikkaduwa.

Day 9: Hikkaduwa / Airport  

Breakfast at the hotel. Day free for last minute shopping until departure of the aircraft.

– END TOUR –

HOME / PACKAGES / S.E. ASIA / SRI LANKA / Wonder of Sri Lanka