05 Days Tour of Sri Lanka

Itinerary

• Day 01 : Arrival and drive to Dambulla

  Arrival, meet & greet and proceed to Dambulla/Habarana via Pinnawala. Pinnawela, about 80 km northeast of Colombo, is regarded as the biggest herd of captive elephants in the world. Among the elephants is one that lost a foot when it stepped on a mine. Another is blind and is totally reliant on humans. The elephant herd in Pinnawela makes the journey to the river twice a day to bathe under the eyes of the tourists. The sound of cameras clicking increases every Sigiriya Rock Dambullatime one of the young elephant babies splashes about in the water. Overnight in Dambulla/Habarana

• Day 02 : Dambulla to Kandy

  After breakfast climb the 5th century Sigiriya rock fortress Part hedonistic pleasure palace, part fortress and part sacred complex, Sigiriya is one of the island's most awe-inspiring archaeological sites and a leading tourist attraction. In fact some consider it to be one of the oldest tourist attractions in the world with visitors recording their impressions in some of the earliest-known graffiti. Located north of Dambulla, 116km from Colombo, the site consists of a sheer rock that rises over 200m with the ruins of a palace on the top and a vast pleasure garden complex at the foot. For just two decades in the 5th century AD, Sigiriya rose to prominence following a power struggle between two brothers, and an act of patricide that saw the then king walled-up alive by his son, Kasyapa. Fearful that his defeated brother would return from exile to extract vengeance, Kasyapa shifted the capital to Sigiriya.

  hereafter proceed to Kandy en-route visiting 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 and processed. Witness a Cookery demonstration.

  Afternoon city tour of Kandy including a visit to the Temple of The Tooth, and this will be followed by a Cultural Dance Performance. Nestled amidst lush mountains in the north of the island's hill country, the Royal City of Kandy Traditional DanceKandy, 116km from Colombo, was home to Sri Lanka.s last independent kingdom, surviving two centuries of colonial incursions by the Portuguese and the Dutch before falling to the British in 1815. The legacy of this proud tradition lives on today in the form of the city's distinctive architecture, art and dance. Home to the sacred relic of the tooth of the Buddha, a visit to the Dalada Maligawa or Temple of the Tooth, is an experience no tourist should miss said to have been snatched from the Buddha's funeral pyre and smuggled to Sri Lanka in the hair of a princess, the tooth relic is of great spiritual significance. Each year in July or August is the Kandy Esala Perahera (perahera means 'procession') a spectacular display of medieval pageantry that includes caparisoned elephants, fire dancers and Kandyan drummers. Overnight in Kandy

• Day 03 : Kandy to Nuwara Eliya

  After breakfast proceed to Peradeniya Botanical Gardens. Sri Lanka’s botanic gardens have a long and proud history, punctuated by colonialism, and industrial change & throughout this period the gardens have continued to flourish, and the plant collections and herbarium grown. Here, exotic crops such Great SightSeen Nuwara Eliya Srilankaas coffee, tea, nutmeg, rubber and cinchona (quinine) - all of which later became important to Sri Lanka's economy – were tested. Sights include a palm avenue planted by the British in 1905. Another British import was the enormous spreading Java fig which sprewls across the lawn, grown from a sapling brought from the East Indies. The gardens also have stands of towering bamboos from Burma, Japan China and the East Indiaes, and a fine collection of orchids from Sri Lanka and further afield.

  Proceed to Nuwara Eliya en-route visiting a tea plantation and a tea factory, where the best tea in the world is produced.

  At the heart of the southern hill country is Nuwara Eliya (Colombo 180km), Sri Lanka’s highest town and a favourite hill station during British colonial times. The town is still touted as ‘Little England’, an illusion maintained by the presence of the Nuwara Eliya Golf Club, a racecourse, the Victoria Park and excellent trout fishing in nearby lakes and rivers. You will find the temperature can drop close to freezing at nights and log fires are a common feature of the many Tudor-style houses. Adding to the atmosphere is the spectacle of its townsfolk wrapped up in winter jackets and woolly hats, carting great bundles of turnips, leeks, marrows and cabbages to the markets. Nuwara Eliya is a great base to explore the surrounding

  Highlights : there are many walks on offer, including hiking around the lower slopes of the thickly-forested Mount Pidurutalagala, at 2,555m the island’s highest peak. A visit to the Hakgala Botanical Gardens, a short distance from Nuwara Eliya, is also recommended. Overnight in Nuwara Eliya.

• Day 04 : Nuwara Eliya to Colombo

  After breakfast proceed to Colombo via Kitulgala. Continue to Colombo and a city tour of Colombo. The commercial capital of Sri Lanka, Colombo is a fascinating city, a blend of East & West as well as a cozy mixture of past & present, is dotted with numerous interesting and important tourist attractions including colonial era buildings. The original trading settlers - the Portuguese, Dutch and the British have all left in their wake churches and monuments, names and religions, costumes and food and smatterings of their languages which have been absorbed into the speech of the Sri Lankan. Overnight in Colombo

• Day 05 : Departure from Colombo

  After breakfast proceed to airport for the departure