Close Details
Day 1: Join tour Negombo
Check-in at our hotel in Negombo (situated close to Colombo airport). In the late afternoon we will visit a nearby fishing village. The catch here is made in traditional style large outrigger canoes, known locally as 'oruvas'.
Standard Hotel (H+)
Day 2: Drive to Habarana; elephant back safari; drive to Giritale
Boarding our minibus we drive inland to Habarana. En route we stop in Negombo Village before driving on to watch the toddy tappers climbing tall coconut trees and collecting sap from the flowers to make Arrack, a local whisky type spirit. We then drive on via Kurunegala to Habarana for our Elephant back safari through the shrub jungles & across the Habarana ponds – here we should encounter a variety of small wild animals and birds amidst fascinating plants and flowers. We continue in our coach to Giritale.
Comfortable Hotel (H++) Included meals: Breakfast
Day 3: In Giritale; explore the nearby countryside and villages
In the morning we use the most common & versatile mode of transport used by the villagers of nearby farming communities, a 'Land Master' (a two wheeled tractor with a trailer). We will visit a nearby village where we can experience the day to day life of a typical Sri Lankan village and also visit a chena or paddy cultivation of a local farmer. This afternoon, we explore the ancient city of Polonnaruwa by bike (with the option to travel in our bus), which reached the pinnacle of its glory in the 12th century. The city still has many interesting and spectacular buildings and monuments. There is the Royal Palace Group with its Audience Hall, Bathing Pool and Quadrangle–a very compact collection of ruins. Close by is the Circular Relic House, a curious round structure with a beautifully preserved 'moonstone' carved at the foot of a flight of steps. Another famous feature of the deserted city is the group of carved images of the Buddha known as Galvihara. Here there are four colossal figures, all of which are hewn out of solid granite. The Reclining Buddha is no less than 14m long!
Comfortable Hotel (H++) Included meals: Breakfast
Day 4: Drive to Sigiriya; visit Sky Fortress
We drive to Sigiriya (approximately 40 mins) for a morning climb up to the redoubtable Sky Fortress. The ruins of this 5th century fortress are one of Sri Lanka's major attractions, a stupendous sight to behold and a feat of consummate engineering skill. A switchback series of steps (sometimes very steep and somewhat precarious) ascends to the top. Halfway up, tucked beneath a sheltering overhang of rock, are the famous frescoes –the Sigiriya Damsels, their colours still glowing. Magnificent views can be enjoyed from the summit of the rock palace (200m high). On our descent we board the bus for a short drive to Giritale. The rest of the day is at leisure or free for personal exploration around the Giritale reservoir which is rich in birdlife. There is time for an optional visit to the nearby Minneriya or Kaudulla National park where you can see wild elephants in their natural habitat.
Comfortable Hotel (H++) Included meals: Breakfast
Day 5: Visit Dambulla Caves; drive to Kandy
Leaving Giritale in the morning we drive to Dambulla, where a great series of caves have been turned into temples (dating from the 1st century BC). We will visit five separate caves, which contain a large number of Buddha images and a few sculptures of Hindu Gods. This World Heritage Site is visited by crowds of worshippers. We now board our bus for our 2- hour drive to Kandy. On the way we stop to visit a spice garden. Lying in the mountains, 112km northeast of Colombo, Kandy is in climatic terms, a world apart due to its altitude of 500m above sea level. The town was captured by the British in 1815, and is known more for its cultural and spiritual importance rather than its history. Buddhists from all over the world come to this delightful old highland town specifically to visit the Temple of the Tooth, the Dalada Maligawa. The costly jewelled shrine of the holy tooth (said to be 3.5cm long by 1cm thick and Buddha's left canine) is kept in the upper floor of the original building. This relic was brought from India 1,500 years ago and every year, at the time of the August full moon, it is paraded round the town with great pomp and circumstance. During this ten night festival of Perahera, the tooth (or a simulacrum) is borne along on a richly caparisoned elephant, surrounded by saffron-robed monks and Kandyan dancers. Kandyan dancers can be seen performing every night at one or two locales around town. The evening's sight-seeing includes attending the Temple of the Tooth Ceremony.
Standard Hotel (H+) Included meals: Breakfast
Day 6: In Kandy
After breakfast, we drive to Peradeniya, located just outside the city, where we wander through the lush Royal Botanical Gardens. Afterwards, we will get rickshaws to the University complex before joining our tour leader for a walking tour of Kandy which will include visiting the town's colourful and interesting markets. The rest of the day is free for personal exploration. You may wish to continue shopping at the Kandyan Art Association's workshops, which has plenty of brassware, batik, lacquer work and other craft items which make excellent souvenirs or presents.
Standard Hotel (H+) Included meals: Breakfast
Day 7: Drive via Nuwara Eliya to Bandarawela
This morning we head off across the highlands visiting a working tea factory en route to the hill station of Nuwara Eliya. After a drive around this little town, known as 'Little England", famous for its lake, golf and race course and well manicured gardens. We drive through the mountains and around green rolling hills covered in tea plantations. In the late afternoon we arrive at the bustling market town of Bandarawela.
Standard Hotel (H+) Included meals: Breakfast
Day 8: Drive to Belihuloya; morning visit local villages on foot, drive to our camp near to Udawalawe National Park
Our road takes us through a pass and down the escarpment to the lowlands, offering fantastic views of the plains and the mountains above us. A short drive brings us to Belihuloya, a very picturesque and romantic hamlet situated about 160km east of Colombo in the historic "Sabaragamuwa" province. This zone is a climatically transitional area linking the wet and dry zones with the hill country and the low country. This very important location has made it one of the areas of the country with the highest level of bio-diversity. We explore the surrounding villages on foot (a very easy walk) , walking through paddy fields down to the nearby lake. On return to Belihuloya we may have time to bathe in the natural rock pool and have lunch. This is a unique place where two streams namely Belihuloya and Galagamaoya meet, creating a natural swimming area with clear unpolluted water that flows down from Horton Plains 2200 meters above sea level. We leave in the early afternoon drive to our camp on the Eastern border of Udawalawe National Park. Designated a national park in 1972, Udawalawe covers some 31,800 hectacres and, surrounded by mountains, is a mix of rolling grasslands, teak plantations, rainforest and scrub. Renowned for its large herd of elephants (this is in fact one of the best places in Sri Lanka to see them), the park is also home to deer, wild boar, buffalo, jackal, even the odd leopard. Its resident bird population is also second to none, including a magnificent collection of birds of prey, chief amongst them being the impressive whitebellied sea eagle. During our stay here, we will have a game drive inside the park where we will try and see a few of these animals.
Standard Camping (C+) Included meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Day 9: Game drive in Udawalawe National Park
Today, we will drive into the National Park again to take an early morning game drive by jeep. Whilst it cannot be guaranteed, we hope to see some of the animals which can be found here including, of course, elephants. We then continue on to visit the Elephan Transit centre where sick or orphaned elephants are cared for before being released into the park. Explore are sponsoring en elephant here. After a busy morning we will stop for lunch before we take a short trek to visit a near by village to see what it is like to live in the area. We finish off the day with a relaxing BBQ and campfire under the stars.
Standard Camping (C+) Included meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Day 10: Drive to Unawatuna
This morning, we board our bus for the journey to the attractive beach resort of Unawatuna, close to the southern tip of Sri Lanka (approximately 5 hours). We will break the journey up by making a visit to some local hot springs and by also stopping at the nearby lace making project supported by the travel foundation. The late afternoon will be free for you to relax and unwind on the beach.
Standard Hotel (H+) Included meals: Breakfast, Dinner
Day 11: In Unawatuna
Close to the southern tip of Sri Lanka, Unawatuna has a variety of activities and attractions to occupy your free time. You may choose to hire snorkelling equipment and explore the corals or take a sea trip around the coast. Alternatively travel up river past small largely uninhabited islands. Its easy to visit the old, walled seaside town of nearby Galle by bus or autorickshaw. Important as a trading port for the Portuguese since the 16th century when the fortress was constructed, it has undoubtedly been a trading centre since ancient times. There is plenty to see particularly in the old fort area, which was designated as a World Heritage Site in 1988. Overlooking the sea, the fort ramparts protect the harbour, old houses, churches, warehouses and the Arab quarter. For those seeking pure relaxation, local Ayurvedic massages with natural, aromatic herbal oils are highly recommended
Standard Hotel (H+) Included meals: Breakfast, Dinner
Day 12: Visit Turtle Hatchery; drive to Negombo
This morning you will have time to relax on the beach in Unawatune before we head back to Negombo. Our drive in the afternoon will take us through the fort area of Galle dating back over 400 years. En route to Negombo we visit a Turtle Hatchery at Bentota to see the breeding process of the endangered sea turtle.
Standard Hotel (H+) Included meals: Breakfast
Day 13: Tour ends Negombo
Included meals: Breakfast
