Jan
min : 23°C
max : 30°C
We Love —
- Experience a mind-blowing tour of Sri Lanka's highlights during this once in a lifetime holiday!
- Visit temples, sample traditional cuisine, experience the depths of the jungle and the crystal clear waters of the coast.
- Our members will be accommodated in a range of fantastic 5* hotels during their stay in Sri Lanka - with Half Board Dining included daily!
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Your Destination —
This is a culturally rich and environmentally diverse country, with nine World Heritage Sites(the oldest dating back to the 3rd Century BC); 86 species of mammals (including elephant and leopard) and more than 400 bird species (including 26 endemics); a colorful array of flowering plants and trees, and a Hill Country famous for tea; 14 National Parks out of 100 areas protected by the government; and an Indian Ocean coastline boasting palm-fringed and sandy tropical beaches.
Visit ancient sites and marvel over legendary temples, or see the sacred home of the world’s oldest living tree, Anuradhapura. Take a safari tour in one of Sri Lanka’s national parks to encounter elephants, leopards, water buffaloes, and exotic birds, or spend the day relaxing on the dazzlingly white, often untrodden, beaches. Try your hand at a little surfing or retreat up into the Sri Lankan hills to experience a more temperate climate and the lavish greenery of the tea plantations. And if you can even trek through the rainforests with an experienced guide or just take in the breathtaking vistas on a spectacular train ride.
With fabulously flavoursome food and a vast array of culturally rich experiences to delve into, Sri Lanka promises to be one of your best-loved travel destinations, and the charm of the people will simply enchant you.
Your Itinerary In Brief —
DAY 1: Colombo - Habarana
DAY 2: Habarana - Sigiriya - Habarana
DAY 3: Habarana - Polonnaruwa - Minneriya - Habarana
DAY 4: Habarana - Dambulla - Kandy
DAY 5: Kandy
DAY 6: Kandy - Giragama - Colombo - Wadduwa
DAY 7 : Wadduwa - Galle - Wadduwa
DAY 8 to 11 (depending on the chosen offer): Wadduwa
DAY 8, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15 (depending on the chosen offer): Wadduwa - Colombo Airport
Your Itinerary —
Welcome on arrival at Colombo International airport in Colombo by your driver and immediate transfer to Habarana. Arrival and check in to the hotel. Rest of the day is at leisure.D inner & overnight stay at your hotel.
DAY 2 HABARANA - SIGIRIYA - HABARANA
After breakfast proceed to Habarana. This morning we leave in a tuk tuk then bullock carts through the countryside. Thereafter you will have a boat ride on the Habarana lake in a traditional fishing boat, called catamaran ( derived English term two Tamil words, katta and maran ) Then you will visit a plantation before going to a village house where you will be given explanations on a demonstration of local cuisine. In the Afternoon drive to Sigiriya then we visit the Lion Rock, Sigiriya. It is a citadel built in the 5th century AD. by parricide king Kasyapa. By stairs and stone staircases you reach the summit of "Lion Rock", eagle's nest at 180 m above the blue mountains drowning in the green ocean of the jungle. Late in the afternoon return to the hotel for dinner and overnight stay at your hotel. 1 ½ hrs of drive.
After breakfast, transfer to Polonnaruwa. We discover this archaeological site founded in the twelfth century, the work of a single king, Parakrama Bahu (1153 - 1186) which symbolizes both the rebirth of the Sinhalese civilization born in Anuradhapura and its last fires - at the end of the 12th century, the monarchy sinks into a long decline against the raids of the Malaysian pirates and the wars between pretenders to the throne. We discover the royal palace, the Shiva temple and the group of Buddhist temples where the Vatadage (the circular chamber of the relics), the Gal Viharae rock site and its three Buddha statues are located. Return to Kandalama on the way visit Minneriya national park by jeep you’ll be able to observe birds, crocodiles, spotted deer, wild buffalo, & also herds of wild elephants. Dinner & overnight stay at your hotel. 3 hrs of drive.
After breakfast transfer to Dambulla. You will visit the rock monastery of Dambulla. The caves are dug in a huge block of granite perched at over 160 m altitude. The set includes five rock temples. The walls of the first were covered with gold leaf, which earned him to be called "the golden rock". In these five "caves" are hundreds of Buddha statues , as well as frescoes, which cover about 1,800 square meters, depicting effigies or episodes of Buddha's life. Then continue to Matale and visit a spice garden in Matale at the gateway to the old capital of Kandy. Long before tea, Sri Lanka was famous for its spices and especially for its cinnamon trees that gave its name to one of Colombo's beautiful neighborhoods: the Cinnamon Gardens. Resume your journey and arrive in Kandy in the afternoon . At the end of the day, you will attend a Kandyan traditional dance show. Dinner & overnight stay at your hotel. 2 ½ hrs – 3 hrs of drive.
After breakfast, visit Kandy the hill capital of Sri Lanka. Kandy was the last royal capital of the country until 1815 and its attachment to the British crown. It is today the cultural and spiritual core of Sri Lanka, it was registered as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1988. Visit Dalada Maligawa the most famous of Kandy also called Temple of the Tooth of Buddha because of the relic that he keeps preciously. During the daily ritual of worship of this relic, you will be fascinated by the intense fervour of pilgrims laden with fragrant flowers and various offerings and thereafter visit the botanical gardens of Peradeniya, in the suburbs of Kandy. These gardens are the largest in Sri Lanka and surely among the most beautiful in the world. Former royal parks before the arrival of the British, one finds on more than 60 hectares of hundreds of species including more than 300 varieties of orchids and a majestic fig tree of java whose branches extend on about 2500 m ². Late afternoon visit a gem lapidary. Dinner & overnight stay at your hotel. 1 – 1 ½ hrs of drive.
Day 06: KANDY - GIRAGAMA - COLOMBO - WADDUWA
After breakfast this morning you will leave Kandy to return the capital of Sri Lanka. En route you visit a tea plantation and a factory where you will be explained the different processes of making tea. Despite a limited surface area, Sri Lanka is now among the top 3 tea producers of tea exports behind China and India. Upon arrival in Colombo visit the city whose architecture has been greatly influenced by the British colonial presence. You will see the Independence Monument, the Colonial Downtown, the lively Pettah District, the Galle Face esplanade and the upscale neighbourhood. If You have an interest there is a possibility of walking in the streets of Colombo. Thereafter drive to Wadduwa and check into the hotel for the dinner & overnight stay at your hotel. 4hrs of drive.
After breakfast leave for Galle. We take the road along the coast and then departure to Galle and arrival in Galle, the former trading post. You will visit the fortified city of Galle. Walk clockwise within the fort to observe the 'old gate' carrying the British coat of arms. Flanking the old gate is the Zwart bastion - the oldest of all - and the lighthouse standing 18 feet in its glory next to the Point Utretcht Bastion. This Dutch bliss is painted with streets that spread in a rectangular grid pattern pierced with houses carrying Dutch colonial style verandas. However, its hallmark stands a reality where the Dutch fort remains a working community with its usual buzz of administrative offices, court complex, commercial buildings, churches and Southern folks frequenting its streets bracing the air of the Elysium of architecture, Galle. Thereafter return to hotel visiting a turtle hatchery en route. Dinner & overnight stay at your hotel. 3 ½ hrs of drive.
Day 08: WADDUWA - COLOMBO AIRPORT
After breakfast transfer to the airport for departure flight to London. 2hrs of drive.
Your Hotels —
Our members will stay at the following accommodation or those of a similar standard on a Half Board basis.
Kandy: Earls Regency Hotel, Golden Crown Hotel or Grand Kandyan Hotel
Wadduwa: The Blue Water or Amaya Villas
Sleeps up to
3 Adults
or
2 Adults
+ 1 Child
Please note: the bed for the 3rd/4th guest sharing is likely to be a sofa bed or camp style bed. If any of these hotels are not available, hotels of a similar standard will be found.
Your Journey —
Flights: You may choose from Economy, Premium or Business class flights on sectors that they operate, at the next stage of the booking process.
The flights included are with either a scheduled or no-frills airline and are subject to live availability and prices can change. You can choose your preferred departure times during the booking process. Please select your flight options carefully as departure and arrival airports may differ.
Transfers: Private transfers can be added at the next stage of the booking process for an additional fee (flight inclusive offers only).
