Mystical Sri Lanka Tour
9 Nights / 10 Days
Day 1
You will be met by a representative where your journey begins in Colombo.
Afternoon - city tour of Colombo.
Colombo
A drive through the city takes you to the busy commercial areas as well as the tree-lined residential Cinnamon Gardens. The historic Dawatagaha Mosque and the former Eye Hospital are two buildings in Cinnamon Gardens worth a look. Visit Fort, the former British administrative center and military garrison, Sea Street - the Goldsmith's quarters in the heart of Pettah, the colourful bazaar area where you'll also find a Hindu Temple showing elaborate stone carvings, the Dutch Church of Wolfendhal dating back to 1749. Also visit the BMICH (Bandaranaike Memorial International Conference Hall), see the replica of Avukana Buddha and the Independence Square.
Shop at the exquisite Mlesna tea boutique, visit the Majestic City & Liberty Plaza shopping malls, House of Fashions and Odels Unlimited for readymade garments and also the Lanka Ceramics Centre, a place where you can buy "Noritake" or other ceramic items.
Dinner and overnight stay at Galadari Hotel - 4 STAR, Colombo
Day 2
Enjoy breakfast, leave for Sigiriya.
Rest of the day at leisure.
Dinner and overnight stay at Sigiriya Village Hotel - 4 STAR, Sigiriya
Day 3
Morning - climb, crawl, walk or simply witness the magnificent Sigiriya rock fortress from afar.
Sigiriya
Sigiriya is home to the 5th century "Fortress in the Sky" which is perhaps the most fantastic single wonder of the Island. It is also known as Lion Rock because of the huge lion that used to stand at the entrance of the fortress. Within its' triple-moat defense the huge rock rises to a massive height of almost 500ft. On its' summit are the foundations of what was once a great and sumptuous palace, complete with gardens and with swimming pools. On one of the stairways is the only known ancient work of Sinhala secular paintings, survived in the form of frescoes -life sized damsels, in all the freshness and delicacy of their original color.
Afternoon - Visit Polonnaruwa where you will be guided through a sightseeing tour of the ancient ruins.
Polonnaruwa
Once the capital of Sri Lanka from 11th - 13th century, this archaeological site contains some splendid and spectacular statues. The ruins of Lankatileke, Tivanka and Thuparama are the most beautiful and largest of the shrines and be sure to see the frescoes on Tivanka - they are the best examples of the Polonnaruwa period. Gal Vihare - a rock shrine that has four Buddha statues, two seated, one standing and one reclining and Parakrama Bahu statue are fine examples of the unique work of the Sinhalese stone carvers.
Dinner and overnight stay at Sigiriya Village Hotel - 4 STAR, Sigiriya
Day 4
Morning - Excursion to the archaeological site of Anuradhapura.
Anuradhapura
Anuradhapura is the most celebrated of Sri Lanka's ancient ruined cities. The city's greatest treasures are its dagabas constructed of small sun-dried bricks and hemispherical in shape. The most notable of these dagabas are the Ruvanveli which dates back to the 2nd century BC and is 300ft in diameter, the Jetawanarama is 370ft and the Thuparama enshrines the collarbone of the Buddha. The city's most renowned relic is the sacred Bo-Tree which is said to have grown from a branch of the tree under which the Buddha gained enlightenment. It was planted 2250 years ago and is the oldest historic tree in the world.
Dinner and overnight stay at Sigiriya Village Hotel - 4 STAR, Sigiriya
Day 5
Enjoy breakfast, leave to visit to the rock temple at Dambulla Caves.
Dambulla
Dambulla is an isolated rock mass 500ft high and a mile around the base. Here the famous Rock Temple is found, dating back to the first century BC. The caves of Dambulla once sheltered King Walagamba during the time of his 14 year in exile from Anuradhapura. When he regained his throne he built the most wondrous Rock Temples that has ever been discovered on the island.
The first cave is a recumbent image of Buddha, 47ft long, chiseled out of rock. There are images of deities associated with Buddhism all around. The frescoes on the ceiling date back to the 15th - 18th centuries.
In the second cave, the finest and the largest of all, there are 150 life-size statues of Gods from the Buddhist religion along with numerous images of the Buddha himself. The ceiling is also covered with frescoes which depict great events in the life of the Buddha and landmarks in the history of the Sinhala people.
Thereafter leave for Kandy visiting a spice garden & batik factory en route.
Spice Garden At Matale
See the luscious variety of herbs and spices; cinnamon, cardamons, pepper plants, cacao plants and more. Learn how different plant-life are grown and discover their many uses. You can also purchase a wide range of ingredients all that have been combined for therapeutic, medicinal and other unique purposes. See the Batik Factory where you can see the manufacturing of beautiful batik prints. The shop contains a wide variety of Batik items.
Afternoon - commence city tour of Kandy, including Upper Lake Drive, Market Square and the Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic.
Kandy
The country's hill capital and venue of annual Perahera (August festival). The last stronghold of the Sinhala Kings was finally ceded to the British in 1815. Kandy is an example of the Buddhism's influence in Sri Lanka today. Temple's shrines and monasteries keeping alive Buddhist traditions are everywhere. Explore colourful art and craft markets, take a stroll by the lake, visit temples, shrines and churches amongst the hilly terrain of Sri Lanka's second largest city.
Sacred Tooth Relic Temple
Ever since 4th Century A.D, when the Buddha's Tooth was brought to Sri Lanka hidden from sacrilegious hands in an Orissan princess' hair, the Relic has grown in repute and holiness in Sri Lanka and throughout the Buddhist world. To the people if Sri Lanka, it is considered the country's most prized possession. Evening entertainment of a cultural show featuring various dance types of Sri Lanka. Dinner and overnight stay at Mahaweli Reach Hotel - 5 STAR, Kandy.
Day 6
Enjoy breakfast visit Royal Botanical Gardens, Peradeniya. Sixty seven hectares of exquisite beauty and botanical treasurers containing more than 4000 species of wild and wonderful plants, animals and birdlife. This is haven is not only for scientists but be enjoyed by all those who appreciate natures wonders. Thereafter leave for Nuwara Eliya en route visiting a tea plantation & a factory.
Tea Plantation
Tea was first planted in Sri Lanka in 1824 at the Botanical Gardens at Peradeniya, when a few plants were brought from China. More were introduced from Assam in 1839. In 1867, a Scottish planter named James Taylor planted tea seedlings on 8 hectares of forested land, the Loolkandura Estate. In 1873, the tea export industry of Sri Lanka began with a modest 23lbs being shipped to London. Tea will only grow on rolling terrain and is classified by elevation into three main groups; low grown, medium, grown, high grown. In 1996 Sri Lanka had produced 244 million kgs of tea for export and has earned in excess of Rs. 34,000 million.
Nuwara Eliya
Rest of the day at leisure to spend in Nuwara Eliya - The 'Little England' of Sri Lanka, is set against beautiful backdrops of mountains, valleys, waterfalls and tea plantations. It is one of the coolest climatic places on the island, rather reminiscent of an English spring day, although the temperature does drop at night. All around Nuwara Eliya you will see evidence of the British settlement.
Dinner and overnight stay at Grand Hotel - 4 STAR, Nuwara Eliya
Day 7
Enjoy breakfast leave for Kalawana.
Rest of the day at leisure or optional visit to Belilena Caves.
Dinner & Overnight stay at The Boulder Garden - 5 STAR, Kalawana.
Day 8
Morning - Excursion to Sinharaja forest reserve & trek up Waturawa Trail or Mulawella Trail.
Sinharaja Forest
Sinharaja reserve is the only rain forest in Sri Lanka and the whole sub-continent of India. It provides the best rain forest study area in Asia boasting about 231 species of flowers (that have been classified) and of which 53 species are used for medicine, food and oil etc, like wild ginger, vateria copalhfirm, calmus rotang. Some of the fauna that can be found in the forest are sambhur, wildboar, purple-faced monkeys and leopards.
Dinner & Overnight stay at The Boulder Garden - 5 STAR, Kalawana.
Day 9
Enjoy breakfast, leave for Negombo.
Rest of the day at leisure. Stroll the streets, explore the town, pick up a few souvenirs, relax by the beach or poolside, swim in the ocean or lay under the coconut trees, spend the afternoon in relaxation.
Dinner & Overnight stay at Royal Oceanic Hotel - 4 STAR+, Negombo.
Day 10
Enjoy breakfast transfer to the airport for departure OR transfer to the preferred beach resort.