12 NIGHTS / 13 DAYS – EXPLORE SRI LANKA

Program

DAY 01 – ARRIVAL / NEGOMBO
(Approx. distance & travel duration - 15km - 15min to 30min)

Meet on arrival at the Bandaranaike International Airport by our representative and transfer to Negombo. Check in at the hotel.
Afternoon visit a fishing village in Negombo. Negombo is slightly north of Colombo and close to the airport, and was formerly the center of the cinnamon trade. It has a picturesque lagoon, numerous Catholic churches and an impressive network of canals built by the Dutch which are currently being restored. It also has an active fishing industry.

Overnight stay at your preferred hotel in Negombo

DAY 02 - NEGOMBO / PINNAWALA / DAMBULLA
(Approx. distance & travel duration - 80km/85km - 2hrs/2hrs)

After breakfast at hotel leave to Dambulla. En route visit the Elephant Orphanage in Pinnawala. This orphanage is the home for about 89 elephants, out of which some are baby elephants found abandoned or orphaned in the wild. They are being cared, fed and trained by the wild life authorities. The best time to visit is during the feeding times, when one will have the opportunity of seeing the baby elephants being bottle-fed. Also could accompany the elephants to a river close-by and see them having their daily bath.

Thereafter proceed to Dambulla. Check in to the hotel.

Evening do an Elephant back safari in the surroundings of Habarana. This excursion will take you along one of the most picturesque sites through the jungle and could observe bird life in the hotel garden as well as during the trek to the surrounding forest and foothills. Also, a variety of large and small animal’s lives in the surrounding forest could be seen.

Overnight stay at your preferred hotel in Dambulla

DAY 03 - DAMBULLA / PASIKUDAH
(Approx. distance & travel duration - 150km - 3hrs to 3hrs.30min)

After breakfast at the hotel leave to Pasikudah. Check in to the hotel. Pasikudah is a coastal resort town located 35km northwest of Batticaloa, Sri Lanka. Easily accessible from the cities of Trincomalee and Batticaloa. Since the end of the civil war in 2009 and the completion of Tsunami rehabilitation projects, Pasikudah has become a popular tourist destination amongst locals and foreigners alike & is recognized as one of the safest beaches in Sri Lanka. Pasikudah is known to have one of the longest stretches of shallow reef coastline in the world. People walk kilometers into the sea because the water is only a few inches deep and the current is relatively weak compared to the rest of Sri Lanka's coasts.

(OPTIONAL) visit Polonnaruwa. Polonnaruwa which was the 2nd capital city of Sri Lanka, built in the 11th and 12th centuries AD, and which is a world heritage site - Here you can see the ruins of the Royal Palace, the Gal Viharaya – where 4 splendid statues of the Buddha in ‘Upright’, ‘Sedentary’ and ‘Recumbent’ postures carved out of rock, the Audience Hall, the Lotus Bath, king Parakramabahu’s statue, and the Parakrama Samudraya lake built by King Parakramabahu the great. There are also monuments of famous places of worship such as the Shiva Temple, the Lankathilake, the Watadage, the Galpotha, the Kiri Vehera and the remains of a former Temple of the Tooth Relic.

Overnight stay at a hotel in Pasikudah


DAY 04 - PASIKUDAH / BATTICALOA / PASIKUDAH
(Approx. distance & travel duration - 35km/35km - 30min/30min)

After breakfast at the hotel proceed to do a city tour in Batticaloa.

Batticaloa is a city in Northeastern Sri Lanka, 301 km away from the country's capital, Colombo. It is the administrative capital of the Batticaloa District & 35km away from the coastal resort town Pasikudah. Batticaloa is also called as the ‘Land of the singing fish’ due to musical sounds that related to fish or aquatic creature in the Batticaloa Lagoon near the Kallady Bridge. Attractions such as Dutch fort Batticaloa, Kallady Bridge, Light house, Ghandi park & Batticaloa Gate attract both local and foreign travellers from all around the world.

Overnight stay at your preferred hotel in Pasikudah.

DAY 05 - PASIKUDAH / KANDY
(Approx. distance & travel duration - 230km - 5.30min to 6hrs)

After breakfast at the hotel leave to Kandy. Check in to the hotel.

(OPTIONAL) - Visit “Vedda” village Dambana. Dambana is situated about 300 km away from Colombo it is near the Mahiyanganaya. Dambana is a jungle village. The Sri Lankan Vedda people (indigenous people of Sri Lanka) are still living in this jungle village. Vedda of Dambana has own tradition and culture. Many tourists like to discover indigenous people of Sri Lanka. Vedda has original language. It is called as Vedda language it is different from Sinhala language. If you visit Dambana you can learn about tradition of these people.
According to Vedda language they will call you as kakula (boy) or Kakuli (girl). You can watch vadda traditional dance and listing their traditional songs. Kiri koraha is traditional dance of Vedda which used to obtain bless of their gods Dambana is famous for bees Horney and Vedda’s Traditional foods. Vedda used bows and arrows to hunt before 1980. But they are not using bows and arrows to hunt as now Vaddas depend on cultivation. They use Chena for cultivation. Sri Lanka has completely prohibited hunting.

Overnight stay at your preferred hotel in Kandy


DAY 06 – KANDY

Breakfast at Hotel – Morning visit the Peradeniya Botanical Gardens. This botanical garden was first built as a pleasure garden by a Sinhala king and was expanded by the British. It is 147 acres in extent and provides an amazing variety of trees, plants and flowers.

Afternoon do a city tour of Kandy. Kandy was the last capital of the Sri Lankan kings, and is a World Heritage Site. The name Kandy conjures visions of splendor and magnificence. Many of the Nlegends, traditions and folklore are still lovingly kept alive. Drive around the Kandy Lake built by the last Sinhala king Sri Wickrama Rajasinghe in 1798. Visit the Kandy town and Bazaar, the arts & crafts centre and a gem museum and a lapidary.

Evening proceed to visit the Temple of the Tooth Relic and thereafter witness a cultural show featuring traditional Sri Lankan dancing.

Overnight stay at your preferred hotel in Kandy


DAY 07 - KANDY / NUWARA ELIYA
(Approx. distance & travel duration - 82km - 2hrs to 2hrs.30min)

Breakfast at hotel & leave for Nuwara Eliya. En route visit a tea plantation and a tea factory, where the best tea in the world is produced. You will be told all about the process of manufacturing tea. You can also see how tea is graded. Taste a cup of pure Ceylon tea in the factory.
On completion, proceed to Nuwara Eliya, because of its invigorating mountain climate and scenery, is Sri Lanka’s most popular hill resort. Nuwara Eliya is also the heart of Sri Lanka’s tea country producing a significant share of the world’s best tea.
Sri Lanka’s highest mountain Pidurutalagala (8282 feet) is located here. Nuwara-Eliya also has one of the finest 18 hole golf courses in South Asia.

Overnight stay at your preferred hotel in Nuwara Eliya

DAY 08 – NUWARA ELIYA

After breakfast at the hotel rest of the day at leisure

(OPTIONAL) Visit Horton Plains. Horton Plains is located on a high windswept saddle at about 7000-ft elevation. The Plains are an expanse of misty grassland with scraggy trees and ice-cold rivulets. Visit World''s End considered to be the finest view in all of Sri Lanka. The awesome escarpment drops vertically for about 4000 ft, hence its named as Horton Plains. Here you could find endemic Slender Loris and endemic Purple Monkeys amongst the animal species that can be seen.

Overnight stay at your preferred hotel in Nuwara Eliya

DAY 09 – NUWARA ELIYA / YALA
(Approx. distance & travel duration - 180km – 4hrs.30min to 5hrs)

Breakfast at hotel & leave for Yala. Check in to the hotel.

Afternoon do a Jeep Safari in Yala. Situated 309 km. south of Colombo, Yala is approximately 1259 sq.km. in extent and is located in the southeastern corner of the island. Its northern boundaries border on the Lahugala Elephant Sanctuary and it has the added bonus of a scenic ocean frontage. The terrain is varied flat plains alternating with rocky outcrops. The vegetation ranges from open parkland to dense jungle. Water holes, small lakes, lagoons and streams provide water for the animals and birds. The specialty here is the large numbers of elephants.

Overnight stay at your preferred hotel in Yala

DAY 10 - YALA / WELIGAMA / GALLE / BENTOTA

(Approx. distance & travel duration - 108km/29km/52km - 2hrs to 2hrs.30min/30min/1hr to 1hr.30min)

After breakfast at the hotel leave Bentota. En route visit the Stilt Fishermen in Weligama & do a short city tour in Galle.

This is no ordinary fishing, there might be several methods of catching a fish but this one is mind-boggling. Fishermen in Sri Lanka use stilt to catch a fish. Stilt Fishing is an old tradition practiced by around 500 fishing families in Galle.

Thereafter visit the Dutch Fort in Galle. Galle fort was built first by the Portuguese, then modified by the Dutch during the 17th century. Even today, after 400 years of existence, it looks new and polished with reconstruction work done by Archaeological Department of Sri Lanka. Today Sri Lankan government and many Dutch people who still own some of the properties inside the fort are looking at making this one of the modern wonders of the world. The Dutch fort also known as Ramparts of Galle withstood the Boxing Day tsunami which destroyed the Galle town. There are many Moor families who live inside this fort along with Sinhalese, Dutch, English, Portuguese and Germans. More details regarding the history of the fort can be found at the visitors centre and at the Dutch period museum inside the Fort.

Overnight stay at your preferred hotel in Bentota

DAY 11 - BENTOTA / “MADU” GANGA / BENTOTA
(Approx. distance & travel duration - 26km/26km – 30min/30min)

After breakfast at hotel proceed to do a picturesque boat trip on the ‘Madhu Ganga’ river. The primitive life style of the inhabitant of the island of the Madu River is only a boat ride away. The boat ride takes us through the thick mangroves and abundant the bird life, to reveal the primitive style of fishing and prawn trapping still practiced by the inhabitants of the islands.

Overnight stay at your preferred hotel in Bentota

DAY 12 - BENTOTA / COLOMBO
(Approx. distance & travel duration - 65km – 1hr to 1hr.30min)

After breakfast at hotel proceed on sightseeing Tour of Colombo - Drive through the Commercial area of the “Fort” so named, because both the Portuguese and Dutch had a Fort at this point. Drive passed “Pettah” a noisy Oriental bazaar with a hotchpotch of Humanity, ancient vehicles, bargains, mosques & temples. Visit Hindu temple & drive pass Jumi-UL Alfar Jumma Mosque, Continue the tour through the Wolvendaal Dutch Church, Hultsdorf Law courts, to the residential area of Cinnamon Gardens and on to the Independence Square and Bandaranaike Memorial International Conference Hall.

Overnight stay at your preferred hotel in Colombo

DAY 13 - COLOMBO / DEPARTURE
(Approx. distance & travel duration - 40km - 1hr)

Leave for the airport to connect with the departure flight.

End of a memorable tour in Sri Lanka!

Price includes

 Accommodation at hotels as specified or similar
 Daily Breakfast starting from Day 02 and ending with breakfast on Day 13
 Transportation in an AC luxury vehicle throughout the tour.
 Service of an English / Arabic speaking chauffer guide.
 City tours in Batticaloa, Kandy, Nuwara Eliya, Galle & Colombo.
 Cost of prevailing Government taxes.

Price does not include

 Visa fee
 Lunch & Dinner
 Entrance fees including cultural dance show.
 Camera & Video permits
 Highway tolls
 Tips & porterages
 Cost of personal nature such as Laundry, Telephone, Mini Bar, etc.
 Any other services not mention under the “Package includes”

Itinerary

Accommodations provided in each place

To be advised