SRI LANKAN SPLENDOUR 7 Days / 6 Nights

DAY 01: MATTALA AIRPORT – YALA

Arrival at Mattala International Airport. Meet with the representative of Aitken Spence Travels.

Transfer to Yala. Hotel check-in.

In the evening, continue with an exciting jeep safari in Yala National Park. Here you may see elephants, leopards, sloth bears, spotted deer, wild boar and sambar deer. Other commonly seen small mammals include black-naped hares, grey, ruddy and striped mongooses, grey langurs and porcupines. The park is also known for its abundance of birdlife. More than 140 species have been recorded in the park, including the changeable hawk-eagle, crested serpent eagle, Malabar pied hornbill, junglefowl, painted stork, white ibis and black stork.

Dinner and overnight stay at the hotel in Yala.

YALA – ELLA – NUWARA ELIYA

BREAKFAST AT THE HOTEL

Transfer to Ella

Ella is a charming hill-country village offering some of the most spectacular views in Sri Lanka and is ideal for leisurely hikes. During the day, explore tea plantations, temples and waterfalls. At night, enjoy clear skies, twinkling stars and the distant glow of lighthouses along the southern coast. Although there are only a few guesthouses and hotels, warm and friendly Sri Lankan hospitality is readily available everywhere. The Nine Arches Bridge is the most popular attraction here.

Transfer to the hotel in Nuwara Eliya.

Misty, steep roads winding through lush green carpets of tea bushes in the cool climate remind visitors that they are within reach of the famous British colonial retreat of Nuwara Eliya. With an atmosphere reminiscent of the English countryside, the City of Light, once managed by English and Scottish planters, is still dotted with colonial bungalows, hedges and one of the finest 18-hole golf courses in the world. A walk across the green lawns and along the red-brick walls offers captivating views of the lively rural landscape. Travel through green valleys and rolling hills, dotted with endless waterfalls and tea pickers dressed in colourful sarees.

Dinner and overnight stay at the hotel in Nuwara Eliya.

NUWARA ELIYA – KANDY

BREAKFAST AT THE HOTEL

Transfer to Kandy

EN ROUTE VISIT TO RAMBODA WATERFALL

Visit Ramboda Waterfall en route to Kandy.

Transfer to Peradeniya.

ROYAL BOTANICAL GARDENS, PERADENIYA

The Royal Botanical Gardens in Peradeniya are among the finest in Asia. Sri Lanka’s best gardeners have divided the extensive hilly grounds into landscaped zones representing different types of tropical flora. The contrasting colours of ornamental and flowering trees, most of which bloom during the dry season, enchant visitors. One remarkable area is the indoor plant collection, comprising around 750 species, notable for their unique leaf shapes and variety of colours. The main attraction of the garden is its collection of ornamental orchids, with around 100 species. The garden is also famous for its collection of 175 species of palms.

Dinner and overnight stay at the hotel in Kandy.

KANDY

BREAKFAST AT THE HOTEL

City Tour of Kandy

Kandy was the last ancient capital of the Sri Lankan kings. Located in the hill country at an elevation of 488 metres above sea level, the city is extremely picturesque. The Mahaweli Ganga River, with its shady banks, forms a distinctive necklace around the city. An artificial lake, created by the last King of Kandy, lies in the centre of the city. To the north of the lake is the ancient Udawattakele Forest, one of the few forests in the world located directly within a city. In the centre, on a small island, stands the Royal Summer Palace, where Sri Vikrama Rajasinha kept his harem. On the shores of the lake is the Dalada Maligawa – the Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic of the Buddha. Walk through the city centre and visit the bazaar, the gem museum and a gem-cutting and processing studio.

Dinner and overnight stay at the hotel in Kandy.

KANDY – DAMBULLA

BREAKFAST AT THE HOTEL

Transfer to Dambulla via Matale.

VISIT TO THE SPICE GARDEN IN MATALE

Here you will see various types of spices for which Sri Lanka is famous. You can observe how cinnamon, cloves, pepper, vanilla, cardamom and other spices are grown. Spices are used not only in food but also in medicine and in the manufacture of cosmetics. You will have a unique opportunity to see how the spices grow, hear a short explanation about their uses and, of course, purchase them.

GOLDEN CAVE TEMPLE OF DAMBULLA

The Golden Cave Temple of Dambulla is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Built into a 150-metre-high rock, the temple consists of five caves. It contains the largest collection of Buddha statues, many of which are more than 2,000 years old. Visitors cannot fail to notice the frescoes decorating the walls and ceilings – a true treasure house of temple wall paintings. Remains of plaster with traces of paint outside the caves indicate that the temple was once a continuous gallery of paintings. The temple dates back to the 1st century BC and was enlarged and restored in the 12th and 18th centuries.

Dinner and overnight stay at the hotel in Dambulla.

DAMBULLA – SIGIRIYA

BREAKFAST AT THE HOTEL

CLIMBING THE SIGIRIYA ROCK FORTRESS

Sigiriya, or Lion Rock, located in the central part of Sri Lanka, is one of the island’s most popular attractions. The ruins of the palace-fortress complex, with parks, gardens, terraces, ancient pools and frescoes, are spread across an extensive area and are located both on the plain and on the rock, which rises about 200 metres above the jungle-covered plateau. Sigiriya, where a Buddhist monastery existed from the 5th century BC, was rebuilt as a fortress ten centuries later, at the end of the 5th century AD, on the orders of King Kashyapa. The complex impresses with its monumental structures, extraordinary architectural solutions and unique frescoes; only 19 of the original 500 paintings have survived to the present day.

Village tour with a tractor or cart ride and a river safari. At the end, you may taste some traditional local dishes.

Dinner and overnight stay at the hotel in Dambulla.

DAMBULLA – PINNAWELA – BEACH HOTEL

BREAKFAST AT THE HOTEL

Transfer to the beach hotel

Visit to the Pinnawala Elephant Orphanage en route.

Elephants play an important role in Sri Lankan life, and therefore a government elephant orphanage was established in Pinnawala in 1975. Young elephants that have been left without parents or have been affected by poaching are brought here. At the orphanage, the elephant calves receive basic care and training, after which some elephants are transferred to zoos in different countries. Others are used for heavy work in Sri Lanka. Adult elephants may reproduce, which is one of the main objectives of the orphanage.

There are currently more than 80 elephants here, the youngest around four months old and the oldest more than 65 years old. The best time to visit is during feeding and bathing hours. Visitors have a unique opportunity to observe these animals at close range and, if lucky, see the youngest calves being bottle-fed with milk.

Transfer to the beach hotel from Waikkala to Kalutara.