AIRPORT |DAMBULLA | POLONNARUWA |ANURADHAPURA| MINNERIYA| KANDY| PINNAWALA | NUWARA ELIYA | BERUWALA |AIRPORT|COLOMBO
AIRPORT / DAMBULLA
Arrive at Bandaranaike International Airport.
En route visit Pinnawala Elephant Orphanage.
Overnight stay at Thilanka Resort and Spa. (3*)http://www.thilankaresortandspa.com
The Pinnawela Elephant Orphanage is one of Sri Lanka’s most popular attractions. Situated halfway between Colombo and Kandy, the orphanage has a population of about 75 elephants, making it the world’s largest collection of captive elephants. The elephants here range from newborn calves to elderly matriarchs and include orphaned and abandoned elephants, as well as those injured in the wild. Experience the sheer delight of watching these great pachyderms frolic in the river at bath time or the baby elephants being fed twice a day.
DAMBULLA / POLONNARUWA / DAMBULLA
Breakfast at hotel leave for day excursion in Polonnaruwa.
En route climb Sigiriya Rock fortress.
Overnight stay at Thilanka Resort and Spa. (3*)http://www.thilankaresortandspa.com
Sigiriya, one of the oldest tourist attractions in the world, and declared as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, offers its visitors nothing less than a breathtaking experience. Standing more than 200m tall over the surrounding plains, the Sigiriya Rock is said to be a solidified magma plug, from a long eroded and extinct volcano. On its summit are the remains of a palace, built (by King Kasyapa) in the 5th century AD. Hidden in a cave along the citadel are some of the most magnificent ancient frescoes in South Asia.
Seen today are, what’s said to be left of the 500 paintings of maidens that once covered a large area of the face of the rock. The Mirror wall that leads up to the Lion Staircase was said to have been so well polished that it reflected the paintings of the opposite rock wall. Today, 15 centuries later the shine on this wall can still be seen. A total of nearly 1500 writings on the wall, include verses that date as far back as the 8th century.
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 could be seen, the Audience Hall, the Lotus Bath, the statue of King Parakramabahu, and the ParakramaSamudraya – a 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 KiriVehera and the remains of a former Temple of the Tooth Relic.
DAMBULLA / ANURADHAPURA / DAMBULLA
Breakfast at Hotel
Leave for day excursion in Anuradhapura ancient city.
En route visit Mihintale.
Overnight stay at Thilanka Resort and Spa. (3*)http://www.thilankaresortandspa.com
Anuradhapura, Sri Lanka’s sacred ancient city, surrounded by 3 great man-made lakes, is located in Sri Lanka’s Northwest ‘dry zone which is arid, rolling, open country. At the height of its glory, Anuradhapura ranked beside Nineveh and Babylon in its colossal proportions. The monumental dagobas, JetavanaDagoba, Abayagiry Stupa and the Ruwwanveli Seya are amongst the greatest architectural feats of its age, and have been surpassed only in scale by the great pyramids of Khufru&Khafra at Gizah. Buddhism was to become a cornerstone of the Aryan Sinhalese civilization. The sacred Sri Maha Bodhi Tree (Peepal) is a sampling of the sacred Bo tree in India, in the shelter of which Prince Siddhartha Gauthama attained supreme enlightenment & became Buddha. It was gifted to Sri Lanka by Emperor Asoka in the 3rd century BC and is the oldest recorded tree in the world (2,250 years).The city has many museums that bear testimony to Sri Lanka’s ancient and dynamic civilization, which include the Anuradhapura Archaeological Museum, the Abhayagiri Museum and the Jetavanarama Museum and many other places of interest.
Mihintale is a mountain peak near Anuradhapura in Sri Lanka. It is believed by Sri Lankans to be the site of a meeting between the Buddhist monk Mahinda and King Devanampiyatissa which inaugurated the presence of Buddhism in Sri Lanka. It is now a pilgrimage site, and the site of several religious monuments and abandoned structures.
DAMBULLA / MINNERIYA / DAMBULLA
Breakfast at the hotel
Leave to Minneriya national park for do a wild safari.
Overnight stay at Thilanka Resort and Spa. (3*)http://www.thilankaresortandspa.com
Minneriya National Park is a national park in North Central Province of Sri Lanka. The area was designated as a national park on 12 August 1997, having been originally declared as a wildlife sanctuary in 1938. The reason for declaring the area as protected is to protect the catchment of Minneriya tank and the wildlife of the surrounding area. The tank is of historical importance, having been built by King Mahasen in third century AD. The park is a dry season feeding ground for the elephant population dwelling in forests of Matale, Polonnaruwa, and Trincomalee districts. The park earned revenue of Rs. 10.7 millions in the six months ending in August 2009. Along with Kaudulla and Girithale, Minneriya forms one of the 70 Important Bird Areas of Sri Lanka.The park is situated 182 kilometres from Colombo.
DAMBULLA / KANDY
Breakfast at the hotel
Proceed to Kandy.
En route visit cave temple.
Evening Kandy city tour
Visit the Temple of the tooth
Overnight stay at Hilltop Hotel (3*)http://www.aitkenspencehotels.com/hotelhilltop
Kandy, locally referred to as Maha Nuwara (meaning The Great City), is the Hill Capital and one of the most scenic cities in the country. It is also home to one of the most revered places of Buddhist worship in Sri Lanka. The sacred Tooth Relic of the Buddha is housed in the temple, known as the DaladaMaligawa.
It is not only its places of historical significance that make Kandy a popular tourist destination, but also the shops displaying precious and semi-precious stones, skillfully crafted jewellery, handicrafts, colorful batiks and silks; Some of the main attractions of the city are: The Royal Palace Complex and its other buildings consisting of the King’s Palace, the Queen’s Palace, the Audience Hall, the Royal Bathhouse and Royal Summer House, represent the final flowering of Sinhalese architecture and craftsmanship. The Royal Bathhouse, on the edge of the lake, is a beautiful pavilion with a traditional Kandyan roof supported by white columns.
Dambulla, home to one of Sri Lanka’s seven UNESCO World Heritage Sites, features the Island’s largest and best preserved richly painted Cave Temple Complex. Though there are more than 80 documented caves in the area, the most significant are spread over 5 caves, which comprise of statues and paintings related to Lord Buddha and his life.Ancient history aside, Dambulla is home to the Rangiri Dambulla International Cricket Stadium, well known for being built in just 167 days.
KANDY/ PINNAWALA/ PERADENIYA / KANDY
Breakfast at the hotel
Visit Peradeniya Botanical Garden.
Evening enjoy with Cultural show.
Overnight stay at Hilltop Hotel (3*)http://www.aitkenspencehotels.com/hotelhilltop
Peradeniya Botanical Gardens, the finest of its kind in Asia, the largest of the botanical gardens of Sri Lanka, couldn’t be better located. In the Mediterranean climate of Kandy, the gateway to the Central Highlands, the Gardens, at an elevation of 500 meters above sea-level, were tightly bounded on three sides by a loop of River Mahaweli (Great sandy river), the largest river of Sri Lanka. Peradeniya is believed to take its exotic name from Sinhalese names Pera (guava) and Deniya (a plain). The name also reveals, although Guava is not indigenous to Sri Lanka, introduction of the fruit to the island and cultivation had occurred even prior to the era of British Colonialists in Ceylon.
Cultural show (Kandy dance) is one of the famous evening events not to be missed when visiting this heritage city. It starts in the evening and runs for more than 1 hr. Listen to the captivating traditional drummers and be mesmerized viewing the many different art forms from the up country and low country of the island. The spectacular fire dancers and other folklore, Demon dancers, Traditional Kandyan dancers are a definite breathtaking experience to the locals and visitors alike.
KANDY/ NUWARA ELIYA
Breakfast at the hotel
Proceed to Nuwara Eliya. On the way visit a Tea Plantation, Tea Factory and Waterfalls.
Overnight stay at Galway Forest Lodge (3*)
Sri Lanka is one of the world’s largest exporters of tea. Since the introduction of tea to Sri Lanka in mid 19the century Nuwara Eliya has been the capital of the tea industry. For many miles prior to reaching Nuwara Eliya from either direction you will find acres and acres of tea plantations, in fact nothing but tea estates. There are many factories open for visitors which also have tea sales outlets.
NUWARA ELIYA / BERUWALA
Breakfast at the hotel
Proceed to Bentota
Overnight stay at Taprosa “footprint”
(3*)http://www.taprospa.com/Footprints.aspx
BERUWALA
Breakfast at the hotel
Leisure at the Beach.
Overnight stay at Taprospa “footprint”
(3*)http://www.taprospa.com/Footprints.aspx
BERUWALA/ AIRPORT
Breakfast at Hotel
Colombo city tour and Shopping (According to flight times)
Proceed to the airport for your departure.
Colombo – The name “Colombo”, first introduced by the Portuguese in 1505, is believed to be derived from the classical Sinhalese name Kolonthota, meaning “port on the river Kelani”. It has also been suggested that the name may be derived from the Sinhalese name Kola-amba-thota which means “Harbour with leafy mango trees”. Due to its large harbour and its strategic position along the East-West sea trade routes, Colombo was known to ancient traders 2,000 years ago. However it was only made the capital of the island when Sri Lanka was ceded to the British Empire in 1815, and its status as capital was retained when the nation became independent in 1948. In 1978, when administrative functions were moved to Sri JayawardenepuraKotte, Colombo was designated as the commercial capital of Sri Lanka.