Day 01

Depart UK

Depart UK – Overnight flight

Day 02

Colombo

Mount Lavinia Hotel

Relax On Arrival At Colombo
Arrive in Colombo and relax in Old World style and comfort at The Mount Lavinia Hotel with its private beach.

Day 03

Dambulla

Cinnamon Lodge

Pinnawela Elephant Orphanage
There is no better first stop in Sri Lanka then Pinnawela, where a large group of orphaned Elephants has been raised as a herd. Most visitors watch them bathing in the local river, where they spend most of the day. Desipte its popularity, Pinnawela is still thankfully relatively uncommercialised.

The Golden Cave Temples Of Dambulla
The gigantic rock of Dambulla rises over the nearby town and contains a series of 5 cave temples containing Buddhist images and paintings that date back 2000 years. The centrepiece is the fabulous Cave Of The Great Kings with a mini-stupa in the middle.

Day 04

Dambulla

Cinnamon Lodge

The Ancient City Of Polonnaruwa
The Capital of Sri Lanka from 11th-14th Centuries was rescued from the jungles in the early 20th Century. Fascinating ruins include the Quadrangle with exquisite guardstones, stone tablets, bathing ponds and temples such as Lankatilaka and Thuparama.

The Gal Vihare with 3 huge rock-cut images of the Buddha is considered to be one of the world’s great masterpieces of sculpture.

Day 05

Kandy

Amaya Hills

Sigiriya Rock Fortress
This most fantastic sight is often called the 8th Wonder Of The Ancient World. An immense rock citadel dating from 470 A.D that was briefly the capital of the island under a ruthless warrior King Kassapa. Here he built a pleasure palace with galleries containing frescoes of the voluptuous Sigiriya Maidens, a huge stone lion guarding the entrance and intricate Water Gardens at the base of the rock.

There is a lovely museum near the entrance for those who are unable to climb the rock itself.

Kandyan Cultural Performance
Upon reaching Kandy, you can spend the evening watching a colourful Kandyan Dance And Cultural Performance, to the sound of rhythmic temple drums.

Day 06

Kandy

Amaya Hills

Peradeniya Gardens And Its Orchid Houses
The British planted one of the finest botanical gardens in the world at Peradeniya. Many fine specimens of trees from all over the tropics can be seen, including some tall Talipot Palms and an Orchid House with over 300 varieties! Huge colonies of bats can be seen hanging from the trees at dusk.

Kandy And The Temple Of The Tooth
You can get a wonderful view of Kandy from the Viewpoint at Upper Lake Drive. Beautifully located in a valley surrounded by hills, Kandy was the last capital of the ancient kings. The ‘Old City’ area with its charming lake contains the Royal Palace complex and a timeless colonial atmosphere.

It is best to visit The Temple Of The Buddha’s Tooth in the evening for the ‘pooja’ ceremony when devotees gather to offer flowers at the inner sanctum and light oil lamps outside on the terrace.

Day 07

The Hill Country

Melheim Resort

By Train Through The Hill Country To Nuwara
Eliya
The train journey through tea estates and magnificent hills of the Great Western range is one of the best experiences Sri Lanka has to offer. Leaving Kandy at 9am the train slowly ascends the Hill Country to reach Nanu Oya Station around 1.30 pm. A highlight are the St Clair’s Falls that are passed along the way.

Nuwara Eliya
The legendary old Hill Station of the British tea planting community of Ceylon is full of reminders of a bygone era such as a Hill Club, Golf Course and evenb a horse racing track next to Gregory’s Lake.

Day 08

Uda Walawe

Kalu’s Hideaway

Horton Plains Cloud Forests
The road up to the highest elevations in the island passes through market gardens, Alpine pine forests and even a Dairy Farm! Horton Plains has a unique eco-system composed of rolling grasslands, and Cloud Forests containing dwarf trees, mosses and ferns drenched with moisture. Large herds of Sambar (Elk) also congregate on the plains.

A footpath leads to World’s End, a sheer drop of 5000 ft leading to the plains below.

Magnificent Views From The Haputale Gap
Descending to Haputale you are rearded with further spectacular views as the town sits perched on a ridge giving 180 degree views of the mountains of the hill country and the plains down below.

Diyaluma Falls
Easily seen on the roadside on the way to the southern plains is Sri Lanka’s second highest waterfall at 562 ft.

Day 09

Yala

Chaaya Wild

Uda Walawe National Park – Private Am Jeep
Safari
The Uda Walawe National Park has some 500 elephants that often gather in large herds to eat grass by the large lake. Elephant watching is also helped by the fact that much of the park consists of semi-open glades and abandoned teak plantations. The scenery is very picturesque as it i s framed against the backdrop of the mist laden Hill Country.

The Transit Camp For Baby Elephants
This is adjacent to the Uda Walawe Sanctuary and specialises in the release of orphaned baby elephants back to the wild. Some 13 baby elephants are presently handled by this centre. You can see a highly absorbing sight of bottle- feeding the young elephants at 12 O clock feeding time.

Day 10

Yala

Chaaya Wild

Yala National Park – Private Am + Pm Jeep Safaris
One of the largest of Sri Lanka’s wildlife reserves has beautiful rocky landscapes that are the ideal terrain for leopard encounters at places such as the aptly named Leopard Rock. The frequent sightings of this usually elusive ‘big cat’ has made Yala probably the best location in the world to observe leopards in the wild.

Also found here is the rare and dangerous Sloth Bear, Marsh and Swamp Crocodiles and huge specimens of Wild Buffalo.There are also herds of Spotted Deer, Wild Boar and solitary Sambar (Elk) in the forests of Yala.

Around 100 Elephants are also found in and around the park. Today there are said to be 18 to 20 ‘tuskers’ in the reserve, including one huge ‘cross-tusker’.

Day 11

To Sri Lanka’s Beaches Or
Colombo

The Coral Gardens Of Hikkaduwa
A tropical coral reef with giant turtles and exotic species of butterfly fish.

Kosgoda Turtle Hatchery
See turtle hatchlings prepared for release back in to the sea. If you are lucky you may be allowed to release some yourself.

Sri Lanka’s Beach Resorts
A short beach stay on Sri Lanka’s famous palm fringed beaches combined in addition to this tour will make for an excellent 2 week holiday on the island.

Since you are returning from the south of the island, it is possible to add a beach stay in the idyllic Deep South of Sri Lanka, such as Tangalle, Mirissa or the beaches around Galle, as long as you are aware of the traveling time back to the Airport. Alternatively, choose the more popular resorts of the South West (Bentota, Wadduwa and Kalutara) or Negombo.

NOTE: You can choose as many beach nights as you require.

Depart Sri Lanka

Depart Sri Lanka – Daytime flights arrive back in UK the same day.

NOTE: If you do not require a beach stay, you need to add a stopover night at Colombo or near the Airport prior to your departure