Day 1
Meet and assist on arrival at Bandaranaike International airport and proceed to Dambulla
Over night stay in Dambulla
Day 2
After breakfast visit Dambulla rock temple.
Dambulla rock temple was built by king Walagambahu in the 1st century B.C. and it is a World Heritage Site. It is the most impressive of Sri Lanka’s cave temples. The complex of five caves with over 2000 sq. metres of painted walls and ceilings, is the largest area of paintings found in the world. It contains over 150 images of the Buddha of which the largest is the colossal figure of the Buddha carved out of rock and spanning 14 metres
Rest of the day at leisure
Over night stay in Dambulla
Day 3
After breakfast proceed to Sigiriya
Climb the 5th century Sigiriya rock fortress which is a world heritage site, built by King Kashyapa (477-495 AD). The ‘Lion Rock’ is a citadel of unusual beauty rising 200 metres from the scrub jungle. The rock was the innermost stronghold of the 70 hectare fortified town. A moat, rampart, and extensive gardens including the renowned water gardens ring the base of the rock. Visit the world-renowned frescoes of the ‘Heavenly Maidens’ of Sigiriya, which are in a sheltered pocket of the rock approached by a spiral stairway. These frescoes are painted in earth pigments on plaster
Thereafter 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 could be seen, the Audience Hall, the Lotus Bath, the statue of king Parakramabahu, and the Parakrama Samudraya – 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 Kiri Vehera and the remains of a former Temple of the Tooth Relic
Over night stay in Dambulla
Day 4
After breakfast proceed to Kandy. Enroute visit a Spice Garden in Matale Visit a spice garden in Matale to see different spices for which Sri Lanka is famous for. Here, clients could see different spices and how some of these spices are grown and processed
KANDY
The hill capital is another” world heritage site.” It was the last stronghold of the Sinhalese kings during the Portuguese, Dutch & British rule and finally ceded to the British in 1815 after an agreement. To Buddhists of Sri Lanka & the world, Kandy is one of the most sacred sites as it is the home of the “Dalada Maligawa” – temple of the sacred tooth relic of Lord Buddha
Be on time for the cultural show in Kandy
Over night stay in Kandy
Day 5
After breakfast proceed to Nuwara Eliya
En route to Nuwara-eliya you may witness the beautiful cascading waterfalls and mountains. Nuwara-eliya is known as the little England of Sri Lanka’ is set against beautiful backdrops of mountains, valleys, waterfalls and tea plantations. It is one of the coolest places in the island.
Could visit a tea factory, stopover at the Ramboda Falls and evening city tour and walk around Gregory’s lake
TEA PLANTATION AND FACTORY
Where the best tea in the world is produced. Here you could observe 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
Overnight stay in Nuwara-eliya
Day 6
After breakfast proceed to Yala via Bandarawela, Ella and Wellawaya
In the afternoon do a safari of the Yala National Park by jeep. Yala is the largest National Park in Sri Lanka, which is the home for wild elephants, wild boars, wild buffaloes, leopards, bears, deers and crocodiles. Large flocks of migratory and indigenous birds are also found here
Overnight stay in Yala
Day 7
After breakfast proceed to Galle. Enroute visit Rumassala
Rumassala Hill is just southeast of town and west of Unawatuna beach. It is a thickly forested rocky headland famously fertile with medicinal herbs and claimed, in folklore, to be a small piece of the Himalaya dropped by Hanuman, the Hindu monkey god. A 5km trail takes in a viewpoint near the 1875 British-built lighthouse, the secluded Jungle Beach and the Japanese Peace Pagoda
Overnight stay in Galle
Day 8
After breakfast visit the Galle Fortress & Light House
Galle was once the chief port of Ceylon. It is still well known for hand-made lace. The Galle Fort (spanning 90 acres) which was originally built by the Portuguese and later extended by the Dutch in 1663. This is a World Heritage Site. Sri Lanka’s oldest light station dating back to 1848, is the Galle Lighthouse
After lunch proceed to Colombo for a city tour and shopping
Overnight stay in Colombo
Day 9
Departure to the air port according to flight timings