Ayubowan! Welcome to Sri Lanka! Specially Known as the ‘Pearl of the Indian Ocean’, this island offers everyone everything ranging from palm filled beaches, and breathtaking sights. Since this is the first day of your travel adventure, we have not added any activity for the day except a group welcoming meeting at 6pm. At this meeting, we would be collecting personal details such as insurance details and next of kin information. In order to settle the adventure please ensure that you have these details ready to provide when you arrive. If you are arriving at Negombo little earlier, you can spend some poolside time at the hotel or choose to head outside to have a quick neighborhood exploration.
We begin the journey of your adventure by heading towards Dambulla, the vegetable distribution Centre of the country. We expect to reach Dambulla within 4 hours at moderate conditions. At this place you will sight some of the most beautifully decorated cave-temples. Dambulla serves as an amazing starting point for the lovers of trekking as it offers natural wonders nearby along with amazing historical sights. The first destination of Dambulla would be the great vegetable wholesale market and be amazed by the vast range of products grown locally.
Today we start an adventure to the famous Sigiriya, an ancestral rock fortress situated near Dambulla. The energetic adventurers can climb to the top of the huge Sigiriya rock and the historical fortress. After experiencing the breathtaking view from the top of Sigiriya rock fortress, you will return back to Dambulla where you can enjoy a bike ride around the town and see the temple complexes and religious monuments when you have the chance.
Today you will be saying goodbye to Dambulla and hello to the breathtakingly beautiful Kandy. Also known as the Sri Lankan cultural capital, the green hills covering the city with the serene lake in the middle brings the most amazing sight for some family photo opportunities. You can spend your time basking around the flower rows and palm trees in the Royal Botanical Gardens, the home to over 4000 plants species. It surely is going to be a colorful walk you will remember. Afterwards, you will be visiting the Spice Gardens where you will get to know more about the spice plans and herbs of Sri Lanka.
In the morning you will head out to visit the Temple of the Tooth - Dalada Maligawa. This is said to be a tooth of the Buddha and is a very sacred relic. Since the 16th century, pilgrims have been coming in and paying homage to the site. You will be asked to remove your hats and shoes while visiting the Temple. It is wise to put them in your backpack or handover to the “shoe keepers” with a little charge as leaving them outside could result them being stolen by the monkeys.
After having breakfast, we will start the next part of the adventure by heading to the evergreen Nuwara Eliya. We will have a quick visit to the old British Hill Station which was built in the 19th century and noticeable for its beautiful architecture. Afterwards, we will head out to Bandarawella and to the hotel while enjoying the beautiful view seen across the hills and tea plants. You can choose either to take local train or private transport to the journey of Bandarawella.
Today you will have the chance to experience some peaceful aspects of nature. You can enjoy a leisure walk in the morning through the countryside where you will be witnessing the tea pickers at their work. The afternoon is left out for you to plan yourself. Enjoy the day taking the best of nature.
After having the morning breakfast, and checking out from hotel, you will be driving to Udawalawe National Park which has a wide range of animals and birdlife. It contains the most herds of wild elephants in the whole country. After lunch, you will get to discover how this giant magnificent creature has been making spot in the Sri Lankan culture for so long when you visit the Elephant Transit Home. They provide shelter for the orphaned and abandoned elephants to leave them to the wild afterwards. You will be given the opportunity to witness the wildlife closely by jeep safari. You will get to sight larger monkeys, crocodiles, leopards, macaques etc.
Do not forget to pack your camera!
After breakfast, we set our journey to the cold beach town of Mirissa and stay in for the night. You will be blessed with a crescent beach and palm trees in this town along with great spots to taste genuine Sri Lankan food. You can enjoy the sight of whales and dolphins at this town from November to April.
Mirissa is a great place to go whale and dolphin watching during the months from November to April.
Spend this day at your own pace and schedule. You can choose to enjoy the calm sea with a swim in the beach or head out to nearby places. In the evening you will be visiting the Ditch Fort in Galle if you love to fly kites. Otherwise you could just enjoy a breathtaking sunset at Galle.
You will be checking out from the hotel and head to Colombo. You can wander around the bazaar and city if you wish to. You get to do variety of things at this commercial city of Sri Lanka. You can see the sunset at the Galle Face Green before saying farewell.
Here ends your holiday at Sri Lanka after breakfast. No activities are planned for this day as you can choose your time of check out.