ROUND TRIP
11 DAYS / 10 NIGHTS
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DAY 1 AIRPORT / SIGIRIYA
- Visit Sigiriya Fortress or Minneriya Safari
OVERNIGHT STAY IN SIGIRIYA
DAY 2 SIGIRIYA / HABARANA
- Sigiriya Fortress / Minneriya SAFARI
Sigiriya Rock Fortress – Sigiriya rock rises 200 meters above lush green jungles, and is a declared UNESCO World Heritage Site. Asia’s oldest landscaped gardens and ponds encircle this rock fortress, and at its summit is the renegade King Kasyapa’s “palace in the sky”. Fifth century ingenuity and skill produced a luxurious royal citadel with ramparts, moats, gateways, and a well laid out city, complete with bathing pools and gardens. On the climb up you could view the Mirror Wall, which still produces a glass-like reflection 1500 years after it was first created. Also on the way up you would see the famous Sigiriya frescoes – exquisite images of bare-breasted maidens painted on the rock face thousands of years ago. Located in the Cultural Triangle, Sigiriya is situated in the district of Matale.
Viilage Tour and Lunch – This is an interesting excursion available in Habarana, in the form of a traditional bullock cart ride. This maximum three hour program is designed for you to experience the real traditional Sri Lankan rural village style, where you will travel in a Bullock cart to a rural village through lush green paddy fields where you will be served tea and ” juggery” along with lunch made to authentic Sri Lankan style. Traditional cooking methods, and a visit to a paddy field to see how the local farmers protect their crops from the wild animals, will be demonstrated. The finale of this excursion will be a traditional canoe ride in a lake in Habarana. Highly recommended as a “must do” activity when you are in Habarana to get feel the real Sri Lanka.
Minneriya SAFARI – This national park is one of the best places in the country to see wild elephants, which are often present in huge numbers. Dominated by the ancient Minneriya Wewa, the park has plenty of scrub, forest and wetlands in its 88.9 sq km to also provide shelter for toque macaques, sambar deer, buffalo, crocodiles and leopards (the latter are very rarely seen, however).
OVERNIGHT STAY IN HABARANA
DAY 3 HABARANA / POLONNARUWA
- Elephant ride in Jungle / Lake – Riding on the back of the amazing giant in the wild would be an incredible experience in life. An elephant ride Sri Lanka will be a great opportunity to be so close to the majestic beast, while enjoying the views of nature, wild life and traditional lifestyles of the people in rural villages in Sri Lanka.
- Hurulu Eco Park
OVERNIGHT STAY IN POLONNARUWA
DAY 4 POLONNARUWA / SIGIRIYA
Kings ruled the central plains of Sri Lanka from Polonnaruwa 800 years ago, when it was a thriving commercial and religious centre. The glories of that age can be found in the archaeological treasures that still give a pretty good idea of how the city looked in its heyday. You’ll find the archaeological park a delight to explore, with hundreds of ancient structures – tombs and temples, statues and stupas – in a compact core. The Quadrangle alone is worth the trip.
- Site Seeing – Religious / Cultural and Pre-historical sites
Proceed Back to Sigiriya
OVERNIGHT STAY IN SIGIRIYA
DAY 5 SIGIRIYA / TRINCOMALEE
Proceed to Trincomalee
- Dolphin & Whale Watching
- Pigeon Island– Pigeon Island, a paradise for scuba divers, is a national marine park and the second marine sanctuary in Sri Lanka. Situated off Nilaveli beach in the Indian Ocean, approximately two kilometers away from the shore. It is considered as one of the iconic tourism attraction site in Eastern Sri Lanka. It was first declared as a sanctuary in 1963 and upgraded as a National Marine Park under the Fauna and Flora Protection Ordinance in 2003.
- Marble Beach – Marble Beach, also known as Marble Bay Beach, is another fine beach in Sri Lanka. The beach is situated at the Marble Bay that comes within the Trincomalee’s natural harbor area. When the day is bright and the sea is calm, you can see the surface shining like a marble and that’s how the name is derived.
- Koneswaran Temple – Prehistoric location on the cliffs with a beautiful ocean view
OVERNIGHT STAY AT TRINCOMALEE
DAY 6 TRINCOMALEE / NUWARA ELIYA
Proceed to Nuwara Eliya
- Visit to Ella / Train Ride if Requested – It’s hard to forget the experience of taking the train through Sri Lankan tea country. Nothing compares to the cold air that comes in through the windows and the endless rolling hills of tea plantations and lush forests. The Demodara nine arch bridge close to Ella station is as picturesque as bridges get. Visitors can ride the train over the bridge and also walk along it in the other direction if they spend a night in the area. The bridge was constructed in the early 1900’s and is built completely out of rocks and cement without a single bit of steel. The local name is Sinhala which translates to “nine skies”, due to the framing of the sky when the bridge arches are seen from below. The views from the window will have you snapping photos at every turn. The journey through the hill country not only gives you countless breathtaking sights, it also takes you through long dark tunnels where there is always fun to be had for the passengers, yelling while the train travels through the tunnels.
OVERNIGHT STAY NUWARA ELIYA
DAY 7 NUWARAELIYA / NANU OYA / ELLA / YALA
- Visit Hortan Plains & Proceed to Nanu Oya – Station
- Train ride from Nanu Oya to Ella
- Pick up from Ella Station
- Visit Ella Falls
- Proceed to Yala
OVERNIGHT STAY AT YALA
DAY 8 YALA / MIRISSA
- YALA Safari – Step into the wild, take a safari to leopard country. Drive through Sri Lanka’s Yala National park, the second largest and the most visited National Park in Sri Lanka. Touch base with some of your favorite animals; watch Leopards feed, laze and play in the open, and if you’re lucky you’ll see plenty of them as Yala is known to have the highest density of Leopards in the world. Listen to the elephants trumpet, monkeys chatter, sloth bear grunts and the melodious bird song from the verdant woods. Watch out! There’s plenty more to stop you on your tracks and let your heart pound faster. From the break of dawn to setting of dusk, Yala National Park is bustling with excitement, inviting wildlife enthusiasts and nature lovers to witness some of nature’s wonders, indulge in some great photography and be one with nature as never before.
- Proceed to Mirissa
OVERNIGHT STAY AT MIRISSA
DAY 9 MIRISSA / UNAWATUNA / GALLE
- Dolphin & Whale watching
- Site Seeing Galle – Old town of Galle , Galle Fort , Galle Fort Lighthouse
OVERNIGHT STAY IN UNAWATUNA
DAY 10 BENTOTA / COLOMBO
- Water Sports / Madu River Boat Ride / Fish Therapy
Take a magical speed-boat ride down the beautiful Madu River, a wetland estuary spreading over 900 hectares of which 770 hectares is covered with water and inhabited with 64 islands. The boat ride is a wonderful way to take a closer look at this complex wetland ecosystem. Journey past massive mangrove forests, glide under the canopy of the forest tunnels as they curve playfully towards the watercourse. Take in the unique biodiversity of the Madu River and its surrounding islands that boasts of hundreds of birds, plants, fish and animals.
There’s plenty more to do; quench your thirst with a refreshing drink of King Coconut Water and then proceed towards the Buddhist Monastery, see how Kraal fishing is carried out, how Ceylon Cinnamon is peeled and enjoy some ‘fish therapy’ as they playfully nibble your feet at the ‘fish spa’. If it’s later in the evening watch the fishermen in their canoes lighting lanterns on traps that catch prawn and other shellfish. It’s certainly going to be a memorable day-out on the serene waters of the unforgettable Madu River!
- Visit Sea Turtle Hatchery – Sea turtle hatchery situated in Habaraduwa is mostly admired by nature lovers and both local and foreign tourists. It is a nonprofitable organization located as well as a popular tourist attraction in Sri Lanka. Habaraduwa is 5 km from the Galle – Matara Road. In order to conserve turtles and other marine species, the small hatchery was firstly started in 1986. Sri Lankan beaches are reckoned as a favorable breeding spot of the sea turtles. In case Bentota, Induruwa, Kosgoda, Ahungalle, Unawatuna, and Balapitiya are few of the most preferred nesting areas of the Sea turtles. Some wicked people have been motivated and attempted to kill turtles and grab and poach the turtle eggs for commercial purposes.This has lead to extinct rare varieties of sea turtles, from our mother earth.
Proceed to Colombo
OVERNIGHT STAY IN COLOMBO
DAY 11 COLOMBO / AIRPORT
- Colombo City Tour
- Shopping
- Proceed to Airport
END OF TOUR