Colombo / Day 01
On arrival at the Bandaranayke International Airport, you will get your first taste of warm Sri Lankan hospitality as a representative from NKAR Travels & Tours (Pvt) Limited will welcome you at the airport and transfer to Colombo. Check-in to the hotel and relax. In the afternoon do a city tour of Colombo. Like many capital cities in developing countries, this too is fast changing. Almost overnight, skyscrapers arise from where old buildings once stood. Yet in some parts, the old world charm is retained. For example, there is a 100-year-old clock tower and several British built colonial buildings. Other places of interest are the Pettah bazaar - where one can shop for bargain, a Hindu and a Buddhist temple, residential areas where you find the stately homes of the affluent, the Bandaranaike Memorial International Conference Hall (BMICH)- an outright gift to Sri Lanka from the People's Republic of China.
Pinnawela – Mihintale – Anuradhapura / Day 02
Breakfast at the hotel and transfer to Anuradhapura. En route visit Pinnawala Elephant Orphanage, which was established in 1975 with seven orphan elephants. Today some of these orphans enjoy the fortune of seeing their grandchildren born in the same location. The original objective of establishing the orphanage inclined more towards tourism, but is soon became a conservation and educational centre. Next up is Mihintale, where Buddhism was first introduced to Sri Lanka. Mihintale is regarded as the cradle of Buddhism in Sri Lanka. The rock is riddled with shrines and rock dwellings. A grand stairway of 1,840 steps made out of granite slabs 15' wide leads to the summit from where one could get a splendid view of the surrounding countryside. We travel till Anuradhapura and stay there for the night.
Anuradhapura – Wilpattu – Anuradhapura / Day 03
Start the day with Anuradhapura. It was the first capital and undoubtedly the grandest city of the ancient Sri Lanka. It is the home of two World Heritage sites and many places of historical and archaeological interest can be visited here. Sri Maha Bodhi (Sacred Bo-Tree) brought as a sapling of the tree under which Prince Siddhartha attained to enlightenment and it is over 2,200 years old and is the oldest historically documented tree in the world. At Brazen Palace (2nd century B.C), the 1600 stone columns are all that is left of a magnificent multi-storied residence for monks. Ruwanweliseya (2nd century B.C) is the most famous of all the Dagobas. It originally depicted the perfect 'bubble shape" that modern restoration has not been able to accurately reproduce. 'Samadhi' Buddha statue (4th century AD) is one of the most famous statues, depicting the Buddha in a state of 'Samadhi' or deep meditation. Isurumuniya rock temple (3rd century B.C) is well known for its rock carvings. Later visit Wilpattu National Park (Willu-pattu; Land of Lakes). The unique feature here is the existence of "Willus" (Natural lakes), sand-rimmed water basins or depressions that fill with rainwater. Nearly sixty lakes (Willu) and tanks are found spread throughout Wilpattu. It is the largest and one of the oldest National Parks in Sri Lanka and among the top national parks renowned for its Leopard population.
Anuradhapura-Ritigala-Sirigirya-Dambulla / Day 04
Breakfast at the hotel and transfer to Dambulla. Enroute visit Ritigala, which is a second century B.C forest hermitage site. Beautiful stoned paved meditation paths and stone bridges wind across the wooded mountains. Thereafter visit Sigiriya. 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.
Dambulla – Polonnaruwa – Minneriya – Dambulla / Day 05
Breakfast at the hotel and transfer to Polonnaruwa - the 2nd capital city of Sri Lanka built in the 11th and 12th centuries AD, and 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. On your way back to hotel you could also witness a wood carving shop where you will be shown all the types of timber and hardwood available in Sri Lanka and all the creative furniture’s made by our master craftsmen. In the evening go for a safari at Minneriya National Park. The National Park is a repository of flora and fauna, which include 24 species of mammals, 160 species of birds, 9 species of amphibians, 25 species of reptiles, 26 species of fish, and 75 species of butterflies.
Dambulla – Matale – Kandy / Day 06
After breakfast visit Dambulla Cave Temple, built by king Walagambahu in the 1st century B.C., a world heritage site and 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. Thereafter proceed to Kandy via Matale, the cradle of spices in Sri Lanka, to observe how Sri Lanka’s spices are grown and processed. Continue your journey to Kandy. The last capital of the Sri Lankan kings, Kandy is a repository of traditional culture and the Island’s most frequented tourist resort. Set amidst tea and spice gardens, lakes, mountains, and a river, Kandy’s varied charm offers memorable sights and scenes. Later drive around the Kandy Lake built by the last Sinhala king Sri Wickrama Rajasinghe in 1798. Visit the Bazaar area, Arts & crafts centre, a Gem museum and a lapidary etc. In the evening visit Temple of the Tooth Relic. Thereafter witness a cultural show featuring traditional Sri Lankan dances.
Kandy – Sinharaj – Rathnapura / Day 07
Breakfast at hotel and transfer to Rathnapura. Visit Sinharaja Rain Forest Sinharaja, the only “World Heritage Site” Rain Forest in Sri Lanka, with a very high rate of bio-diversity. The vegetation is tropical wet evergreen forest and the area under the reserve is 11,187 hectares. Out of the 331 woody trees and lianas identified 192 (60%) are endemic at Sinharaja. Regarding Fauna 141 bird species recorded here and about 28 are endemic (34 for the entire country), Butterflies 65 species (01 endemic), Fishes 10 (07 endemic), Amphibians 19 (08 endemic), Reptiles & Snakes 29 (14 endemic), and Mammals 40 (07 endemic). Sinharaja is the only relatively undisturbed rain forest of any considerable size and many of the plants are very rare and are represented by only one individual of its kind in a large area. Overnight stay at hotel in Rathnapura.
Rathnapura – Udawalawe – Embilipitiya / Day 08
Breakfast at hotel and transfer to Embilipitiya. In the evening do safari at Udawalawa Park. Udawalawe National park is renowned for its outstanding scenic beauty and wealth of faunal species, particularly mammals and birds. It is a famous tourist attraction throughout the year for its unique fauna and flora. The park is situated in the dry zone and conditions of the physical features are characterized by an annual drought coinciding with the southwest monsoon. The predominant ecosystem of the park area is the forest area with scattered grasslands and thorny shrubs. There are herds of elephants while populations of sambhar, spotted deer, barking deer, wild boar and water buffalo are gradually re-establishing themselves. Overnight stay at hotel in Embilipitiya.
Yala / Day 09
Breakfast at hotel and transfer to Yala. In the evening do safari at Yala National Park. Yala is the largest National Park in Sri Lanka which is the home for wild elephants, wild boars, wild buffaloes, leopards, bears, deer and crocodiles. Large flocks of migratory and indigenous birds are also found here. Overnight stay at hotel in Yala.
Galle – Colombo / Day 10
Breakfast at hotel and transfer to airport for the evening departure flight Enroute visit Galle. Galle was once the chief port of Sri Lanka. It is still well known for hand-made lace. You can also visit the Galle Fort (spanning 90 acres) which was originally built by the Portuguese and later extended by the Dutch in 1663. This is also a World Heritage Site. Continue journey to airport for the evening departure flight.
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