Sri Lanka History and Heritage Tour

Itinerary

• Day 1: Arrival, Colombo - Negombo

  Welcome to Sri Lanka, "the Pearl of the Indian Ocean"! On arrival in Colombo, be met at the airport and transferred to your hotel in Negombo. The rest of the day is at your leisure.

  • Negombo

• Day 2: Negombo - Anuradhapura

  In the morning, you can enjoy leisure time at the hotel or explore this small town on your own. You may also take part in some optional activities, e.g. a visit to Fish Market in the early morning, or Muthurajawela Marsh boat trip about discovering the water life.

  In the afternoon, drive to Anuradhapura, a UNESCO World Heritage city (approx. 5 hours), whose history has been recorded for more than 2,500 years.

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  • Anuradhapura

• Day 3: Anuradhapura

  Today, start your cultural triangle tour from the city of Anuradhapura, including the Abhayagiri complex and the passing ancient monuments such as Sri Maha Bodhi and Thuparamaya. Anuradhapura is famous for its well-preserved ruins of ancient Sinhala civilization. It is considered to be the sacred Buddhist world and is today surrounded by monasteries covering an area of over 16 square miles.

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  • Anuradhapura

• Day 4: Anuradhapura - Polonnaruwa - Sigiriya

  After check-out, drive about 1.5 hours to Polonnaruwa, the second ancient capital of the Cultural Triangle. It preserves many ruins of palaces, bathing pools, stupas and religious rock sculptures. Afterward, drive to Sigiriya.

  Optional: At cooking class at the Priyamali House of Polonnaruwa, you can see a cooking demonstration of local Sri Lanka cuisine and try an authentic lunch of about 8 dishes.

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  • Sigiriya

• Day 5: Sigiriya

  Start your day with the famous "Lion Rock", also a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The summit is about 750 steps away, but the murals on the rocks and the panoramic view of Dambulla is definitely worth a look.

  In the afternoon, explore the rural life of Sri Lanka in the village of Hiriwadunna by a jeep or tuk-tuk. At dusk, take a catamaran and sail to the other side of a lake to enjoy the sunset view.

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  • Sigiriya

• Day 6: Sigiriya - Kandy

  Today, head to the Dambulla Cave Temple first, a complex of five caves filled with many magnificent Buddha statues and rock paintings; then, drive for about 3.5 hours to Ceylon's old capital of Kandy. Along the way, you will have an interesting tour to learn various spices in a spice garden, which is also an ideal stopover for a short break and a massage during the road trip.

  Upon arrival, appreciate a vivid and traditional Kandyan Dance before a visit to the nearby Sacred Temple of the Tooth Relic.

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  • Kandy

• Day 7: Kandy - Nuwara Eliya

  After breakfast, proceed to Nuwara Eliya (about 3 hours). En route, you will pass through some tea plantations and visit one of the tea factories to learn about Sri Lanka's most famous export goods.

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  • Nuwara Eliya

• Day 8: Nuwara Eliya

  Get up early from 6 to 6:30 am, and then head to Horton Plains National Park, where you can take a 3 - 4 hours trek to watch the sambar, waterfalls, diverse flora & fauna and the stunning views over the World's end. The whole journey is 14 km, but you can choose 8km, which depends on your wishes and pace. After the tour, return to your hotel for a rest or continue to explore this picturesque colonial town on your own.

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  • Nuwara Eliya

• Day 9: Nuwara Eliya - Udawalawe

  Get ready to Udawalawe (about 4 hours' drive).

  Upon arrival, you will take a jeep safari in Udawalawe National Park, one of the best places to see elephants in Sri Lanka. Also, the park hosts many other species such as water buffalo, sambar deer, monkeys and leopard that are occasionally seen. It is also a wonderful place to watch birds (safari in the afternoon starts around 2:30 pm by jeep and usually takes approx. 3 - 3.5 hours).

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  • Udawalawe

• Day 10: Udawalawe - Sinharaja

  Today, proceed to Sinharaja (about 3.5 hours' drive) and then check in to your Hotel. Sinharaja Rainforest is undoubtedly a rich natural treasure trove with a great diversity of habitats and the endemic species of Sri Lanka are not found anywhere else in the world.

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  • Sinharaja

• Day 11: Sinharaja

  In the morning, an interesting Sinharaja Rain Forest tour will be waiting for you. The hilly pristine rainforest is part of the Sri Lanka lowland rain forest ecoregion, and it was protected from the worst commercial deforestation due to its inaccessibility. It was designated as a World Biosphere Reserve in 1978 and a World Heritage Site in 1989. The reserve is home to endemic species, including trees, insects, amphibians, reptiles, birds and mammals. Because of the dense vegetation, wildlife is not as easy to see as a national park in arid regions such as Yala. There is no elephant, and the 15 or so leopards are rarely seen. The most common large mammal is the endemic purple-faced langur.

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  • Sinharaja

• Day 12: Sinharaja - Galle

  After breakfast, depart for Galle Dutch Fort (approx. 3 hours). After arriving in Galle, check into your hotel and the rest of the day is at your leisure.

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  • Galle

• Day 13: Galle - Colombo, Departure

  Drive back to Colombo for about 2.5 hours. On the way, stop at a turtle hatchery on the beach. Set up for conserving the endangered turtle population, the hatchery will show you more about this creature when you stay in close contact with them. Upon arrival in Colombo, your tour guide will take you around the city, including the Gangarama Temple of Colombo, the one-mile-long promenade of Galle Face Green and Colombo's National Museum, etc.

  Later in the afternoon, you will be escorted to the airport for your return flight.

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