Sri Lanka – A Land Like No Other

Highlights: Negombo – Anuradhapura – Wilpattu – Mannar Island – Jaffna – Trincomalee – Dambulla – Kandy – Negombo.

Other Departure: Glasgow – £2425, Edinburgh – £2369, Birmingham – £2409, Manchester – £2409, Newcastle – £2509, Cardiff – £2379.

Hotels or Similar:
Negombo (Kammala) – Suriya Resort (Deluxe room)
Anuradhapura – Palm Garden Village Hotel (Deluxe room)
Jaffna – Jetwing Jaffna (Deluxe room)
Trincomalee – Trinco Blu by Cinnamon (Superior room)
Dambulla – Amaya Lake (Superior room)
Kandy – Amaya hills (Superior room)
Negombo (Kammala) – Suriya Resort (Deluxe room)

Entrances & safaris:
– Willpattu National Park & 1 jeep safari
– Anuradhapura ancient city
– Mannar Island
– Jaffna Sightseeing
– Delft Island
– Nagadipa Island
– Trincomalee sightseeing
– Mullaitivu war museum
– Mihintale sightseeing
– Pigeon Island
– Sigiriya rack fortress
– Minneriya National Park & 01 Jeep Safari
– Dambulla Cave Temple
– The Temple of the Tooth Relic
– Ceylon Tea and National Museum in Kandy

Itinerary

Day 01: Airport, Negombo
You will be warmly welcomed by your chauffeur guide who will be your travel buddy throughout the tour. After the formalities at the airport, leave for your first hotel in Negombo. (approximately 30mins drive) Once reached, check-in and relax. Overnight accommodation and dinner at Suriya resort, Kamala. Wilpattu National Park is a park located on the island of Sri Lanka. The unique feature of this park is the existence of “Willus” (Natural lakes) Located in the Northwest coast lowland dry zone of Sri Lanka. The park is located approximately 180 km north of Colombo. Nearly sixty lakes (Willu) and tanks are found spread throughout Wilpattu. This is one of the largest and oldest National Parks in Sri Lanka and is home to elephants, leopards, sloth bear, water buffalo and spotted deer and painted storks, white ibis, open bills, Whistling teals, spoonbills, cormorants, and kingfishers. Apart from them serpent eagles, great

Day 02: Negombo / Anuradhapura / Wilpattu / Anuradhapura
After breakfast, check-out from the hotel and proceed to Anuradhapura. Once reached, proceed to Wilpattu National Park and do an exciting jeep safari. racket tail Drongo, Malabar pied hornbills, crested hawk eagles & Sri Lanka junglefowl are commonly seen. Both water monitors and mugger crocodiles can be seen in the willus. Also, Wilpattu is among the top national parks world-renowned for its Leopard population. The Leopard population in Wilpattu is still not yet known. On completion, check-in to the hotel and relax. Overnight accommodation and dinner at Palm Garden Village Hotel, Anuradhapura. Visit the ruins of the first capital founded in the 05th century BC. Here is found the largest number of ancient monuments of a great civilization. Buddhism found its first real home in Sri Lanka at Anuradhapura, and it thus contains some of Sri Lankan Buddhism’s most secret sights
The “Sri Maha Bodhi tree in Anuradhapura, planted from a cutting from the original “Bo Tree” under which the Buddha received enlightenment, continue to draw thousands of Buddhist pilgrims from around the world. The pillars of the brazen palace which once had nine stories, the image of the Samadhi Buddha which is one of the finest pieces of Buddhist sculpture, the twin ponds, guard-stones, and the moon-stones are amazing remains of a great civilization. There are also monuments such as Ruwanveli Seya Dagoba with its famous elephant wall from the 2nd Century B.C. and the Thuparama Dagoba from the 3rd Century B.C.

Day 03: Anuradhapura Sightseeing / Mannar Island / Jaffna
After breakfast, commence a sightseeing tour of Anuradhapura. On completion, proceed to Mannar Island. Sun-blasted Mannar Island is a dry near-peninsula with lots of white sand and palm trees, gulls and terns, wild donkeys and fishing boats. Culturally, it’s an intriguing place: it’s dotted with ancient baobab trees (native to Africa and said to have been planted by Arab merchants many centuries ago) and crumbling colonial edifices built by the Portuguese, Dutch and Brits. On completion, proceed to Jaffna. Once reached, check-in to the hotel and relax. Overnight accommodation and dinner at Jetwing Jaffna.

Day 04: Jaffna / Delft Island / Nagadipa / Jaffna
After breakfast, proceed to Delft Island (Neduntheevu). Located approximately 30 kilometers away from the mainland is a magnificent island with a rich history from the Chola Dynasty, Portuguese, Dutch and the British Colonial Period. The location is abundant in archaeologically important heritage. Neduntheevu, famously known as Delft Island, is accessible by water and air, and for tourists visiting and villagers the easiest is to travel by ferry. On completion, proceed to Nagadipa Island. The sandy island of Nagadeepa, sheltered by Coconut palm groves as well as Palmyrah palm trees, features two main jetties set apart by a distance of no more than 300 meters. One of the jetties brings into the immediate vicinity, the Hindu Kovil at the beach while the other leads straight to the Nagadeepa Viharaya, which is also of close proximity of the beach. The boats reaching the island opt for either of the two depending on the passengers brought in from Jaffna: should there be more Hindus, it will be moored to the jetty close to the Hindu Kovil; should there be more Buddhist passengers, the boat would be moored to the jetty closer to the Buddhist temple. On completion, return to the hotel and relax. Overnight accommodation and dinner at Jetwing Jaffna.

Day 05: Jaffna Sightseeing
Today, commence a sightseeing tour of Jaffna. You will visit Public Library, Jaffna Fort, Point Pedro, Kantarodai Ruins and Fort Hammenheil. Jaffna is a city on the northern tip of Sri Lanka. Nallur Kandaswamy is a huge Hindu temple with golden arches and an ornate gopuram tower. By the coast, star-shaped Jaffna Fort was built by the Portuguese in the 17th century and later occupied by the Dutch and British. Jaffna Public Library is a symbol of the city’s post-war regeneration. Jaffna Archaeological Museum has Dutch cannons and pre-colonial artifacts. Return to the hotel on completion and spend the rest of the day in leisure. Overnight accommodation and dinner at Jetwing Jaffna.

Day 06: Jaffna Leisure
You are on leisure in Jaffna. Overnight accommodation and dinner at Jetwing Jaffna.

Day 07: Jaffna / Kilinochi / Mullaitivu / Mihintale / Trincomalee
After an early breakfast, checkout from the hotel and proceed to Kilinochi. On completion, proceed to Trincomalee. Stop in Mihintale for a picnic lunch. Visit the ruins of Mihintale. On completion, proceed to Mullaitivu and visit Puthukkudiyiruppu War Museum. War Museum Mullaitivu, is next to Puthukkudiyiruppu East and is located in Northern Province, Sri Lanka.

Day 08: Trincomalee Sightseeing
After breakfast at the hotel, commence a sightseeing tour of Trincomalee. You will visit Trincomalee Harbor, Koneswaram Temple, and Kanniya hot water springs. After lunch, proceed to Trincomalee and check-in to the hotel. Overnight accommodation at Trinco Blu by Cinnamon, Trincomalee. On completion, return to the hotel and relax. Overnight accommodation at Trinco Blu by Cinnamon, Trincomalee

Day 09: Trincomalee / Pigeon Island / Trincomalee
After breakfast, proceed to Pigeon Island. The name-calling Pigeon Island was given due to the pigeon habitat on this island. This is a beautiful natural island surrounded by crystal clear blue water and white sands. This island is a national park and located close to Nilavali. A place is a perfect place for swimming, scuba diving, coral visits, etc. This is the ideal place to visit reef fish, sharks and turtles. During my visit, we were lucky enough to see three sharks around four feet and two turtles. On completion, return to the hotel and spend the rest of the day in leisure. Overnight accommodation and dinner at Trinco Blu by Cinnamon, Trincomalee.

Day 10: Trincomalee Leisure
After breakfast spends the day at leisure. Overnight accommodation and dinner at Trinco Blu by Cinnamon, Trincomalee.

Day 11: Trincomalee / Minneriya / Dambulla
After an early breakfast, check-out from the hotel and proceed to Minneriya National Park for an exciting afternoon jeep safari. Located between Habarana and Polonnaruwa, Minneriya is yet another haven for the elephants that migrate from surrounding jungles to enjoy the lush grass fields on the banks of the Minneriya reservoir, during the dry season. Reports of elephant sightings range from an impressive 100 to 200. Endemic monkeys, as well as many residents and migratory bird species, also can be spotted along with endemic reptiles such as the painted-lip lizard. Among the reptiles that dwell here, are the saltwater crocodile, the Indian python and the water monitor.
The central feature of the park is the ancient Minneriya Tank (built-in 3rd century AD by King Mahasena). This tank is generally known as a place to observe the elephants that come to bathe and graze on the grasses as well as the huge flocks of birds (cormorants and painted storks to name but a few) that come to fish in the shallow waters. On completion, proceed to Dambulla and check-in to the hotel. Overnight accommodation at Amaya Lake, Dambulla

Day 12: Dambulla / Sigiriya / Dambulla Cave Temple / Kandy Sightseeing
After an early breakfast, proceed to Sigiriya Rock Fortress. Dambulla Cave Temple is a vast isolated rock mass and it was here that king Valagambahu took refuge in the 01st century B.C. He later turned the caves into a rock temple. Dambulla is a world heritage site and is the most impressive of Sri Lanka’s cave temples. The complex of five caves with over 2000 sq. meters of painted walls and ceiling found here are over 2000 years old and is the largest area of painting found in the world. The caves contain over 150 images of the Buddha of which the largest is the colossal figure of the Buddha carved out of rock and spanning 14 meters. On completion, proceed to Kandy. En-route visit Matale Spice Gardens. Proceed to climb the Sigiriya Rock Fortress which is known as the 8th wonder of the world. This rock fortress was built by King Kasyapa in the 5th century A.D. and was a royal citadel for more than 18 years. In a sheltered, a pocket, approached by a spiral stairway, are the famous frescoes. The summit of the rock, with an area of nearly one hectare, was the site of the palace and the outer wall was built on the very brink of the precipice. The UNESCO sponsored Central Cultural Fund has restored Sigiriya 5th century water gardens to their former glory.
On completion, proceed to Dambulla Cave Temple. Matale is famous for its batik production and spice gardens. Visit a Spice Garden in Matale. For centuries, spices have been one of Sri Lanka’s celebrated exports. Spices are mostly grown in home gardens (as a home industry) and used not only to flavor food but also for medicine and cosmetics. Enjoy a traditional Sri Lankan lunch and 15 minutes head and shoulder massage. On completion, proceed to Kandy. Once reached, check-in to the hotel and relax. Enjoy a cultural show in the evening. Overnight accommodation and dinner at Amaya Hills, Kandy.

Day 13: Kandy Sightseeing / Negombo
After breakfast, commence a sightseeing tour of Kandy. Kandy perhaps is Sri Lanka’s most beautiful town. Set 488 meters above sea level, Kandy is Sri Lanka’s most visited place after Colombo. The focal point of the town is the golden-roofed ‘Dalada Maligawa’, where the sacred tooth relic of the Buddha is enshrined. There are numerous shrines and temples in and around Kandy, where you will see rare paintings, frescoes, and stone carvings. Visit the Temple of the Tooth Relic. It is located in the royal palace complex which houses the Relic of the tooth of Buddha. Since ancient times, the relic has played an important role in local politics because it is believed that whoever holds the relic holds the governance of the country. Kandy was the last capital of the Sinhalese kings and is a UNESCO world heritage site partly due to the temple. On completion, proceed to Negombo. Also, you will visit the Ceylon Tea Museum and National Museum.

Day 14: Negombo / Airport
Today you will be transferred to the Colombo Airport to catch your flight home, accompanied with all the happy memories of the Resplendent isle; Sri Lanka is once known as TAPROBANE. Negombo is a characteristic fishing town north of Colombo and is a mere 15 km from the international airport. Set amidst lush groves of coconut palms, it breathes the spirit of the sea. Negombo is a gourmet paradise with seafood in plenty. Old – world fishing craft, like the outrigger canoe and the catamaran, bring seer, skipjack, herring, mullet, pomfret, and amberjack, while lobster and prawn are caught in the lagoon. Check-in to the hotel and relax. Overnight accommodation and dinner at Suriya Resort, Kammala.

Exclusions:
– Personal expenses
– Cost of Beverages
– Porterage & Tips
– Early Check-in/Late Check-out

Offer Includes

Meal Plans