Highlights of Sri Lanka Touring Holiday
A touring holiday, accompanied by a chauffeur-guide, by car of the introductory highlights of Sri Lanka.
Day 1 - To Sigiriya
You will be met in Colombo by your personal chauffeur guide who will be your travelling companion throughout your tour of Sri Lanka.
With a morning start, drive inland to Sri Lanka’s central dry zone, you will be exploring the area known as the Cultural Triangle, due to its wealth of spiritual and royal heritage sites. You will visit Sigiriya, the Rock Fortress of King Kassayapaya, one of the eight UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Sri Lanka. This awesome fortification of outer and inner walls and moats is home to the beautiful Pleasure Gardens of the King. You can see the large bathing ponds formed by the natural rocks and the fountains which are now only operational during the rainy season. In addition you can see caves and frescoes more than 15 centuries old, although only 21 of the original 500 figures now remain. Your guide will explain some of the 700 or more verses written on the Mirror Wall. After this fascinating visit you return to the hotel for the evening. (Colombo to Sigiriya driving time is about 4.5 hours).
Dinner and overnight stay in the Cultural Triangle:
Option 1 Vil Uyana, Sigiriya (hotel with luxury villas set around marsh and paddy fields)
Option 2 Heritance Kandalama Hotel, Dambulla (Large award-winning eco-resort hotel overlooking lake, designed by famous architect, Geoffrey Bawa)
Option 3Kassapa Lion Rock (tourist class)
Option 4 Elephant Corridor Hotel, Sigiriya. (Boutique hotel)
Day 2 - Visit Polonnaruwa
Awakened by the sounds of the birds, why not take an early walk in the garden and witness the many different species of birds around the grounds. After breakfast leave for Polonnaruwa via Habarana, Minneriya and Giritale. As you pass through Minneriya it is likely that you will see wild elephants, sometimes in large herds near the water of the Minneriya Lake. Polonnaruwa is another World Heritage Site and contains the well-preserved monuments of the mediaeval capital of Sri Lanka including the Royal Palace of King Parakramabahu, the audience hall and a number of religious monuments such as the Circular Relic House which has decorations of guardstone, moonstone and balustrade and beautiful Buddha statues facing four directions. Other noteworthy buildings are Lankatilake with a headless Buddha statue 55 feet high and Galvihara which has stone carvings of the Buddha in three postures, carved out of the living rock. Another place to visit is the Tivanka Image House where you can see 12th century paintings. (Sigiriya to Polonnaruwa is about 2 hours’ driving time).
Option 1 Vil Uyana, Sigiriya (hotel with luxury villas set around marsh and paddy fields)
Option 2 Heritance Kandalama Hotel, Dambulla (Large award-winning eco-resort hotel overlooking lake, designed by famous architect, Geoffrey Bawa)
Option 3 Kassapa Lion Rock (tourist class)
Option 4 Elephant Corridor Hotel, Sigiriya. (Boutique hotel)
Day 3 - To the Kandy area
After breakfast visit the Dambulla, another World Heritage Site and home to marvellous cave temples whose walls are covered with murals exceeding 21,000 square feet. Do not allow
the monkeys in the area to run away with anything edible you might be holding!
Then head south towards Sri Lanka’s hill country via Matale. On the way you pause to visit a famous spice garden and batik centre. Mrs Ena de Silva has created an authentic arts and crafts centre and you can see some of the best batiks in Sri Lanka. You have the option to have lunch here and sample rice with more than thirty different curries. In the afternoon either do part of the sightseeing around Kandy planned for the next day or arrive at your hotel and have a chance to relax for the rest of the afternoon, maybe indulging in a soothing herbal body massage or taking a dip in the pool. (Sigiriya to Kandy is about 3 hours’ driving time).
Dinner and overnight stay in the Kandy area:
Option 1 Theva Residency, Kandy (2 kms)(hillside designer boutique hotel, great views)
Option 2 Hotel Suisse, Kandy (colonial hotel by lake in Kandy, tourist class)
Option 3 Amaya Hills, near Kandy (8 kms)(large modern hotel with Kandyan touches, on hill with great views)
Option 4 Hunas Falls Hotel, Elkaduwa. (hotel in hills 26 kms from Kandy)
Option 5 Mahaweli Reach Hotel, Kandy (2 kms)(hotel by Mahaweli River)
Option 6 Kandy House, near Kandy (6 kms)
Day 4 - Kandy, Botanical Gardens and Elephants
After breakfast set out for a full day’s excursion visiting Kandy, the Royal Botanical Gardens and the Pinnawela Elephant Orphanage. Kandy enjoys a superb location at the heart of Sri Lanka’s green and lush hill country, much of it carpeted in green tea plantations. Kandy was the last capital of the Sinhalese kingdom and is today still an important cultural and spiritual centre of the country. The town centre is close to a picturesque lake and is a delight of antique and gemstone shops, a bustling market and numerous restaurants. Kandy is home to a famous 10 day festival called Kandy Esala Perahera which runs in the full-moon month of Esala (July- August) and is held to honour the sacred tooth held in the Temple of the Tooth. The Royal Botanical Garden at Peradeniya dates back to 1374 when it was the pleasure garden for the Kings of Gampola. There are more than 5,000 species in the gardens including over 150 palm trees. Your visit to the Pinnawela Elephant Orphanage, around 1 hour’s drive to the west of Kandy, is a chance to see more than 65 elephants, including baby elephants born in captivity. The best time to see them is at feeding time and when they are taken to the river for bathing. There are set feeding and bathing times, so your chauffeur guide will time your visit accordingly. In Kandy, you will join the crowds to visit the famous Temple of the Sacred Tooth. This is particularly interesting to visit during the evening Ceremonial Offerings (Pooja) when a mystic atmosphere is created by the chanting of the devotees clad in white, bearing flower offerings to the sounds of local trumpet and drums.
Dinner and overnight stay in the Kandy area:
Option 1 Theva Residency, Kandy (2 kms)(hillside designer boutique hotel, great views)
Option 2 Hotel Suisse, Kandy (colonial hotel by lake in Kandy, tourist class)
Option 3 Amaya Hills, near Kandy (8 kms)(large modern hotel with Kandyan touches, on hill with great views)
Option 4 Hunas Falls Hotel, Elkaduwa. (hotel in hills 26 kms from Kandy)
Option 5 Mahaweli Reach Hotel, Kandy (2 kms)(hotel by Mahaweli River)
Option 6 Kandy House, near Kandy (6 kms)
Day 5 – Through the central highlands and tea-clad hills to Nuwara Eliya
After breakfast leave for Nuwara Eliya. Today’s drive is one of the most scenic in the country as you pass through tea country with the mountains carpeted in tea, numerous waterfalls and here and there the tea pickers at work. You stop at a tea factory to see the processing and to buy the fresh, unblended tea if you wish to. The hill town of Nuwara Eliya is the centre of the so-called Little England of Sri Lanka, one of the chilliest places on the island, but with the warmth of an English spring day. In this quirky market town, you can enjoy a stroll in Victoria Park, wander alongside ponies on the ‘high street’ and enjoy strawberries and cream from the local market gardens. Nuwara Eliya’s venerable institutions such as The Golf Club, Turf Club and the Hill Club still flourish and provide a nostalgic look back to the days when the colonial planters flocked here for their leisure time. (Kandy to Nuwara Eliya is about 2 hours’ drive).
Dinner and overnight stay in the Tea Country:-
Option 1 St Andrew’s Hotel, Nuwara Eliya (colonial hotel, tourist class)
Option 2 Craigbank, Nuwara Eliya (boutique bungalow)
Option 3 Warwick Gardens, Ambewela (boutique tea estate bungalow, on a hilly tea estate about 1 hour’s drive from Nuwara Eliya)
Day 6 - To Colombo
After breakfast leave for Colombo. The tea plantation scenery continues this morning and includes two very high waterfalls, the St Clair and the Devon. There is a stop at the Tea Centre for a cup of tea chosen from more than 100 different blends. At Kitulgala you see the location of the 1957 film, the Bridge over the River Kwai, and a chance to witness the tropical rainforest of Sri Lanka. You can also opt to visit the Beli-lena Caves where pre-historic men lived 20,000 years ago. Arrive in Colombo in the evening. (Nuwara Eliya to Colombo is about 6 hours’ drive).
Option 1The Galle Face Hotel in the Regency Wing (Colonial luxury)
Option 2 Park Street, Colombo (luxury boutique)
Option 3 Havelock Place Bungalow, Colombo (Tourist class)
Option 4 Paradise Road – Tintagel (luxury boutique, historic, designer-chic)
Day 7 – From Colombo to Colombo International Airport
After breakfast leave for Colombo International airport for your onward flight or for a beach extension to this touring holiday.
Highlights of Sri Lanka 6 nights, 7 days
WHAT’S INCLUDED
• Personal chauffeur guide
• Travel by air-conditioned car (Japanese model)
• Dinner and breakfast starting with dinner on Day 1 until breakfast on day 7
• Entrance fees to Polonnaruwa, Sigiriya, Dambulla, Temple of the Tooth Relic, cultural dance, Peradeniya Botanical Garden, Pinnawela Elephant Orphanage
• Scheduled flight with Sri Lankan from London to Colombo return in economy class
WHAT’S NOT INCLUDED
• Camera and video permits
• Tips and porterage
• Lunches and drinks
• Expenditure of a personal nature
Prices from about £2215 per person for the above tour including scheduled return flights in economy class with Sri Lankan Airways London to Colombo, a car with English-speaking chauffeur guide, entrance fees and sightseeing as specified, accommodation on a bed & breakfast basis (unless otherwise specified).
Prices of this holiday will be tailor-made for you. Please call one of our specialist sales consultants who will help you. All our touring holidays can be adapted in any way, by adding or reducing nights or changing our suggested hotels for any others in the area. In all cases you are met on arrival at Colombo airport by your personal English-speaking chauffeur guide who will accompany you on your journey around the island.
If you select hotels other than those listed as Option 1, different prices will apply and we will calculate the prices for you.
Upgrades available to superior car models and 4-wheel drive upon request.