11 Days - Highlights of Sri Lanka

On arrival at the Bandaranaike International Airport, you will meet your representatives from Travelogy India and be transferred directly to your hotel.

Please note that we can also pick you up from any hotel in Colombo if you wish to.

After checking into your hotel, you are free for the rest of the day on. Feel free to take a walk on the beach or along the seashore in the evening while enjoying a pleasant beach-side atmosphere.

Overnight Stay in Colombo.

Enjoy a delicious breakfast with a hot cup of Sri Lankan tea or coffee before journeying through the stunning Sri Lankan countryside to Dambulla, which is the center of the island's cultural triangle.
En route visit Pinnawala Elephant orphanage.
The Pinnawala Elephant Orphanage is situated northwest of the town of Kegalle, halfway between the present capital Colombo and the ancient royal residence Kandy in the hills of central Sri Lanka. It was established in 1975 by the Sri Lanka wildlife department on a 25-acre coconut property near the Maha Oya River. The orphanage was originally founded in order to afford care and protection to the many orphaned Elephants found in the jungle.

Upon arrival at Dambulla, you'll enjoy a wonderful cultural village tour while exploring the beautiful countryside (ADMISSION FEES INCLUDED). It will start with a Bullock Cart ride, one of the most ancient and prime transportation systems in Sri Lanka, still used in some villages. While on the tour you will enjoy a canoeing boat ride across the lake and a pleasant TukTuk ride before reaching the farmer’s house where you will experience the typical Sri Lankan countryside hospitality.
Check in at the hotel.
Overnight stay in Dambulla.

Early Morning, you will be heading to Minneriya/Kaudulla National Park for a morning 4x4 jeep safari, since it is the best time to spot wild elephants in their natural habitat. If you're up for a serious rumble in the jungle, then Minneriya/Kaudulla is your ideal destination! Spreading over 8890 hectares, this park is mainly a sanctuary for elephants. It is always a pleasure to watch baby elephants playing at the lake. Among the 24 species of mammals resident in the park are Elephants, Leopards, Sloth Bear, Spotted Deer, Sambar Deer, Wild Buffalo, Wild Pig, Grey Langers, Purple-faced Leaf Monkey, three species of Mongoose, Porcupines, and Indian Pangolin. Minneriya National Park has recorded over 170 species of birds.
On completion proceed back to the hotel & have breakfast.
Afternoon, you will visit the famous Sigiriya Rock Fortress (UNESCO WORLD HERITAGE SITE), since it is the best time to witness and capture the sunset from the summit. King Kasyapa (477 – 495 AD) built his palace on the top of this rock and decorated its sides with colorful frescoes. Known as one of the wonders of the world due to the amazing architecture & technology being used.
Call it a day after checking into your hotel.

Thereafter, spend your evening on your own walking around and enjoying the surrounding nature. If you are interested, you would experience an Ayurvedic herbal massage.
Overnight stay in Dambulla.

After breakfast drive towards Kandy city. It is set on a plateau surrounded by mountains that are home to tea plantations and rainforests. Kandy is also famous for its sacred Buddhist sites, including the Temple of the Tooth Relic.
En route, visit the Dambulla cave temple. This UNESCO heritage site is the largest and the best-preserved cave temple complex in Sri Lanka.

Dambulla Rock Temple - was built by king Walagambahu in the 1st century B.C.  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 ceilings is the largest area of paintings 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.

Afternoon, visit the Temple of Tooth Relic (UNESCO WORLD HERITAGE SITE).

Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic is a Buddhist temple in the city of Kandy, Sri Lanka.  It is located in the royal palace complex of the former Kingdom of Kandy, which houses the relic of the tooth of the 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 Sri Lankan kings and is a World Heritage Site mainly due to the temple.

Evening, you’ll explore on your own walking around Kandy's city centre before engaging with a cultural dance show which is inspired by Sri Lankan arts, traditional dance, and cultural heritage.
Overnight stay in Kandy.

After breakfast, you'll be heading to Sri Lanka's tea region of Nuwara Eliya. This place is also referred to as 'little England' due to the presence of many colonial buildings in the area.
While driving through the cold and misty hills that host lush green tea plantations, stop at a tea factory to observe the rich tradition of making Ceylon tea kept alive up to date. Make sure to end your factory visit in style over a perfectly blended cup of tea.

Nuwara Eliya - is Sri Lanka's premier hill resort with a fine bracing mountain climate.  Nuwara Eliya is also the heart of Sri Lanka's tea country producing 50% of the world’s best tea.  Sri Lanka's highest mountain Pidurutalagala (8282 ft) is located here. Nuwara Eliya is the location for one of the finest 18-hole golf courses in Asia.

Nuwara Eliya is the final destination today. You can walk around in Nuwara Eliya's city center and visit its market on your own if you wish to.
Overnight stay in Nuwara Eliya.

Day at leisure. Utilize hotel facilities & walk around Nuwara Eliya Town.
Overnight stay in Nuwara Eliya.

In the morning, you will enjoy a spectacular train journey from Nanu-Oya station to Ella village. It is known as one of the most picturesque hill country train journeys in the world.

Ella is everyone’s favorite hill country village due to the fact that it’s a wonderful nature-friendly location. The Nine Arch Bridge, a major tourist attraction in Ella, is a massive bridge built entirely of solid rocks, bricks and cement without using a single piece of steel.

Evening, you could chill out at the village center where there are lots of restaurants, pubs and evening entertainment.
Overnight stay in Ella.

After breakfast, depart from Ella towards Yala National Park, the largest and most stunning National Park in Sri Lanka. Sri Lanka’s most known National Park is popular for elephants, leopards, bears, crocodiles and Wild boars. 97,800 hectares in extent, this is the second largest of Sri Lanka’s National Parks. Its open undulating terrain made it famous for elephants for many years, but recently the park has also received much fame through publicity by National Geographic and the Discovery TV channels, which focused on a leopard research/conservation and identification project. Claims have subsequently been made that Yala National Park has the world’s highest concentration of leopards per square kilometer. Vegetation is primarily grassland and shrub jungle with patches of dense growth while several salts and freshwater lagoons are a haven for a large variety of resident and migrant birds. Areas popular with leopards are rock-strewn hillocks with dense shrubs in which the animals hide.

Afternoon, enjoy a 4x4 jeep ride searching for leopards hanging on trees or whispering through the bushes, crocodiles patrolling the river or baby elephants drinking water and playing around under the evening sunset.
Overnight stay in Yala.

After a fantastic journey through the coconut palms, mountains, and waterfalls, you will finally arrive at the world-famous beachside of Sri Lanka. Bentota is a delightful sandy beach that was a well-kept secret in the past, but now few restaurants and pubs are opening up to visitors. It's a magnificent place characterized by white sands and coconut palms growing right from the edge of the sea as if in imitation of a postcard of a perfect tropical beach.

Upon arrival at your hotel, you may grab a towel to relax on the beach while enjoying a cocktail or a chill
Overnight stay in Bentota.

After breakfast, Visit a Turtle hatchery Farm. The Turtle Hatchery Project at Bentota Beach is another important attraction. Up to five endangered species of turtles have been frequenting a stretch on this undisturbed beach for a long time now. The turtles are allowed to hatch and thrive in a protected area before being set free.

Leave for a river cruise along the Madu Ganga, the estuary of the Madu Ganga River is a complex coastal ecosystem of mangroves and islands. It may be one of the last remaining tracts of pristine mangrove forests in Sri Lanka.

The boat trip is a wonderful way of seeing some of the hundreds of species of plants and animals – monkeys eat fruit in the trees, a water monitor lizard glides slowly through the water, and cormorants, egrets and kingfishers wait patiently on the banks, eyeing the water for prey.

There are around 64 islands in the river and lagoon, from a tiny speck housing a deserted shrine to one housing 250 families connected to the mainland with a very long footbridge. The main occupations of the local inhabitants are producing cinnamon and prawn fishing – if you take the trip in the evening, you will see the fishermen in their canoes lighting lanterns to attract the shellfish into their traps.
Overnight stay in Bentota

Breakfast at the hotel.

As all the good things must come to end, our chauffeur guide will take you to the airport to catch the departure flight