Sri Lankan Discovery

Kandy is the home of The Temple of the Tooth Relic (Sri Dalada Maligawa), one of the most venerable places for the Buddhist community of Sri Lanka and all around the world. It was declared a world heritage site by UNESCO.

Thereafter proceed to Peradeniya & visit the Royal Botanical Gardens. This botanical garden was first built as a pleasure garden by a Sinhala king and was expanded by the British. It is 147 acres in extent and provides an amazing variety of trees, plants and flowers.

Post lunch, we proceed to Nuwara Eliya. Kandy – Nuwara Eliya road cuts through paddy fields and seamless tea plantations, the road claws its way up winding (nearly 1400m), rounding over the rings of hills and is one of the most scenic roads in Sri Lanka. Enroute, the Ramboda Falls (108m) is a beautiful sight.

Here we can see tea factory which is a hub for fresh varieties of teas. It provides a tour of the production facility, different grades of tea, and the processes of each type. They even have tea tasting for each guest afterwards and can shop for the same as well.

Overnight stay at hotel in Nuwara Eliya.

Today we trek 9.5 km, a leisurely 3 hrs hike in the Horton Plains National Park, the only national park in Sri Lanka where visitors are allowed to walk on their own. The Horton Plains is a beautiful, silent, strange world with some excellent hikes in the shadows of Sri Lanka’s second and third highest mountains, Kirigalpotta (2389m) and Thotupola (2357m).

Nuwara Eliya sightseeing: Visit Seetha Amman Temple which is located approximately 5 km from Nuwara Eliya. The temple is located in the village of Seetha Eliya (also known as Sita Eliya). This place is believed to be the site where Sita was held captive by demon king Ravana, and where she prayed daily for Rama to come and rescue her in the Hindu epic, Ramayana.

Then we move towards Gregory Lake which was built under the period of British Governor Sir William Gregory in 1873. This is the most prominent attraction in Nuwara Eliya. Then we visit the Victoria Park which is a public park located in Nuwara Eliya. Originally the park was the research field of Hakgala Botanical Garden. It is one of the five botanical gardens in Sri Lanka. The other four are Peradeniya Botanical Garden, Henarathgoda Botanical Garden, Mirijjawila Botanical Garden and Seetawaka Botanical Garden. It is the second largest garden in Sri Lanka.

Overnight stay at hotel in Nuwara Eliya.

Today we take sceinic train ride from Nuwara Eliya to reach Ella. Entire journey take you through magnificent view of tea plantations and green nature. Train leaves Nuwara Eliya at 12:30 pm & reaches Ella at 03:00 pm. Proceed to hotel from Ella station.

Ravana Waterfalls, Ella: This waterfall measures approximately (82 ft) in height and cascades from an oval-shaped concave rock outcrop. During the local wet season, the waterfall turns into what is said to resemble an areca flower with withering petals. But this is not the case in the dry season, where the flow of water reduces dramatically. The fall is located 6 km (3.7 miles) away from the local railway station at Ella.

Overnight stay at hotel in Ella.

Post breakfast, we check out and proceed to Yala National Park. Yala is one of the prime national parks of Sri Lanka, famous for its leopards. Post our lunch we can enjoy a safari in the park. Overnight stay at hotel in Yala.

Tucked away in the South East corner of Sri Lanka, is the Yala National Park. The ‘Plains’ of Yala are large open glades of many acres that are grassy and dotted with thorny trees and scrub. Interspersed in all this are a few water holes which are ideal places to watch a variety of wildlife. Another feature in Yala scene is the large rocky outcrops strewn with boulders, a favourite haunt of Leopards and bears. The big four of Sri Lanka (elephant, leopard, bear and wild buffalo), are found here. Apart from these one can see sambars, spotted deer, barking deer, wild boars, grey langurs, toque macaque, crocodiles, mongoose and a variety of birds.

Post lunch we start for Galle. Overnight stay at hotel in Galle.

Galle, this charming beach town will definitely take you back in time when the Dutch roamed streets of Galle. One of the main highlights is Galle Fort, which offers a charming reminder of the Dutch colonial era. Constructed in 1663, the fort encompasses a remarkable collection of European architectural structures and Sri Lankan traditions, and was named a World Heritage Site in 1988.

Options available: An early morning trip for whale watching (approx. 6 hrs), Galle sightseeing, Cycling tours in and around Galle, etc.

Post breakfast we leave Galle for Bentota. Enroute we visit the Turtle Hatchery Project, the prime turtle-nesting site, which was opened by Wildlife Protection Society in 1981. Here, visitors can see huge tanks filled with new-born turtle hatchlings. After being fed, the baby turtles are taken to the sea and released when they are 2-4 days old, usually during the safer hours of darkness.  A visit to the turtle hatchery is a must for nature lovers. Then we go for boat ride in Madu River. Drive further to Beruwala. Overnight stay at hotel in Beruwala.

Colombo is Sri Lanka’s capital and its major port, and draws together all the colors and cultures that make up the island nature before condensing it all into a patchwork of gardens, markets and buildings both grand and humble, all against a backdrop of the beachfront. Then free time for shopping. We then drive to Colombo airport for taking a flight back to India.

End of Arrangements…