Sri Lanka ancient cities, highlands and safari
| country: | Sri Lanka |
| departures: | This trip can be tailormade throughout the year (best time to go is April to November) and can be adapted to suit your requirements as necessary |
| price: | From £800 (14 days) excluding flights. Price includes twin sharing, half board accommodation, airport transfers, A/C car with English speaking chauffeur guide, entrance tickets and safari jeep hire |
the amazing things you'll be doing
If you’re looking for a holiday that helps you to relax your senses and stretch out in comfort, then Sri Lanka is an island that has many highlights to fulfil your dream.
Many of Sri Lanka's ancient temples, dating to pre-Christian periods, are still flourishing in a Buddhist and Hindu culture that is still vibrantly alive. The island is referred to as Buddha's Island, in reflection of its long association with Buddhism and the impact the religion has on the physical landscape as well as the social and political fabric of its society. The legacy of ancient cultures is much in evidence in the hundreds of ancient man made lakes that dot the country, especially so in the dry lowlands, some of which have been in continuous use for over 2000 years.
From the sublime rock cut sculptures at the Gal Vihara in Polonnaruwa to the sheer hedonistic delight of the fratricidal King Kasyappa who sought to reconstruct heaven on an isolated rock monolith at Sigiriya, early Sri Lanka has many examples of having been an artistic society. The amazing tea plantation estates and beautiful landscape in the highlands add beauty and variety to this whole tour.
Sri Lanka is an island, which defies convention. According to classic island bio-geographic theory, small islands don't have large mammals. Unfortunately for theory Sri Lanka is an exception, as the largest terrestrial mammal in Asia, the Asian Elephant, is found on the island. The leopard is elusive all over the world and almost impossible to see in most of Asia. In Sri Lanka, the leopard is the top cat and reigns supreme. Unchallenged by lions or tigers, it can be seen at times having a siesta on the road under the shade of a tree at Yala National Park. Being driven by a professionally trained and licensed tour guide is the best way to explore this beautiful island.
Best time to go: April to November is good to visit the cultural triangle, while witnessing The Gathering of elephants and leopards cubs having a siesta at Yala during dry weather.
Many of Sri Lanka's ancient temples, dating to pre-Christian periods, are still flourishing in a Buddhist and Hindu culture that is still vibrantly alive. The island is referred to as Buddha's Island, in reflection of its long association with Buddhism and the impact the religion has on the physical landscape as well as the social and political fabric of its society. The legacy of ancient cultures is much in evidence in the hundreds of ancient man made lakes that dot the country, especially so in the dry lowlands, some of which have been in continuous use for over 2000 years.
From the sublime rock cut sculptures at the Gal Vihara in Polonnaruwa to the sheer hedonistic delight of the fratricidal King Kasyappa who sought to reconstruct heaven on an isolated rock monolith at Sigiriya, early Sri Lanka has many examples of having been an artistic society. The amazing tea plantation estates and beautiful landscape in the highlands add beauty and variety to this whole tour.
Sri Lanka is an island, which defies convention. According to classic island bio-geographic theory, small islands don't have large mammals. Unfortunately for theory Sri Lanka is an exception, as the largest terrestrial mammal in Asia, the Asian Elephant, is found on the island. The leopard is elusive all over the world and almost impossible to see in most of Asia. In Sri Lanka, the leopard is the top cat and reigns supreme. Unchallenged by lions or tigers, it can be seen at times having a siesta on the road under the shade of a tree at Yala National Park. Being driven by a professionally trained and licensed tour guide is the best way to explore this beautiful island.
Best time to go: April to November is good to visit the cultural triangle, while witnessing The Gathering of elephants and leopards cubs having a siesta at Yala during dry weather.
day-by-day itinerary
| Day 1: | Colombo. Arrival in Sri Lanka and transfer to the elegant Galle Face Regency, Colombo for one night. If time of arrival permits, city tour of Colombo. |
| Day 2: | Anuradhapura. After breakfast, drive to Anuradhapura, ancient capital. You would be visiting the Sri Maha Bodhi, (Sacred Bo-tree), Abayagiri Dagaba, and the tallest stupa in the world. You will also visit the Aukana Statue. Overnight at Palm Garden Village, Anuradhapura for one night. |
| Day 3: | Polonnaruwa. After breakfast leave for Giritale Hotel, Polonnaruwa for two nights. Afternoon, visit Polonnaruwa (A UNESCO World Heritage Site), the medieval capital of Sri Lanka. Visit the world famous rock-cut Buddha statues of Gal Vihara and the Parakrama Samudra (‘Sea of Parakrama’) a 2500-hectare man made reservoir built by King Parakramabahu I (1153 –1186 AD) with a capacity of 134 million cubic metres. |
| Day 4: | Sigiriya & Minneriya NP. Morning, visit Sigiriya Rock Fortress, which was the pleasure capital of a single king called Kashyapa in the 5th century A.D. Afternoon, safari at Minneriya National Park to witness “The Gathering” of elephants. During August and November, over 300 elephants gather on the receding shores of the Minneriya Tank. ‘The Gathering’ of Elephants at Minneriya is one of those awesome spectacles, which should rank alongside better-known wildlife spectacles such as the migration of wildebeest in Africa. |
| Day 5: | Kandy. After breakfast leave for Hunas Falls Hotel, Kandy for two nights. En route visit, Dambulla Cave Temple, which is famous for its rock paintings and rock temples and is one of the most important sites for Buddhist pilgrimage. Afternoon, visit Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic, Kandy, which is an object of veneration to Buddhists and the most important sacred relic in the country. Late evening, walk in the Kandy town. |
| Day 6: | Kandy. Morning, visit Gadaladeniya Buddhist Temple, see the beautiful carved figures of Siva as Nataraja in the dancing attitude and Krishna the Eternal Musician playing a Flute and the carvings of the Dancers, Drummers and the others playing musical instruments. Also visit, Embekke. Afternoon, visit Royal Botanical Gardens. |
| Day 7: | Nuwara Eliya. After breakfast leave for St. Andrew’s Hotel, Nuwara Eliya for two nights. En route, visit Mackwoods Tea Factory. |
| Day 8: | Horton Plains & Hakgala. Morning, visit Horton Plains National Park to see Cloud Forests and rare montane fauna, which include the endemic Rhino-horned Lizard, which was featured in Charles Darwin's monumental work on evolution, Bear Monkey, Giant Squirrel and Sambhur. Walk though the grasslands and Cloud Forests to a popular viewpoint know as World's End, which is an escapement with a 870 m drop. We also look for endemic birds Yellow-eared Bulbul and Sri Lanka Hill White-eye and Dull blue Flycatcher. Afternoon, visit Hakgala Botanical Gardens. Here we look for the highland races of Purple-faced Leaf Monkey and Toque Macaque. The Toques brim with self-confidence and may approach visitors! |
| Day 9: | Yala. After breakfast leave for Elephant Reach Hotel, Yala for two nights. Afternoon, visit Sithulpahuwa Temple. |
| Day 10: | Yala NP. Morning and afternoon safari at Yala National Park. Research on leopards in Yala Block 1 has shown it has one of the highest densities of leopards in the world. Yala is the best place in Asia to see leopards. Other large animals you may see include Elephant, Sloth Bear, Mugger Crocodile, Spotted Deer, Sambhur, Barking Deer, Wild Boar, Wild Buffalo, Jackal, Grey Langur and Mongoose. |
| Day 11: | Galle. After breakfast leave for Lighthouse Hotel & Spa, Galle for two nights. En route, we stop to watch the still fishermen at Weligama. Afternoon, relaxation by the beach. |
| Day 12: | Galle Dutch Fort. Morning, city tour of the colonial Galle city, we will visit the Galle Dutch Fort which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Afternoon, visit Hikkaduwa Beach for a glass boat safari. |
| Day 13: | Negombo. After breakfast leave for Seashells Hotel, Negombo for one night. En route, visit Kosgoda Turtle Hatchery. |
| Day 14: | Departure. Transfer to International Airport. |
travelling with a local operator
This holiday is operated by a company based in the holiday destination and they will be able to provide expert local knowledge. They will be able to tailor make your holiday to suit your requirements not only concerning the dates of travel but also typically the standard of accommodation, and thus price. It is rare for local operators to be able to help with the booking of your flights.how this holiday makes a difference
|
Throughout this whole trip you will come across different communities of people in different parts of the island, one thing you will find common among them are that they’re friendly and always willing to welcome you to their own village.
For lunch we will take you to some of the restaurants run by local people, who have set up these restaurants with the expectation of generating their daily revenue through your visit. We will hire safari jeeps from local village persons so that their fleet of safari jeeps are put to work, the revenue helps them to repay the capital borrowed to purchase these jeeps. We have a policy of paying all our suppliers promptly, without delaying payments to maximise interest income to ease company cash flows. We recognise that for small local suppliers prompt payments are critical. At a suitable point during the tour we will advise you to visit “Yala Fund” which is a UK charity set up in the aftermath of the 2004 Boxing Day tsunami. It raises money to alleviate financial hardship and suffering with a particular focus on Sri Lanka. The name 'Yala' comes from Yala National Park in southeastern Sri Lanka. The charity helps tsunami communities as well as impoverished rural schools and other deserving causes. You will be driven and guided by Sri Lanka Tourist Board licensed guides who are reliable, patient, friendly and knowledgeable. Our tour guides will not force you for touristy shopping; they will help you with useful advice only when you seek their help for shopping.  Proceeds of each entrance fee ticket we purchase to take you to the sites mentioned in the tour are used to the maintenance and upliftment of the same sites. All the hotels listed in the tour have strict environmental policies towards recycling water, designated smoking areas, waste management etc. Your visit on this trip will certainly help many Sri Lankans who directly or indirectly depend on tourism to sustain their revenue stream. |
Tourism can be good and bad for destinations & local people. We carefully screen every holiday against our criteria for responsible travel. 'Look behind the brochure' to find how each holiday makes a difference (see left). We don't claim to be perfect - there is no global accreditation - but we've led the way since 2001 and screened 1000's of holidays. We invite every traveller to write a review about their experiences and responsible tourism. This valuable feedback is sent to the people who run the holidays. We keep a very close eye on it and take off holidays that don't live up to our standards. |