10 Day Classic Tour

General Information about the tour

Days:

10 Day Tour

Summary:

Introduction
This Classic itinerary takes you deep back into history. You will gain a better understanding of the island’s remarkably rich cultural and religious history that dates back 2,500 years. The itinerary is designed to uncover lesser known, but still entrancing remains of Sri Lanka’s cultural past. Of course, we are able to tinker with this itinerary and add an extra night here and there or even add a different hotel in order to suit your needs.

Holiday Highlights
Ruined cities of ancient kingdoms
Rock fortresses and hill-top palaces
Serene Buddhist cave temples
Kandy’s Temple of the Tooth
Train ride through tea-growing highlands
Palm fringed beaches and turquoise waters of the south

Tour Itinerary

DAY 01 ARRIVAL / COLOMBO

A.M. Arrival at Bandaranayake International Airport and transfer to Colombo.

P.M. City tour of Colombo.

Overnight stay in Colombo

DAY 02 COLOMBO / DAMBULLA

A.M. After breakfast proceed to the Millennium Elephant Foundation This is a private place in Pinnawela, in the proximity of the Elephant Orphanage .It functions as a hospital for domesticated elephants in need of veterinary care. Any visitor could get fully involved in the day to day activities of the organization. Also you could have a Elephant ride.

P.M. Travel to Dambulla in the North central region where you will experience your first Geoffrey Bawa creation Heritance Kandalama is a minimalist, contemporary hotel designed by Sri Lanka’s famous architect, Geoffrey Bawa who conceived it `as an austere jungle palace. Kandalama is luxurious and widely adored, but it is this slightly stern feel that tends to disappoint a small minority who prefer a warmer, more natural atmosphere. The minimalist interiors and the building itself are cleverly designed to blend into the landscape without interfering with the tranquil surroundings. Bawa’s design allows magnificent views of the ancient Sigiriya Rock, the surrounding mountains and the Kandalama Tank (reservoir). The hotel lies in attractive scrubland which is home to numerous species of birds, butterflies, monkeys, spotted deer and wild boar and it has won numerous environmental awards. Heritance Kandalama is truly a naturalists dream. It is used by some large up market package groups. Heritance Kandalama is one of Sri Lanka’s most sought-after hotels. It snakes along a rocky outcrop on the edge of the ancient Kandalama reservoir. The hotel is favorably positioned in the cultural triangle, laying only a short drive from the Dambulla cave temples and Sigiriya lion rock. The ruined cities of Polonnaruwa

Overnight stay in Dambulla

DAY 03. DAMBULLA /POLONNARUWA /DAMBULLA

A.M. After breakfast head to Polonnaruwa the famous medieval capital. After visiting Polannaruwa museum visit Polannaruwa itself. Polonnuruwa became Sri Lanka’s royal medieval capital in 1073 and remained Sri Lanka’s capital until the late 13th century. Today, the ancient city’s ruins remain in remarkably good nick, and are a fascinating site to visit. The most impressive are the ancient sculptures of Lord Buddha at the Gal Viahara cut into Granite stone dating back to the middle of the 12th century. The entire sculpture consists of four colossal statues of Buddha; a samadhi image in meditation posture, a seated Buddha image inside a cave, a standing Buddha image which is 23 ft in height, and recumbent Buddha image measuring 46 ft, depicting the passing away.

P.M. Elephant back safari in Dambulla sanctuary.

Overnight stay in Dambulla

DAY 04 DAMBULLA/SIGIRIYA/DAMBULLA

A.M. After breakfast climb the Sigiriya Rock fortress.Sigiriya Rock is another of Sri Lanka’s UNESCO world heritage sites and no matter how often you climb to the summit of this one-time fortress of the murderous, maverick, yet brilliant Sinhalese king, Kassapa, the pleasure barely diminishes. Many scholars believe that Kassapa sought to rule as a God-king. About two hours can happily be spent walking through its water gardens, and then up the steep steps ; either hewn out of the rock or on circular iron staircases past the frescoes. You will be in no rush to abandon the spectacular views at the summit.

P.M. Visit Dambulla the largest Cave Temple is also a must-see with its rock ceiling covered in one large sweep of colorful frescoes, some of which dates back to over 2,000 years. This cave temple has the largest number of Buddha statues all housed in one place including a 14 meter long, colossal figure of the recumbent Buddha carved out of the rock.

Overnight stay in Dambulla

DAY 05 DAMBULLA / KANDY

A.M. After breakfast proceed to Kandy via Knuckles mountain range capital of the hill country. officially a city, but more a lakeside hill town has so much appeal. The sacred tooth relic of Lord Buddha is enshrined here since 4th century A.D. within the Dalanda Maligawa, also known as the Temple of the Tooth. The temple has decorative walls, a golden roof and fine woodwork.

P.M.At leisure.

Overnight stay in Kandy

DAY 06 KANDY

A.M. After breakfast visit the Royal Botanical Gardens in Peradeniya with its orchid collection and formally laid-out trees.

P.M. Visit the Temple of the Tooth and view a cultural dance performance. The Temple of the Tooth (Dalada Maligawa) contains the most sacred relic of Buddhism and the most precious symbol of Sinhalese pride. Carried around by The ancient king, the tooth in question has witnessed all manners of calamities.

Overnight stay in Kandy

DAY 07 KANDY /NUWARA ELIYA

A.M. After breakfast you hop on aboard a train and head to Nanu Oya in the tea-growing Southern Highlands ; a land of lush tea plantations, majestic peaks and rushing waterfalls.

P.M. At leisure or play golf (optional)

Overnight stay in Nuwara Eliya

DAY 08. NUWARA ELIYA

A.M. After breakfast visit Horton plains national park / world end, Horton Plains, Sri Lanka’s highest and most isolated plateau. This is a fascinating place, a mixture of open grassy expanses and patches of forest, much of the latter festooned with epiphytes. The scenery is spectacular and on clear days it is possible to see the distant summit of Adam’s Peak. At World’s End, the plateau drops steeply to the plains over 1,000 meters below and this becomes a swirling cauldron of cloud as the day progresses.

P.M. Visit Hakgala Botanical gardens.
Perched underneath the shadow of the Hakgala or Jaw Tooth rock, at an elevation of 1,670m, the beautifully landscaped Hakgala Botanical Gardens spread over nearly 3 sq kms. With magnificent views of the surrounding hills and the jungles of the Hakgala Nature Reserve, the gardens are filled with roses and orchids, eucalyptus, pine and camphor, fruit and scented herbs and rare ferns, an array of flowers and foliage from Sri Lanka and different parts of the world. An eminent British Botanist founded the Hakgala Botanical Gardens in 1860.

Overnight stay in Nuwara Eliya

DAY 09. NUWARA ELIYA / BENTOTA

A.M. After breakfast leave the hills and journey to the south west coast where you will spend the night in Bentota. This area in the South coastal village of Bentota offers a range of water sports including surfing, snorkeling, diving and water-skiing.

P.M. At leisure

Overnight stay in a south coast beach hotel