Sri Lanka, Land of Contrasts

DAY 1: COLOMBO
Arrival in Colombo, fastrack at the airport and private transfer with English-speaking driver guide to the hotel - journey of about 45 minutes. Accommodation for 2 nights, with breakfast.

Free day for independent activities.


DAY 2: COLOMBO
After breakfast at the hotel, meeting with Mark Forbes, a local resident of Sri Lanka (or one of his collaborators) and a half-day walking tour of the old part of the city, with an explanation of its development through the Portuguese, Dutch and British occupation.

Stop at the old Dutch hospital, a colonial treasure and former 17th century hospital, which has been completely renovated and is now a complex of bars, souvenir shops and restaurants.

Continue to Fort, the former British administrative center, and Pettah Bazaar, a market that sells everything from vegetables to electronics.

Return to the hotel and free time for independent activities.

In the afternoon, visit the Gangaramaya Temple, one of the most important in Colombo, and the Colombo National Museum.


DAY 3: COLOMBO - SIGIRIYA
Breakfast and check-out at the hotel. Travel to Sigiriya on a journey of about 4 hours. Arrival and accommodation for 2 nights, with half board (excluding drinks).

In the afternoon, visit the Sigiriya Fortress, with its 1,200 steps. Also known as Lion's Rock, it is a rock fortress built in the 5th century, which was once a castle of King Kashyapa and a Buddhist monastery in the 14th century.

Return to the hotel and dinner (without drinks).


DAY 4: SIGIRIYA - POLONNARUWA - MINNERIYA - SIGIRIYA
After breakfast at the hotel, departure to Polonnaruwa for a full-day private tour, with English-speaking driver and guide.

Polonnaruwa is the second oldest kingdom in Sri Lanka, declared capital by King Vijayabahu I in 1070. It is one of the best-planned archaeological sites in the country.

Then continue to Minneriya for a private Jeep safari through Minneriya National Park, famous for its elephants and other animal species such as birds, amphibians, reptiles and more than 78 butterflies. The park also has rare bamboo trees and is the habitat of two endemic monkeys to the country: the purple-faced Langur and the Macaca Sinica.

Note: depending on the time of year, the safari will be in a different national park - the Kaudulla National Park or the Eco Park, which are located in the same region DAY


5: SIGIRIYA - DAMBULLA - KANDY Breakfast and check-out at the hotel.
Travel to Kandy on a journey of about 3 hours, stopping at the Dambulla Cave Temple along the way.

The Dambulla Cave Temple, in Sri Lanka, is a rock-cut Buddhist complex with over 2,000 years of history. Considered a UNESCO World Heritage Site, it houses Buddha statues and religious paintings, making it one of the most important monasteries in the country.

Arrival in Kandy and accommodation for 1 night, with breakfast. Free time for independent activities.

In the afternoon, visit the Tooth Temple, one of the most important temples for Buddhists because it houses the relic of the Sacred Tooth of the Buddha.


DAY 6: KANDY - HATTON
Breakfast, check-out at the hotel and private transfer to Hatton, on a journey of about 3 hours.

Accommodation for 2 nights, with all inclusive. Free day for independent activities.


DAY 7: HATTON
After breakfast at the hotel, meet with a local representative for a tea experience, where you will get to know the hand-picked Ceylon Tea (Ceylon tea) up close.

Return to the hotel and free afternoon for independent activities.

Note: on this day the guide driver will be available for up to 80km.


DAY 8: HATTON - GALLE
Breakfast and check-out at the hotel. Journey of about 5 and a half hours to Galle.

Accommodation for 3 nights, with breakfast.


DAY 9: GALLE
Breakfast at the hotel and free morning for independent activities.

In the late afternoon, private city tour with an archaeologist, passing Galle Fort. This impressive fortress, originally built by the Portuguese and later fortified by the Dutch, remains standing today, with only a few changes, and is a living example of the interaction between European architecture and South Asian traditions during the 16th and 19th centuries.

After the tour, return to the hotel.


DAY 10: GALLE - AHANGAMA - GALLE
After breakfast at the hotel, visit a cinnamon plantation where you have the opportunity to learn about the method of growing and harvesting cinnamon and how a cinnamon tree can be transformed into the cinnamon sticks we bought.

During the visit, opportunity to watch a demonstration by one of the property's specialized peelers to see how this complex process is carried out.

Stop for a cinnamon-inspired lunch accompanied by fragrant cinnamon tea (paid locally).

Return to the hotel and free time for independent activities.

In the late afternoon, departure to the southern part of the island to observe and take photos of the famous stilt fishermen, an exclusive Sri Lankan tradition. The fishermen sit on a bar called petta that is attached to a stilt house a few meters above the sand and, from above, they cast their line and wait until a fish appears to be caught.


DAY 11: GALLE - COLOMBO
Breakfast and check-out at the hotel. Private transfer to Colombo airport (about 2 hours).