A 14 days 15 nights tour with highlights…
● Dambulla Cave Temple and Sigiriya
● Kandy and the Pinnawela Elephant Orphanage
● Tea plantations in the hill country
● Relaxing on a white-sand beach in the beautiful Maldives
Day 1
Colombo Airport to Sigiriya
On arrival in Sri Lanka, please clear immigration, collect your luggage then proceed through the customs green channel to the arrival lobby. We will be waiting in the designated area with a paging board. You will then be escorted to the vehicle park for your transfer to Sigiriya (flight ETA presumed before 9am).
Transfer to Sigiriya (4 hours).
Visit the Dambulla Cave Temple. Dambulla, the centre point of Sri Lanka, is a town built around a vast isolated 500 ft rock mass and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The rock features caves, statues and ancient frescoes, and the view from the top is breathtaking.
Check in to hotel.
Accommodation: Water Garden Sigiriya
Day 2
Sigiriya
- Visit and climb Sigiriya Rock fortress. Considered the 8th wonder of the world, Sigiriya was built in 5th century AD by King Kasyappa and boasts the world-famous frescoes of women carved on the sheer rock face
- Climb the rock fortress and marvel at the feats of architecture achieved in the moats, the lion’s paw and finally at the summit of the rock, where the palace was situated
- Afterwards, visit the Pink Quartz Mountain, where it is believed that pink quartz was taken from to build the Taj Mahal in India
- The Jathika Namal Uyana in Sri Lanka is the largest ironwood forest and pink quartz mountain in Asia. The Ironwood Tree is endemic to Sri Lanka and the replanted forest is over 260 acres. According to archaeological findings, the pink quartz in this historical place dates back more than 550 million years
Accommodation: Water Garden Sigiriya
Day 3
Sigiriya to Kandy
Transfer to Kandy (3 hours).
Kandy’s main attraction is the Dalada Maligawa, also known as the Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic of the Buddha. Brought to Sri Lanka in the 4th c. A.D., the sacred relic has ever since been the symbol of sovereignty for its rulers and is always enshrined in great splendour. Kandy’s Dalada Maligawa is a magnificent shrine, with decorative walls, moat, turrets, golden roof and fine wood-work. Three religious services (pooja) held daily at dawn, mid-day and in the evening, accompanied by traditional music can be viewed by visitors.
Visitors also have the chance to witness a colorful Kandyan dance performance.
Accommodation: Villa Rosa
Day 4
Kandy
- In the morning, take a stroll around the lake and visit the Peradeniya Royal Botanical Gardens, the largest botanical gardens in Sri Lanka and the finest of its kind in Asia. It’s a leisurely walk in a circular fashion, which you can do independently or with a resident botanist.
- In the afternoon, visit the Pinnawela Elephant Orphanage where you will see baby elephants being bathed and fed. This organisation was set up to rescue and care for captive Asian elephants in Sri Lanka. It is situated on the 15-acre Samaragiri estate
Return to your hotel.
Accommodation: Villa Rosa
Day 5
Kandy to Hatton
Transfer to Hatton (3 hours).
Before checking in to your hotel, visit a working tea factory to witness the art of tea-making en route.
Ceylon Tea Trails
The hotel, Ceylon Tea Trails, comprises five restored historic tea planter residences, called bungalows, perched at an altitude of 1250 meters in Sri Lanka’s panoramic Ceylon tea region. The 27 rooms & suites with period furnishings, gracious butler service, and gourmet cuisine create an ambience that has made Tea Trails the gold standard for luxury in Sri Lanka. Each bungalow is unique and offers guests the non-hotel, private house ambience that is the hallmark of the award-winning Tea Trails experience.
Accommodation: Ceylon Tea Trails
Meals: All-inclusive basis
Day 6
Hatton
Day at your leisure. Enjoy the cooler climate of the mountains by relaxing in the gardens, or stroll between bungalows through the plantations.
Accommodation: Ceylon Tea Trails
Meals: All-inclusive basis
Day 7
Hatton to Colombo
Transfer to Colombo (4 1⁄2 hours).
Check into your hotel in the city.
Rest of the day at leisure.
Accommodation: Maniumpathy Colombo
Day 8
Colombo Airport to the Maldives!
Transfer to Colombo Airport for your flight to the Maldives (international flight as per your own arrangement and excluded from tour price).
You will be met at Malé airport, and a private speedboat transfer will take you to your hotel.
Accommodation: Fushifaru
Day 9-14
Maldives
Relax at your hotel and enjoy the white-sand beaches and turquoise sea.
Accommodation: Fushifaru
Day 15
Departure
Speedboat transfer back to Malé.
Fly to Colombo Airport to catch a connecting flight.