Sri Lanka Tours

Tours in Sri Lanka

Adventure Tour

Day 1 : Colombo
At the Hotel Ceylon Inter-Continental. Afternoon city-tour. Colombo is the commercial capital of Sri Lanka with a population of 1,1 million. The Fort, in the very centre of the city, is where most of the colonial remnants, mainly from the British era are still to be found. Nearby Pettah is Colombo's busiest and most traditional bazaar, a mosaic of human activities and architectural memories. Cinnamon Gardens is the most prestigious residential area.

Day 2 : Colombo - Kandy
After breakfast you leave Colombo and the coast and drive along a busy high-way into the interior of the island, past paddy fields, palm groves and coconut plantations. In Pinnewela you visit the elephant orphanage, where about seventy elephants are well looked after, mostly young animals that have been found throughout the country sick and abandoned by their herd and brought to Pinnewela. If you are lucky, you can watch the feeding or the daily bath in the river of the jumbos. After this visit the road begins to ascend gradually. You stop for a short visit at a rubber factory, where you will learn in detail, how the milky sap called latex is treated to become raw rubber. Another stop will be made at a spice garden; where you see many unknown trees, bushes and plants. After this stop you will enjoy a beautiful panoramic view of the central highland with its hills and mountains. At noon you reach, the old royal city of Kandy situated at 5'000 m, beautifully nestled between green hills. In its very centre lies a small artificial lake and the palace of the last Singhalese king which has become a temple and the most holiest shrine in Sri Lanka, where the tooth relic of the Lord Buddha is highly venerated. Check-in and lunch at the Hotel Queens or Hotel Suisse. In the late afternoon short city-tour of Kandy with visit to a lapidary. In the evening we shall pay a visit to the temple of the holy tooth. After the temple visit you have the opportunity to attend a dance performance, where you will see the famous Kandyan dances, as well as up-country and devil dances. Dinner and overnight at the Hotel Queens or Hotel Suisse, Kandy.

Day 3 : Kandy
In the morning after breakfast visit of the world-famous Botanical Garden Pera-deniya. The park dates back to1371 under the reign of king Vikrama Bahu III when he held court here. The English put the cornerstone of the present garden in 1821. During the Second World Warthe garden served as the headquarters of Earl Mountbatten, the supreme commander of the allied forces in Southeast Asia who later became the last Viceroy of India. You will find in the garden a very large variety of orchids, spice trees, palms, bushes, as well as tropical plantsand flowers of all type. Lunch at your hotel. Afternoon at leisure, dinner and overnight.

Day 4 : Kandy - Bandarawela
After breakfast you leave Kandy. From Peradeniya the road starts steadily to ascend and at noon, shortly before reaching Nuwara Eliya, you will have climbed 1'500 m. You are now in the tea-country; wherever you look, you will see tea plantations, the rich full green of thousands and thousands of tea bushes. And out of the green in regular intervals the white coloured tea factories will enchant your eyes. Occasionally you can see a few rice fields and near villages, vegetable plantations or gardens. Lunch at the Grand Hotel, Nuwara Eliya. During the British rule, the Grand Hotel was the summer palace of the English governor. The small resort town of Nuwara Eliya, situated at 2070 m above sea level, lies on a little lake and is surrounded by mountains covered over and over by tea bushes. At the town boundaries there are a lot of vegetable planta- tions and flower fields, but also along the roads of Nuwara Eliya and in most of its gardens flowers are blooming. After lunch the journey descends to the town of Bandarawela at 1200 m, which you willreach in the late afternoon. Dinner and overnight at the Orient Hotel. Whenever possible, we shall do our best, to allow you to make the journey from Peradeniya to Bandarawela by train. A journey by train through the tea-country, past waterfalls, mountain creeks and through the tea planta- tions is something very special! With no more then 40 km the train drives uphill and masters the severest inclines by means of impressive tunnels. Your driver brings you in Pera-deniya to the railroad station and waits for you upon your arrival in Bandarawela. You will take your lunch packet along from the hotel and have lunch on the train.

Day 5 : Bandarawela - Kuda - Oya
After breakfast at the hotel you leave Bandarawela to the south, passing tea and vegetable plantations, occasionally a waterfall, forests and many small villages and hamlets. From the descending road you have again and again a beautiful view to the mountains and into the valleys. After reaching the plain you will again see coconut and rubber plantations and the familiar paddy fields. At noon you will reach for lunch the Task Safari Camp situated by a small flowing river, surrounded by jungle. Accommodation in the camp will be in insect proof canvas tents, equipped with simple beds with pillows and clean linen, tables and chairs. Each tent has an attached shower and toilet. Meals are on full board basis with a choice of American or Sri Lankan breakfast. Lunch is a typical rice and curry served in traditional clay pots followed by a barbecue style dinner. A wide array of luscious tropical fresh fruit and home made yoghurts and treacle would add to the meals offered in the camp. A selection of fine wines and beverages from a well stocked bar and a superb personalized service by courteous well-trained staff will make you feel utterly pampered. Sitting around a campfire, relishing a drink of your choice and enjoying the sheer silence around you disturbed intermittently by the intrinsic sounds of the wilderness will make you appreciate the mysterious yet hauntingly beautiful serenity of a typical night out in the forests of Sri Lanka. After lunch you will drive to the Uda Walawe National Park, where you will change to a Land Rover and go into the park on a photo-safari, accompanied by an experienced ranger from Wildlife Department. After the safari you return to the camp. For dinner there will be, if weather permits, a barbecue at the river side.

Day 6 : Kuda Oya  - Koggala
After breakfast you will leave the camp and drive to the south, the closer you get to the coast, the countryside becomes more and more barren and near to the sea, you will see along the road many salt-fields from which salt is produced. At Dondora you will reach the most southern point of the island and continue in westerly direction along large, beautiful, white,palm-fringed beaches. You will reach Koggala at noon. Check in and lunch at the Koggala Beach Hotel. - Afternoon at leisure at the beach of Koggala.Dinner and overnight at your hotel.

Day 7 : Koggala - Colombo
You will leave Koggala after breakfast, a short drive takes you for a visit to the old city of Galle The fort with its impressive great rampart is well preserved. In 1505 the Portuguese took the town from the Singhalese king and built large fortifications which they called Santa Cruz. In 1640 the Dutch stormed the fortress. They later incorporated the remains of the Portuguese fortification in an imposing new fort for the protection of the harbour and the sea routes. On the way to Colombo you will be passing through well known resorts as Hikkaduwa, Bentota, Beruwala, Kalutara. There are still a lot of things to be seen, for instance the "toddy-tappers", young men who climb high into the trees to collect the sweet, milky sap of the coconut blossom, or one of the many turtle hatcheries. In the evening you will reach Colombo. Accommodation and overnight at the Hotel Ceylon Inter-Continental. Day 8 - Colombo. Breakfast at your hotel and end of tour.

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Hill Country Tour

Day 1 : Colombo
Stay in Colombo at one of the first-class Hotels, in the afternoon city-tour. Colombo is the commercial capital of Sri Lanka with a population of 1,1 million. The Fort, in the very centre of the city, is where most of the colonial remnants, mainly from the British era are still to be found. Nearby Pettah is Colombo's busiest and most traditional bazaar, a mosaic of human activities and architectural memories. Cinnamon Gardens is the most prestigious residential area.

Day 2 : Colombo - Kandy
After breakfast you leave Colombo and the coast and drive along a busy highway into the interior of the island, past paddy fields, palm-groves and coconut plantations. In Pinnewela you visit the elephant-orphanage, where about seventy elephants are well looked after, mostly young animals that have been found throughout the country sick and abandoned by their herd and brought to Pinnewela. If you are lucky, you can watch the feeding or the daily bath in the river of the jumbos.After this visit the road begins to ascend gradually. You stop for a short visit at a rubber factory, where you will learn in detail, how the milky sap called latex is treated to become raw rubber. Another stop will be made at a spice garden; where you see many unknown trees, bushes and plants. After this stop you will enjoy a beautiful panoramic view of the central highland with its hills and mountains. At noon you reach, the old royal city of Kandy situated at 500 m, beautifully nestled between green hills. In its very centre lies a small artificial lake and the palace of the last Singhalese king which has become a temple and the most holiest shrine in Sri Lanka, where the tooth relic of the Lord Buddha is highly venerated. Check-in and lunch at the Hotel Suisse or Hotel Queens.In the late afternoon short city-tour of Kandy with visit to a lapidary. In the evening we shall pay a visit to the temple of the holy tooth. After the temple visit you have the opportunity to attend a dance performance, where you will see the famous Kandyan dances, as well as up-country and devil dances. Dinner and overnight at the Hotel Suisse or Hotel Queens.

Day 3 : Kandy
In the morning after breakfast visit of the world-famous Botanical Garden Peradeniya. The park dates back to 1371 under the reign of king Vikrama Bahu III when he held court here. The English put the cornerstone of the present garden in 1821. During the Second World War the garden served as the headquarters of Earl Mountbatten, the supreme commander of the allied forces in Southeast Asia who became later the last Viceroy of India. You will find in the garden a very large variety of orchids, spice trees, palms, bushes, as well as tropical plants and flowers of all type.Lunch at the Hotel Suisse or Hotel Queens. Afternoon free for personal activities. Dinner and overnight at your hotel.

Day 4 : Kandy - Nuwara Eliya
After breakfast you leave Kandy from Peradeniya the road starts to ascend steadily and at noon, shortly before reaching Nuwara Eliya, you will have climbed 1'500 m. You are now in the tea-country; wherever you look, you will see tea plantations, the rich full green of thousands and thousands of tea bushes. And out of the green in regular intervals the white-coloured tea factories will enchant your eyes. Occasionally you can see a few rice fields and near the villages, vegetable plantations or gardens.Whenever possible we shall do our best to organize your trip from Peradeniya to Nanuoya by train. A journey by train through the tea-country, past waterfalls, mountain creeks and through the tea plantations is something very special!! With no more than 40 km the train drives uphill and masters the severest inclines by means of impressive tunnels. Your driver brings you in Peradeniya to the railroad station and waits for you upon your arrival in Nanuoya (at about 2 PM). The drive from Nanuoya up to your hotel in Nuwara Eliya takes about half an hour.The small resort town of Nuwara Eliya, situated at 2070 m above sea level, lies on a little lake and is surrounded by mountains covered over and over by tea bushes. At the town boundaries there are a lot of vegetable plan-tations and flower fields, but also along the roads of Nuwara Eliya and in most of its gardens flowers are blooming.(Late) lunch, dinner and overnight at the Grand Hotel or Windsor Hotel, Nuwara Eliya.Should it not be possible to take the train, the journey up to Nuwara Eliya will be done by car. After lunch at the hotel you would have the opportunity to visit the Hakgala botanical garden with its collection of sub-tropical trees, bushes and smaller plants and its well - known rose garden.

Day 5 : Horton Plains
After breakfast in the hotel, you leave for an excursion to the Horton Plains, the most beautiful plateau in Sri Lanka. The variety of its manifold tropical and sub-tropical flowers, plants, bushes, trees, birds, and butterflies are remarkable. A walk over the plateau to World's End, considered the finest view in all of Sri Lanka, is a must, here the terrific escarpment drops vertically for about 1500 m. On a clear day one can see the Indian Ocean about 80 km to the south. You can choose to return to the hotel for late lunch or take your lunch package with you and stay longer on the plateau. Today you will also visit a tea factory where you will learn in details, how the green tea leaves are treated to become high-quality Ceylon Tea. Dinner and overnight at the Grand Hotel or Windsor Hotel, Nuwara Eliya.

Day 6 : Nuwara Eliya - Colombo
You leave Nuwara Eliya after breakfast and drive in western direction towards the coast, passing at first tea and vegetable plantations, waterfalls, forests and small settlements. From the descending road you have now and then a fabulous panoramic view to the surrounding mountains and hills and into the many valleys. After reaching the plain you see again paddy fields, coconut and rubber plantations. In the evening you reach Colombo. Check in and overnight at your hotel. Day 7 - Colombo. Breakfast at your hotel and end of tour.

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Golf Tour

Day 1 : Colombo
Stay in Colombo at the Hotel Ceylon Inter-Continental. Afternoon city-tour. Colombo is the commercial capital of Sri Lanka with a population of 1,1 million. The Fort, in the very centre of the city, is where most of the colonial remnants mainly from the British era are to be found. Nearby Pettah is Colombo's busiest and most traditional bazaar, a mosaic of human activities and architectural memories. Cinnamon Gardens is the most prestigious residential area. Overnight at your hotel.

Day 2 : Colombo
Transfer to The Royal Colombo Golf Club for a morning and/or afternoon session of golf. - You can have your lunch at the golf club. After the game transfer back to your hotel.

Day 3 : Colombo - Kandy
After an early breakfast you leave Colombo and the coast and drive along a busy high-way into the interior of the island, past paddy fields, palm-groves and coconut plantations. In Pinnewela you visit the elephant-orphanage, where about seventy elephants are well looked after, mostly young animals that have been found through-out the country sick and abandoned by their herd and brought to Pinnewela. If you are lucky, you can watch the feeding or the daily bath in the river of the jumbos. After this visit the road begins to ascend gradually. You stop for a short visit at a rubber factory, where you will learn in detail, how the milky sap called latex is treated to become raw rubber. After this stop you will enjoys a beautiful panoramic view of the central highland with its hills and mountains. At noon you reach, the old royal city of Kandy, situated at 500 m, beautifully nestled between green hills. At its very centre lies a small artificial lake and the palace of the last Singhalese king which has become a temple and the holiest shrine in Sri Lanka, where the tooth relic of Lord Buddha is highly venerated. You will pay a visit to this temple in the later afternoon. Check-in at the Hotel Suisse. After lunch you will visit the world-famous Botanical Garden Peradeniya. The park dates back to 1371 under the reign of king Vikrama Bahu III when he held court here. The English put the cornerstone of the present gardening 1821. During the Second World War the garden served as the headquarters of Earl Mountbatten, the supreme commander of the allied forces in Southeast Asia who became later the last Viceroy of India. You will find in the garden a very large variety of orchids, spice trees, palms, bushes, as well as tropical plants and flowers of all type. In the evening you will pay a visit to the temple of the holy tooth. After the temple visit you have the opportunity to attend a dance
performance, where you will see the famous Kandyan dances, as well as up- country and devil dances. Overnight at your hotel.

Day 4 : Kandy - Victoria Golf Club - Digana - Kandy
After breakfast your driver will bring you the to Victoria Golf Club, Digana, situated about 25 km east of Kandy for one or two rounds of golf. Return to Kandy after your golfing.

Day 5 : Kandy - Nuwara Eliya
After breakfast you leave to Nuwara Eliya. From Peradenya the road starts to ascend steadily and in the late morning, shortly before reaching Nuwara Eliya, you will have climbed 1'500 m. You are now in the tea-country; wherever you look, you will see tea plantations, the rich full green of thousands and thousands of tea bushes. And out of the green in regular intervals the white-coloured tea factories will enchant your eyes. Occasionally you can see a few rice fields and near the villages, vegetable plantations or gardens. The small resort town of Nuwara Eliya, situated at 2’070 m above sea level, lies on a little lake and is surrounded by mountains covered over and over by tea bushes. At the town boundaries there are a lot of vegetable plantations and flower fields, but also along the roads of Nuwara Eliya and in most of its gardens flowers are blooming. Check-in at the Grand Hotel, Nuwara Eliya. During the British rule, the Grand Hotel was the summer palace of the English governor. In the afternoon transfer to the Nuwara Golf Club for a round of golf. Transfer back to the Grand Hotel for overnight.

Day 6 : Nuwara Eliya
Transfers to the Nuwara Eliya Golf Club for Golf and after the game back again to the hotel.

Day 7 : Nuwara Eliya - Colombo
After breakfast in the hotel you leave Nuwara Eliya and a short while later you will reach the Ramboda pass at 2'200 m, the highest elevation of your tour. From the descending road you see again the rich full green of the tea estates with the white-coloured tea factories. You will stop at one of these tea factories where you will learn how the green tea leaves become the well-known Ceylon teas. While descen ding into the lowlands, you will come across the paddy fields and vegetable plots, which border the settlements. Later you will see again paddy fields and coconut plantations. You will stop at one of the spice gardens there you can see a lot of trees, bushes and plants cropping spices. You will reach Colombo in the evening. Check-in at the Hotel Ceylon Inter-Continental.

Day 8 : Colombo
After breakfast transfer to The Royal Colombo Golf Club for golf and after the game back to the hotel again. Overnight at the hotel.

Day 9 : Colombo
Breakfast at the hotel and end of the tour.

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North Sri Lanka Tour

Day 1 : Colombo
Stay in Colombo at one of the first-class Hotels. Afternoon city-tour. Colombo is the commercial capital of Sri Lanka with a population of 1,1 million. The Fort, in the very centre of the city, is where most of the colonial remnants, mainly from the British era are still to be found. Nearby Pettah is Colombo's busiest and most traditional bazaar, a mosaic of human activities and architectural memories. Cinnamon Gardens is the most prestigious residential area.

Day 2 : Colombo - Dambulla - Sigiriya  - Giritale  - Polonnaruwa  - Giritale
After early breakfast you check-out of your hotel and you drive along a busy highway into the interior of the island, past paddy fields, palm-groves and coconut plantations. In Pinnewela you visit the elephant-orphanage, where about seventy elephants are well looked after, mostly young animals that have been found throughout the country sick and abandoned by their herd and brought to Pinnewela. If you are lucky, you can watch the feeding or the daily bath in the river of the jumbos. After this visit you continue your journey through Kurunegala. Later in Dambulla you will ascend for a visit of the most impressive of all the many cave temples in Sri Lanka. The Raj Maha Vihara temple complex consists of five separate caverns with numerous statues of the Buddha and Hindu deities. The ceilings of the caves are fully illustrated with paintings mostly from the many lives of the Buddha. The history of the caves dates back to the 1st Century BC when this place served as refuge to the king Valagam Bahu being driven out of Anuradhapura by invading armies from South India. After the king returned to his capital, the caves became a Buddhist sanctuary.A short drive will bring you then to the Sigiriya rock. This impressive monolith which rises 200 m out of the jungle has been transformed in the 5th Century by king Kassapa into a fortress and became his capital, as he feared for his life. On top of the rock was the king's palace "The Heaven Castle", what remains today are only foundation walls of this once magnificent building and the many fortifications. What remains to be seen and is worth the difficult climb are the phenomenal frescoes of the Sigiriya Maidens. No one knows whom the seductive beauties, painted in brilliant colours on the rock walls, represent. One can think of them as heaven dwelling nymphs from a realm of radiant light.After this visit you continue to the Giritale Hotel, Giritale, for check-in and late lunch. In the later afternoon you leave your hotel and drive to Polonnaruwa for the visit of the well preserved remains of the city which has been the capital of the Singhalese kings from the 11th to 13th Century. The famous Singhalese king Parakrama Bahu the Great (1153- 1186) has built in the environs of Polonnaruwa an impressive irrigation system with many artificial tanks interconnected with irrigation channels. The reservoir near Polonnaruwa has been until recently, when the large dams were built in the mountains, the largest and most beautiful artificial lake. After this visit you return to your hotel for overnight.

Day 3 : Giritale - Anuradhapura - Mihintale - Giritale.
After breakfast you leave for Anuradhapura in order to visit a selection of the most remarkable sights. As per written records Anuradhapura has been made royal capital by the king Panduk Anhaya in 380 BC. It remained residence and royal capital for 119 successive Singhalese kings till the year 1000 AC when it was abandoned and the capital moved to Polonnaruwa. You will see some of the most famous as well as the tallest dagoba of Sri Lanka, remains from palaces, temples, monasteries, ceremonial baths and the temple of the holy Bo-tree. This tree was grown from a sapling of the very tree under which more than 2500 years ago the Buddha found enlightenment. Lunch en route. In the afternoon you will pay a visit to Mihintale. This is the place where in the year 247 BC Buddhism originated in Sri Lanka. The message of Buddhism was brought to the Singhalese King Devanampiya Tissa by Mahinda son ofthe great Indian Buddhist Emperor Ashoka. In a series of flights, 1840 ancient granite slap steps lead majestically up the hillside. In the late afternoon return to the Giritale Hotel for dinner and overnight.

Day 4 : Giritale - Kandy.
After breakfast you continue your journey to Kandy on the way along the road you will see paddy fields, coconut groves, rubber and spice gardens and plantations. You will stop at one of the spice gardens there you can see a lot of trees, bushes and plants cropping spices. Arriving in Kandy you will proceed to the Hotel Suisse or Hotel Queens for check-in and lunch.Kandy, situated at 500 m, is beautifully nestled between green hills. At its very centre lies a small artificial lake and the palace of the last Singhalese king which has become a temple and the holiest shrine in Sri Lanka, where the tooth relic of Lord Buddha is highly venerated. You will visit this temple in the afternoon during a short city-tour of Kandy. In the evening you will have the opportunity to attend a dance performance,where you will see the famous Kandyan dances, as well as up-country and devil dances. Dinner and overnight at the Hotel Suisse or Hotel Queens.

Day 5 :Kandy - Nuwara Eliya
In the morning after breakfast visit of the world-famous Botanical Garden Peradeniya. The park dates back to 1371 under the reign of king Vikrama Bahu III when he held court here. The English put the cornerstone of the present garden in 1821. During the Second World War the garden served as headquarters of Earl Mountbatten, the supreme commander of the alliedforces in Southeast Asia who became later the last Viceroy of India. You will find in the garden a very large variety of orchids, spice trees, palms, bushes, as well as tropical plants and flowers of all type.From Peradeniya the road starts steadily to ascend and at noon, shortly before reaching Nuwara Eliya, you will have climbed 1'500 m. You are now in the tea-country; wherever you look, you will see tea plantations, the rich full green of thousands and thousands of tea bushes. And out of the green in regular intervals the white-coloured tea factories will enchant your eyes. You will stop at one of these tea factories where you will learn how the green tea leaves become the well-known Ceylon teas. Occasionally you can see a few rice fields and near some villages, vegetable plantations or gardens. Check-in at the Grand Hotel or Windsor Hotel, Nuwara Eliya.The small resort town of Nuwara Eliya, situated at 2070 m above sea level, lies on a little lake and is surrounded by mountains covered over and over by tea bushes. At the town boundaries there are a lot of vegetable plantations and flower fields, but also along the roads of Nuwara Eliya and in most of its gardens flowers are blooming.

Day 6 : Nuwara Eliya - Hambantota
After breakfast at the hotel you leave Nuwara Eliya to the south, passing tea and vegetable plantations, occa- sionally a waterfall, forests and many small villages and hamlets. From the descending road you have again and again a beautiful view to the mountains and into the valleys. After reaching the plain you will again see coconut plantations and the familiar paddy fields. The closer you get to the coast, the countryside becomes more and more barren and near to the sea, you will see along the road many salt fields from which salt is produced.You will reach Hambantota for Lunch. In the late afternoon you have the option to do a photo safari into the Bundala game park. Dinner and overnight at the Hotel Peacock Beach or Hotel Oasis, Hambantota.

Day 7 : Hambantota - Galle - Colombo
After breakfast in the morning check-out and you leave Hambantota. At Dondora you will reach the most southern point of the island and continue in westerly direction along large, beautiful, white, palm-fringed beaches. You will pass Matara and you stop later for a visit to the old city of Galle The fort with its impressive great rampart is well preserved.In 1505 the Portuguese took the town from the Singhalese king and built large fortifications which they called Santa Cruz. In 1640 the Dutch stormed the fortress. They later incorporated the remains of the Portuguese fortification in an imposing new fort for the protection of the harbour and the sea routes. Lunch en route. On the way to Colombo you will be passing through well-known resorts as Bentota, Beruwala, Kalutara. There are still a lot of things to be seen, for instance the "toddy-tappers", young men who climb high into the trees to collect the sweet, milky sap of the coconut blossom, or one of the many turtle hatcheries.You will reach Colombo in the evening. Check-in at your Colombo Hotel.

Day 8 : Colombo
Breakfast at your hotel and end of tour.

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Royal Cities Tour

Day 1 : Colombo
Check-in at one of the first-class hotels. Afternoon city-tour. Colombo is the commercial capital of Sri Lanka with a population of 1,1 million. The Fort, in the very centre of the city, is where most of the colonial remnants mainly from the British era are to be found. Nearby Pettah is Colombo's busiest and most traditional bazaar, a mosaic of human activities and architectural memories.Cinnamon Gardens is the most prestigious residential area. Overnight at your hotel.

Day 2 : Colombo - Kandy
After breakfast you leave Colombo and the coast and drive along a busy highway into the interior of the island, past paddy fields, palm-groves and coconut plantations. In Pinnewela you visit the elephant orphanage, where about seventy elephants are well looked after, mostly young animals that have been found throughout the coun- try sick and abandoned by their herd and brought to Pinnewela. If you are lucky, you can watch the feeding or the daily bath in the river of the jumbos. After this visit the road begins to ascend gradually. You stop for a short visit of a tea factory where you will learn in details, how the green tea leaves are treated to become high-quality Ceylon Tea. After this stop you will enjoys a beautiful panoramic view of the central highland with its hills and mountains.At noon you reach, the old royal city of Kandy, situated at 500 m, beautifully nestledbetween green hills. At its very centre lies a small artificial lake and the palace of the last Singhalese king which has become a temple and the holiest shrine in Sri Lanka, where the tooth relic of Lord Buddha is highly venerated. Check-in and lunch at the Hotel Suisse or Hotel Queens.In the late afternoon short city-tour of Kandy with visit to a lapidary. In the evening youwill pay a visit to the temple of the holy tooth. After the temple visit you have the opportunity to attend a dance performance,where you will see the famous Kandyan dances, as well as up-country and devil dances. Dinner and overnight at the Hotel Suisse or Hotel Queens.

Day 3 : Kandy  - Dambulla  - Sigiriya  - Giritale.
In the morning after breakfast visit of the world-famous Botanical Garden Peradeniya. The park dates back to 1371 under the reign of king Vikrama Bahu III when he held court here. The English put the cornerstone of the present garden in 1821. During the Second World War the garden served as headquarters of Earl Mountbatten, the supreme commander of the allied forces in Southeast Asia who became later the last Viceroy of India. You will find in the garden a very large variety of orchids, spice trees, palms, bushes, as well as tropical plants and flowers of all type.Lunch en route. You will leave now the central hill county, proceeding north. Along the road you will see paddy fields, coconut groves, rubber and spice gardens and plantations. You will stop at one of the spice gardens there you can see a lot of trees, bushes andplants cropping spices. Later in Dambulla you will ascend for a visit of the most impressive of all the many cave temples in Sri Lanka. The Raj Maha Vihara temple complex consists of five separate caverns with numerous statues of the Buddha and Hindu deities. The ceilings of the caves are fully illustrated with paintings mostly from the many lives of the Buddha. The history of the caves dates back to the 1st Century BC when this place served as refuge to the king Valagam Bahu being driven out of Anuradhapura by invading armies from South India. After the king returned to his capital,the caves became a Buddhist sanctuary. The next visit will be to the Sigiriya rock. This impressive monolith whichrises 200 m outof the jungle has been transformed in the 5th Century by king Kassapa into a fortress and became his capital as he feared for his life. On top of the rock was the kings palace "The Heaven-Castle", what remains today are only foundation walls of this once magnificent building and the many fortifications. What remains to be seen and is worth the difficult climb are the phenomenal frescoes of the Sigiriya Maidens. No one knows whom the seductive beauties, painted in brilliant colors on the rock walls, represent. One can think of them as heaven-dwelling nymphs from a realm of radiant light. After this visit, the driver will take you to the Hotel Giritale, Giritale for dinner and overnight.

Day 4 : Giritale  - Polonnaruwa  - Giritale
After breakfast you drive to Polonnaruwa for the visit of the well preserved remains of the city which has been the capital of the Singhalese kings from the 11th to the 13th Century. You see the excavations: Temples, dago- bas, the royal palace, the royal library. The most famous Singhalese king Parakrama Bahu the Great (1153-1186) has built in the environs of Polonnaruwa an impressive irrigation system with many artificial tanks inter-connected with irrigation channels.The reservoir near Polonnaruwa has been until recently, when the large dams were built in the mountains, the largest and most beautiful artificial lake. After the visit you return to your hotel for dinner and overnight.

Day 5 : Giritale  - Anuradhapura - Colombo
After breakfast you leave to Anuradhapura in order to visit a selection of the most remarkable sights. As per written records Anuradhapura has been made royal capital by the king Panduk Anhaya in 380 BC. It remained residence and royal capital for 119 successive Singhalese kings till the year 1000 AC when it was abandoned and the capital moved to Polonnaruwa. You will see some of the most famous as well as the tallest dagoba of Sri Lanka, remains from palaces, temples, monasteries, ceremonial baths and the temple of the holy Bo-tree. This tree was grown from a sapling of the very tree under which more than 2500 years ago the Buddha found enlightenment.After the visit of Anuradhapura you leave for Colombo with lunch en route,on the way you pass paddy fields, coconut plantations and huge areas with rubber trees and plantations. You will reach Colombo in the evening. Check-in and overnight at your first-class hotel in Colombo.

Day 6 : Colombo
Breakfast at your hotel and end of tour.

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South Sri Lanka Tour

Day 1 : Colombo
Stay in Colombo at one of the first-class hotels. Afternoon city-tour.

Day 2 : Colombo - Galle - Hambantota
After breakfast you leave Colombo and drive along the palm fringed coast to the south passing well-known beach resorts like Kalutara, Beruwala, Bentota and Hikkaduwa. Along the road there are many interesting things to be seen, for instance the "toddy-tapers", young men who climb high into the trees to collect the sweet, milky sap of the coconut blossom, or one of the many turtle hatcheries.After an early lunch you will stop at the old city of Galle. The fort with its impressive great rampart is well preserved. In 1505 the Portuguese took the town from the Singhalese king and built large fortifications which they called Santa Cruz. In 1640 the Dutch stormed the fortress. They later incorporated the remains of the Portuguese fortification in an imposing new fort for the protection of the harbour and the sea routes. At Dondora you will reach the most southern point of the island and continue in easterly direction along large, beautiful, white, palm fringed beaches. The countryside becomes now more and more barren and before you reach your hotel in Hambantota, you will see along the road many salt-fields from where from seawater salt is produced. Dinner and overnight at the Peacock Beach Hotel, or the Hotel Oasis, Hambantota.

Day 3 : Hambantota  - Nuwara Eliya
In the first light of dawn you can participate on an optional photo safari to the nearby Bundala game sanctuary. After an early lunch at the hotel you continue your journey to the north across a dry jungle area. From Wellawaya the road starts to ascend going into the hills. After a few miles you will be in the tea-country; wherever you look, you will see tea plantations, the rich full green of thousands and thousands of tea bushes. And out of the green in regular intervals the white -coloured tea factories will enchant your eyes. Occasionally you can see a few rice fields and near villages vegetable plantations or gardens. After passing through Bandarawela (1200 m) you will reach Nuwara Eliya in the evening. The small resort town of Nuwara Eliya, situated on 2070 m above sea level, lies on a little lake and is surrounded by mountains covered with tea bushes. At the town boundaries there are a lot of vegetable plantations and flower fields, also along the roads of Nuwara Eliya and in most of its gardens flowers are blooming. Dinner and overnight at the Grand Hotel or Hotel Windsor, Nuwara Eliya.

Day 4 : Nuwara Eliya - Kandy
After breakfast in the hotel you leave Nuwara Eliya and a short while later you will reach the Ramboda pass at 2'200 m, the highest elevation of your tour. From the descending road you see again and again the rich full green of the tea estates with the White-coloured tea factories. You will stop at one of these tea factories where you will learn how the green tea leaves become the well-known Ceylon teas. While descending into the lowlands, you will come across the paddy fields and vegetable plots, which border the settlements.At noon you reach the old royal city of Kandy, situated at 500 m, beautifully nestled between green hills.At its very centre lies a small artificial lake and the palace of the last Singhalese king which has become a temple and the holiest shrine in Sri Lanka, where the tooth relic of Lord Buddha is highly venerated.Check-in and lunch at the Hotel Suisse or Hotel Queens, Kandy. In the late afternoon short city-tour of Kandy with visit to a lapidary. In the evening you will pay a visit to the temple of the holy tooth. After the temple visit you have the opportunity to attend a dance performance, where you will see the famous Kandyan dances, as well as up-country and devil dances. Dinner and overnight at your hotel.

Day 5 : Kandy  - Dambulla  - Sigiriya - Giritale
In the morning after breakfast visit of the world-famous Botanical Garden Peradeniya. The English put the cornerstone of the present garden in 1821. During the Second World War the garden served as the headquarters of Earl Mountbatten, the supreme commander of the allied forces in Southeast Asia who became later the last Viceroy of India. You will find in the garden a very large variety of orchids, spice trees, palms, bushes, as well as tropical plants and flowers of all type. Lunch en route. You will leave now the central hill country, proceeding north. Along the road you will see paddy fields, coconut groves, rubber and spice gardens and plantations. You will stop at one of the spice gardens there you can see a lot of trees, bushes and plants cropping spices. Later in Dambulla you will ascend for a visit of the most impressive of all the many cave temples in Sri Lanka. The Raj Maha Vihara temple complex consists of 5 separate caverns with numerous statues of the Buddha and Hindu deities. After this visit, the driver will take you to the Sigiriya rock. This impressive monolith which rises 200 m out of the jungle has been transformed in the 5th Century by king Kassapa into a fortress and became his capital as he feared for his life. On top of the rock was the kings palace "The Heaven Castle", what remains today are only foundation walls of this once magnificent building and the many fortifications. What remains to be seen and is worth the difficult climb are the phenomenal frescoes of the Sigiriya Maidens. No one knows whom the seductive beauties, painted in brilliant colours on the rock walls, represent. One can think of them as heaven-dwelling nymphs from a realm of radiant light. After this visit you will drive to the Hotel Giritale, Giritale for dinner and overnight.

Day 6 : Giritale  - Polonnaruwa - Giritale
After breakfast, departure to Polonnaruwa for the visit of the well preserved remains of the city which has been the capital of the Singhalese kings from the 11th to the 13th century. You see the excavations: Temples, dagobas, the royal palace, the royal library. The most famous Singhalese king Parakrama Bahu the Great (1153- 1186) has built in the environs of Polonnaruwa an impressive irrigation system with many artificial tanks interconnected with irrigation channels. The reservoir near Polonnaruwa has been until recently, when the large dams were built in the mountains, the largest and most beautiful artificial lake. After the visit you return to your hotel for lunch. Afternoon at leisure at Giritale.

Day 7 : Giritale - Anuradhapura - Colombo
After breakfast you leave to Anuradhapura in order to visit a selection of the most remarkable sights. You will see some of the most famous as well as the tallest dagoba of Sri Lanka, remains from palaces, temples, monasteries, ceremonial baths and the temple of the holy Bo-tree. This tree was grown from a sapling of the very tree under which more than 2500 years ago the Buddha found enlightenment. After the visit of Anuradhapura you leave for Colombo with lunch en route, on the way you pass paddy fields, coconut plantations and huge areas with rubber trees and plantations. You will reach Colombo in the evening. Check-in and overnight at your first-class hotel in Colombo.  

Day 8 : Colombo
Breakfast at you hotel and end of the tour.

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