Enjoy a cultural feast packed into 10 memorable days! See the best of Sri Lanka, exploring  and visiting the elegant city of Kandy with its paradisiacal gardens. Continue  seeing the most important monuments in Kandy. Also, visit Dambulla’s stunning Golden Temple for an all-around Sri Lankan cultural adventure.

TOUR HIGHLIGHT

Kandy: This mesmerising city is home to the Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic and its associated palaces and gardens.

Dambulla: An emblematic Buddhist cave temple carved deep into a mountain and decorated with frescoes, that deserves to be seen and admired. 

What’s included?

TOUR GUIDE: 

• Operated with English-speaking driver-guide 

ACCOMMODATION: 

• 9 nights’ accommodation

MEALS: 

• 9 Breakfasts; 

TRANSPORT:

• Transportation for sightseeing, excursions and surface travel as per programme 
• Arrival transfer Colombo airport to Colombo hotel.

ENTRANCE FEES AND ACTIVITIES:

OTHER:

• Meet & Greet on arrival at Colombo Airport

Exclusions

• Expenditures of a personal nature, drinks and meals or items not stated explicitly in the programme
• Gratuities for drive and guide
• Any alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks, mineral water, etc
• Compulsory festival/peak season surcharges if stated separately 
• Video camera and photography permits at the Temple of the Tooth Relic in Kandy
• Optional tours and activities
• Travel Insurance or any loss or extra cost arising due to unforeseen circumstances such as flight delays, accidents, etc
• Entrance fees to places of interest

Please note

Optional excursions and additional services could be provided for which we will charge additionally.

VISAS: Please note all clients will have to log into the website and obtain the visas prior to arrival for all clients arriving in Sri Lanka after 1st January 2012. The government has informed that all applications will be processed within 24 hours and payment can be made on-line by credit card.The details are available at the website www.eta.gov.lk

Accommodation options

ACCOMMODATION OPTIONS

Day 1 Negombo:

• Standard Hotel Category = Hotel J or similar 3*

Day 2 Dambulla:

• Standard Hotel Category = Danawwa Resort or similar 4*

Day 3-4 Kandy:

• Standard Hotel Category = Oak Ray Heritage or similar 3*

Day 5-6 Nuwaraeliya:

• Standard Hotel Category = Oak Ray Summer hill Breeze or similar 3*

Day 7 Tissamaharama:

• Standard Hotel Category = Oak Ray Lake or similar 3*

Day 8-9 Bentota:

• Standard Hotel Category = Rockside Beach Resort or similar 3*

Cancellation policy

Once ordered, this tour cannot be cancelled or refund or amended at any circumstances.

Day 1 :  ARRIVAL COLOMBO – NEGOMBO (38 km – 1 hrs)

Your Sri Lankan adventure begins on arrival at Colombo airport. Here an  Aitken Spence Travel Representative  awaits to greet you and  assist on arrival before you hop on your transfer. Then, depart the airport to Negombo, for your first night in Sri Lanka. Spend the remainder of the day  at leisure, be that making the most of a relaxing beach experience or by going out to explore the colourful fish market on your own

 Overnight in Negombo

Day 2 :  NEGOMBO – KANDALAMA – HABARANA ( 170 km – 4.5 hrs)

After breakfast, get ready to enjoy your transfer on Negombo City Tour. Located within a close range to Bandaranaike International Airport, Negombo – the cinnamon hub of the Colonization of Dutch – offers some of the most exiting diving stretches in the country.  With quite a pleasant beach and lagoon watch how Negombo dishes out some of the best lobsters, prawns and crabs found in the country, right on to your table or simply grab your kiteboards for an enthralling fly over crashing waves.  Today Negombo also represents an ultimate nightlife featuring bars, disco bars and clubs. So, jazz up to the rhythm of the West, and be ready for a night of ‘fest’, because at Negombo everything is ‘best’.   

After a lunch stop then transfer to Habarana,  where you will check in at your hotel. Unwind and prepare yourself for tomorrow’s experience

Overnight in Habarana 

Day 3 :  HABARANA – SIGIRIYA – MATALE – KANDY (107 km; 3hrs)

Start the day with a delicious breakfast at the hotel. Then, you will be picked up and and taken to Climb Sigirya Rock Fortress . The 5th century rock citadel of King Kasyapa and World Heritage Site – Sigiriya – doesn’t only boasts of ancient Sri Lankan engineering & urban planning supremacy but also acclaims to be one of the finest monuments of art & culture. Step through the gigantic ‘Lion Paws’ – overlooking the symmetrical royal gardens below – to comprehend the absolute splendor that once dominated this rock fortress.  Surrounded by ramparts & moats the Lion Rock – resembling the mythological ‘City of Gods’ – is coated by frescoes that relate to Gupta style paintings found in Ajanta caves of India.Walk in the shade of an eminent ‘mirror wall’ embracing the Western face of Sigiriya representing an artistic hundred meters laminated with graffiti.  Wander into the well-fabricated museum downstairs for an epic journey of yesteryears to realize how the citadel floated above citizens with the castle, ponds and irrigation systems that pumped water right onto its summit with an ingenious hydraulic system describing a colossal masterpiece of the great king which remained a wonder in Asia for centuries.     

Afterwards, visit a Spice Garden in Matale. An agricultural zone in the Central Province, Matale seldom drops off the maps due to its remarkable contribution through flagship crops of the island extending from tea, rubber & vegetables to spices. Spearheading the Rebellion back in 1848, Matale today takes immense pride in its story woven around spices. Stop by the side of a spice garden – into which you will be most welcome – and observe the therapeutic values of spices & processes over a refreshing cup of herbal tea! Or spend some time idling on the hardened streets if you mean a real town adventure filled with voices and colors.   

Later in the evening, be amazed by the Kandy Temple of Tooth Relic. Last ruled by King Sri Wickrama Rajasinghe – before it was brought under the British rule in 1815, Kandy – the World Heritage Site & last royal capital of Sri Lankan kings – crafts an array of culture, history and heritage in the minds of visitors across the globe. Experience an ancient Kandyan legacy engraved around its crown jewel, the temple of the sacred tooth relic of Lord Buddha.    A stroll across this small lakeside town – cradled among the misty hills – will feature the Kandy City Centre – bundled with latest and world class brands, bazaar, an arts & crafts center, as well as a gem museum & lapidary. Walk in color as you glide through fresh fruits and vegetables in the Kandy market. Fine tube your evening by stepping to the beat of traditional music & drumming amplified by a cultural show enhancing the rich and vibrant culture of the Wonder of Asia, Sri Lanka . End the day in the evening with a return back to the hotel.

Overnight in Kandy

Day 4 :  EXPLORE KANDY

Breakfast at the hotel is followed by a visit to Peradeniya Botanical Garden.

First developed as a pleasure garden under royalty and later harmonized by the British, the Royal Botanical Gardens of Peradeniya – today bundled with the most welcoming facilities located just 4 miles off Kandy – is a flourishing national asset in the Wonder of Asia.  Walk into this 147-acre bliss of an experience, passing well-tended lawns, pavilions & an octagon conservatory to be greeted by the vast expanse of a magnificently landscaped lush green turf which will encourage you for an exhilarating break.  Towards the north of the entrance rests a cafeteria that one might come across before stepping into some of the highlights – the orchid house & giant Javan fig tree – of this place which overflow in grace. Once the tour is over, transportation is provided back to your hotel.

Overnight in Kandy

Day 5 :  KANDY – NUWARAELIYA ( 81 km – 2.50 hrs)

After breakfast, you will be picked up from your hotel and on your way to Nuwaraeliya, you will stop to visit  a Tea Plantation .  

Sri Lanka, Tea and Tourism are words which cannot be separated. Take a tour to the cold & misty hills that take pride of an ultimate tea tour, covering lush green blankets of tea plantations. Or just step into a tea factory processing the prestigious brand of Ceylon Tea, to observe a rich tradition kept alive up to date. As you observe the hissing and swishing of machines, inhaling the heavenly scent arising from these facilities, make sure to end your day in style over a perfectly blended cup of pure Ceylon Tea before checking in to your new hotel.

Overnight in Nuwaraeliya

Day 6 :  EXPLORE NUWARAELIYA

Charge your batteries with breakfast at the hotel before setting off  on a tour  through misty steep roads, twisting through lush green blankets of tea bushes in a cool climate, remind visitors that they are within the range of the renowned British colonial retreat, Nuwara Eliya.  Augmented by an English countryside atmosphere, the city of light – once governed by English & Scottish planters – is still studded with colonial bungalows, hedgerows & one of the finest 18-hole golf courses in the world. A hike through the green grass and red-brick walls should present breathtaking views of a buzzing countryside hamlet. Drive through green valleys of the hill country pierced by endless waterfalls & dotted by tea pluckers draped in bright-colored saris. Or rent a bike for a gentle ride along the banks splashed by the waters of Lake Gregory.   

Overnight in Nuwaraeliya

Day 7 :  NUWARAELIYA – YALA – TISSAMAHARAMA (190 km – 6 hrs)

Breakfast at the hotel is followed by a transfer to Yala National Park. 

Spreading into a vast 1259 Km2 Yala – with its glory spinning around vast grasslands, shrubs, tanks and dunes – rightfully is the heartland of wildlife in Sri Lanka.  As your jeep rumble through the giant gates of Yala, you are not only stepping into the most visited national park in the country, but also the lands of a civilization which thrived during the reign of Sri Lankan kings.   You name it, and Yala has it! Its usual inmates cover herds of elephant, sloth bear, spotted dear, jackal, extensively populated birdlife as well as the highest density of leopards in the world that garnish the park to be one of the finest destinations in the country. Feel the rough track as your jeep thunders over rocks and swish passing narrow bends for an exhilarating experience blended with the cries of wilderness under the tropical sun.  End the day by   checking in at your hotel

Overnight in Tissamaharama

Day 8 :  TISSAMAHARAMA – KOGGALA – GALLE – BENTOTA (225 km; 5.25hrs)

Take to the road after breakfast towards Bentota. En route stop to experience Stilt Fishing in Koggala  Koggala is an unexplored piece of heaven  between the ocean and the lake. Located in the south coast, Koggala Lake is the biggest in the island. Surrounded by thick mangroves and speckled with rocky islands, it’s a paradise for bird watchers. The sands are more welcoming to turtles and even have a turtle hatchery. An opportunity to release new born turtles back into the ocean might be yours. Apart from these activities, a visit to the famed Martin Wickremasinghe Folk Museum is a must to any traveler in Koggala.    

After the guided tour in Koggala, transfer to Galle, Sri Lanka’s epic Southern capital. The intersection where classic Dutch architecture meets a tropical setting creating a vivid atmosphere in beauty. Walk the Dutch-haunted streets listening to the creaks of wooden saloon doors and observe how European architecture mingles with South Asian traditions today flooding cultural enthusiasts on a global scale. Its original ramparts and bastions preserved up to date showcase evidences of a heritage preserved for more than  three and a half centuries.    

Once the tour is over, continue on your way till you reach Bentota, your final destination for today where will check in at your new hotel

 Overnight in Bentota

Day 9 :  BENTOTA – BALAPITIYA (18 km – 25 min)

Breakfast at the hotel is followed by a short transfer to Balapitiya  where you will set off on a Boat Ride   Balapitiya is where one could just sit back and observe how ecology and culture combines under the sun! Cut through the clear water of Madu River – a lifeline of Balapitiya – and head towards Kotu Duwa, the small island housing a temple that dates back to ancient Sinhalese kings. Or, sail through tunnels of shady mangroves swaying alongside Madu River – hiding an ecological treasure – to witness the tranquility of this biodiversity hot spot which boasts of reptiles, mollusks and over 70 species of freshwater fish. Today the region – which is strong in observing rural folk life in the island does not only boast of cinnamon plantations in abundance, but also has a fine ‘fish pedicure center’ -one of the most potent & latest rejuvenation techniques. Apart from these amenities Balapitiya has also become a household name in the minds of bird watchers ensuring a thrilling offshore experience.   

Then enjoy a visit to a Turtle Hatchery in Kosgoda  Both locals and international volunteers battling it out for ”Sea Turtles’ Sake” is a common sight at Kosgoda. This vibrant tourist destination sitting calm along the Southern coast of Sri Lanka – apart from its traditional industries of fisheries and cinnamon cultivation – was later recognized by the Wildlife Protection Society who studded the region with a Sea Turtle Conservation Project which operates on a formidable scale today. Indirectly, this has become a watering hole of flipper & shell enthusiasts!   

 The day ends with your return to the hotel.

Overnight in Bentota

Day 10 :  DEPART BENTOTA – COLOMBO (83 km – 1.40 hrs)

Begin your last day in spectacular Sri Lanka with a delicious breakfast followed by a transfer to Colombo. Depending on your travel arrangements, head along Bauddhaloka Mawatha towards ‘Arcade’ facing a historic way post, the Independence Square. Every designer boutique, top-notch cuisine outlet and even the ‘walk-over fish tank’, have revamped this colonial masterpiece into one of the trendiest shopping and hangout zones in Sri Lanka.    Have a chilled beer at the Dutch Hospital while gazing through fancy windows showcasing best fashion, jewelry & handicraft brands. Smell the scent of incense while listening to the chiming bells of Gangarama temple.     

Then, at the appropriate time, transfer from Colombo  Airport to catch your flight back home or on to your next destination. 

Breakfast included