Itinerary

1. Day 1: Airport - Negombo

   • On arrival, meet & greet at the airport and transfer to the hotel in Negombo. 

   • Check in to the hotel and relax to recover from the jet lag.

   Dinner and overnight stay at a hotel in Negombo.

2. Day 2: Negombo

   • Begin with breakfast at the hotel.

   • Explore the history of the dynamic city of Negombo.

   • Indulge in a diverse experience by visiting the famous fish market in Negombo known as the ‘Lellama’.

   • Walk on the beach and watch fishers untangle their fishing nets and witness the fish being auctioned and sold to retail and commercial customers alike.

   • Set off on a boat ride in the Negombo Lagoon, an extensive mangrove swamp. The Negombo lagoon boat ride would let you spot some of the lush mangroves with vast biodiversity, flora and fauna species in the area, as well as water birds such as herons, terns, cormorants and shorebirds.

   • In the afternoon, return to the hotel and relax.

   Dinner and overnight stay at a hotel in Negombo.

3. Day 3: Negombo - Marawila Batik Experience - Habarana

   • Eat breakfast at the hotel.

   • Visit one of Sri Lanka’s foremost artists, a designer, and a maestro in Batik creations. Factory premises are located in the city of Marawila, and it is at this workhouse that he used to create his unique designs and experiment extensively.

   • After that, each group member can select a ‘design art’ from the hundreds of arts that will be available or bring your art design. Once this is done, the mentors will provide you with the correct fabric to suit your selected plan.

   • After that, he will teach you how to engage in the traditional dyeing on cloth using a wax-resist method.

   • Take a break from this exciting session as you wait till your creations dry by enjoying the hospitality of his family, who will serve you with Tea, local cookies and chocolate cake.

   • Later on, explore the elegant galleries that display his unique creations, a fusion of traditional, abstract and modern art.

   • See what almost half-century of expertise has evolved and listened to his first-hand account of how his designs have draped beauty queens to former prime ministers and how he has taken his ‘one of a kind’ designs around the world and displayed the art at leading art galleries in the world.

   • Leave for Habarana.

   Dinner and overnight stay at hotel in Habarana.

4. Day 4: Sigiriya Rock Fortress

   • Begin with breakfast at the hotel.

   • Visit the Sigiriya Rock Fortress. Sigiriya Rock Fortress is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, one of the most dramatic, inspiring and beautiful historical locations globally. A mythical past of feuding dynasties suits Sigiriya’s striking setting- it was built in the 5th century AD by a king, Kasyapa, as a fortress-palace. The palace complex at the foot of the rock still has four indoor swimming pools where the king’s 500 concubines bathed. The palace structure was built with complex water arteries in the walls that provided natural air conditioning in the hot climate.

   • On the summit, reached with the help of metal staircases and ladders, you can see the remains of the palace walls, gardens and ponds. The mirror walls of the Sigiriya rock still retain the world-famous frescoes of the king’s concubines, who originated from all parts of the world.

   Dinner and overnight stay at hotel in Habarana.

5. Day 5: Polonnaruwa Monkey Kingdom Tour - Village Tour

   • Early morning, proceed to Polonnaruwa Ancient city to do the money kingdom tour. The Monkey Kingdom Expedition off Polonnaruwa is an engaging activity for those who love observing animal species in their beautiful natural environment. This expedition will allow you to get up close and personal with large communities of monkeys. You will be able to observe various social behaviours, including maternal care, playtime, competition for food, grooming, a rich repertoire of facial gestures, body postures and vocal signals of these fascinating primates.

   • Return to the hotel and eat breakfast at the hotel.

   • Make a village visit in Hiriwaduna. You can experience ancient transportation methods, Farming and Paddy fields, irrigation system, Chief Farmer’s houses and countryside people living styles.

   • Experience the traditional Sri Lankan transportation system, and it is a 30-minute bullock cart journey through greenish paddy fields in Hirwaduna Village.

   • After that, approx. 15-minute canoeing ride, you will reach the Famer’s house, and you can experience typical Sri Lankan countryside hospitality at his house, afterwards you can walk through his farm. You can experience different types of cultivation methods and vegetables.

   • In the end, you can experience a typical countryside cooking demonstration and Sri Lankan lunch at the Famer’s house.

   Dinner and overnight stay at hotel in Habarana.

6. Day 6: Dambulla Rock Cave Temple - Matale - Kandy

   • Eat breakfast at the hotel.

   • Visit Dambulla Rock Cave Temple. Dambulla Cave Temple, also known as the Golden Temple of Dambulla. The largest and best-preserved cave temple complex in Sri Lanka, the rock from which the caves were carved towers 160meters (520ft) over the surrounding plains. A total of 153 Buddha statues, three Sri Lankan kings and four statues of gods and goddesses also stand on the site.

   • Continue your journey to the hill capital of Kandy. Eminent as the centre of Buddhism and the capital of the last Sinhalese kingdom.

   • En route, visit a spice garden in Matale to see many different spices Sri Lanka is famous for. You will be introduced to other herbs and shown how some of these spices are grown and processed. Gardens are open to visitors, a delightful place to stroll in fragrant greenery and learn about nutmeg, pepper vines, clove trees and curry, cinnamon and the precious cardamom, a relative of ginger. It grows in the shade of high jungle trees and can only be harvested by hand.

   • Enjoy a traditional cultural dance performance, a vibrant and unique fire and Harvest dance accompanied by Ceremonial Drums and the Drum Orchestra rising and falling to the lively tempo. The show's highlight is the fire walking show, where the artists walk through a specially prepared fire pit, roughly 8 feet by 3 feet covered with red-hot charcoal, completely barefoot.

   Dinner and overnight stay at Hotel in Kandy.

7. Day 7: Kandy

   • Start with breakfast at the hotel.

   • Visit the Temple of Tooth Relic for the morning ceremony. The stunning 17th century Temple of the Tooth (Sri Dalada Maligawa) is believed to house the left upper canine tooth of the Lord Buddha himself. Every day, this precious relic attracts white-clad pilgrims, bearing lotus blossoms and frangipani.

   • Make a sightseeing tour of Kandy by visiting the upper lake, oriental marketplace, and a bazaar.

   • Visit the Royal Botanical Gardens at Peradeniya, the largest of Sri Lanka’s botanical gardens displaying over 4,000 different species of plants and is regarded amongst the most superior in Asia. The focal points include the superb Orchid collection and a powerful avenue of Royal Palm Trees. In addition to a plethora of flowering plants, there is also an extensive collection of medicinal plants and spices, which can be spotted on your stroll across the gardens.

   Dinner and overnight stay at Hotel in Kandy.

8. Day 8: Kandy - Nuwara Eliya - Train to Ella

   • Rise for breakfast at the hotel.

   • Leave for Nuwara Eliya, also known as Sri Lanka’s “Little England”, the prime hill resort of the country. At approximately 2000m above sea level, the city has an abundance of lush tea plantations and jaw-dropping scenery. Its nickname comes from the many English style bungalows and buildings still in existence today.

   • Visit the tea plantation and a tea factory on the island where the best tea in the world is produced. Watch the tea pluckers pick two leaves and a bud with deft hands.

   • Then to the factory, where the all-important conversion to “make” black tea happens. The machinery used is a traditional British design, some as old as 100 years, and the process is very artisanal, unchanged for a century. Observe the method of manufacturing tea, tea grading and taste a cup of pure Ceylon tea.

   • Transfer to Nanu Oya Railway station and go on a scenic train trip to Ella. The train journey weaving through the scenic hill country is one of the most beautiful explorations in Sri Lanka.

   • From the edge of soaring mountains, you will oversee the branching valleys from the mist capped mountains, sloping lush green tea plantations, villages dotted with houses, thick forests and whooshing waterfalls.

   • Pick up from Ella Train station and transfer to hotel.

   Dinner and overnight stay at Homestay in Ella.

9. Day 9: Ella

   • Refresh with breakfast at the hotel.

   • Explore some of the following possible adventures.

     • OPTION 1: Visit Little Adams Peak

     • OPTION 2: Trek to Ella Rock

     • OPTION 3: View 9 Arc Bridge

     • OPTION 4: Proceed to Dowa Temple

     • OPTION 5: Fly on the Rawana Mega Zipline

     • OPTION 6: Fly on Rawana ATV (Quad Bike) Trails

   Dinner and overnight stay at Homestay in Ella.

10. Day 10: Ella - Uda Walawe

    • Energise with breakfast at the hotel.

    • View the spectacular Ella gap in the southern mountain wall, where the land falls away in a dizzy drop of 3000 ft (915m), to the south of plains and the sea, visible in the far distance on a clear day.

    • Visit Rawana Ella Water Fall.

    • Leave for Uda Walawe. 

    Dinner and overnight stay at hotel in Uda Walawe.

11. Day 11: Elephant Transit Home - Uda Walawe National Park Jeep Safari

    • Begin with breakfast at the hotel.

    • Visit the Elephant Transit Home. Human-elephant conflict is a significant threat to the survival of elephants in Sri Lanka, with many elephants being orphaned or lost: this is where Elephant Transit Home comes in. The elephant calves are taken in, nurtured and cared for back to health. The elephants are free to roam around and are never chained – Elephant Transit Home ensures that human contact is kept to a minimum to maximize their chance of survival when they are returned to the wild.

    • In the afternoon, proceed for a jeep safari at Uda Walawe National Park. The park is a mixture of abandoned Teak plantations, grassland, scrub jungle and riverine ‘gallery forest’ along the Walawe Ganga and Mau Ara. Uda Walawe is probably the best place to see wild herds of Elephants, consisting of tightly-knit family groups of up to four generations of related adult and sub-adult females and young. The park is also home to Spotted Deer, Monitor Lizards, Sambar Deer, Wild Boar, the common Langur, Jackal, Toddy Cat and the endemic Toque Macaque. The Sri Lankan Leopard has also been sighted here.

    Dinner and overnight stay at hotel in Uda Walawe.

12. Day 12: Uda Walawe - Tangalle

    • Eat breakfast at the hotel.

    • Leave for Tangalle, famous for its beautiful and virtually untouched coastline, is favoured by those seeking a romantic beach getaway and perfect for seeing endangered marine turtles at the Rekawa beach.

    • Day at leisure.

    • At night, go on a tuk-tuk ride where you can observe marine turtles in their natural habitat. Five out of seven of the world’s marine turtle species are found and come ashore in Rekawa to lay eggs, including green, loggerhead, hawksbill, olive ridley and leatherback. During the high season, from April to July, you can see 5-15 turtles each night, whereas during the low season, from October to January, it is approximately 1-2.

    Dinner and overnight stay at Hotel in Tangalle.

13. Day 13: Tangalle

    • Consume breakfast at the hotel.

    • Day at leisure.

      • OPTIONAL: Dolphin & Whale watching tour. (November to April)

    Dinner and overnight stay at Hotel in Tangalle.

14. Day 14: Tangalle - Galle - Negombo

    • Start with breakfast at the hotel.

    • Leave for Negombo.

    • See the stilt fishers on poles in Koggala, a traditional fishing method practised by most fishermen along the southern coast of Sri Lanka.

    • Make a cycle tour in Galle Fort. Galle Fort is the finest and most intact fortified city built by the former European colonial powers in Asia. The narrow streets of Galle Fort are lined with Dutch merchant villas, pillared verandas, carved doors and windows. British and Dutch period offices are still in use. This is a living world heritage city with residents walking the 300-year-old ramparts at sunset.

    • Strolling along the high rampart walls, you will see the Old Dutch and English churches, the Governor's house, the massive VOC warehouses, the Square of Courts, the elegant pillared facade of the Old Dutch hospital, the Portuguese Black Fort, the lighthouse, the Clock Tower and much more.

    Dinner and overnight stay at a hotel in Negombo.

15. Day 15: Negombo - Airport

    • Enjoy breakfast at the hotel.

    • Transfer to airport for onward flight.