14-Day Sri Lanka Highlights Tour from Negombo with Heritage and Wildlife

• Arrive and meet your tour representatives at the airport.

• Feel free to explore the city of Negombo.

Stay overnight in Negombo.

• Begin the day with a boat ride in the Dutch Canal.

• Mingle with the locals at the fish market and learn about various types of fish.

• Visit the seaside and watch fishers haul their catch ashore.

• Check out the beautiful Portuguese and Dutch architecture.

• Travel through the countryside to Sigiriya in Dambulla, in the Central Province of Sri Lanka.

• Visit the World Heritage Site of the Golden Cave Temple of Dambulla.

• Catch a beautiful sunset over Kandalama Lake.

• Begin the day with a guided tour of the rock fortress of Sigiriya - a World Heritage Site.

• Meet the locals and share a meal with them.

• Enjoy a walking tour of a local village to learn about their way of life.

• Opt to go for a tour of Polonnaruwa, at an extra cost, the ancient capital of Sri Lanka, where you can cycle through the ruins.

• Drive through the Knuckles Mountain Range.

• Visit a spice plantation en route to Kandy. Students of Ayurveda will explain the different uses for each herb.

• Enjoy a guided visit to the famous Temple of the Tooth Relic.

• Enjoy sightseeing in Kandy with a free day to explore.

• Optional activities:

  • Visit the Botanical Gardens or an Ayurvedic hospital. Take in a cultural performance in the evening. Take a walk in the Royal Botanical Gardens in Peradeniya, exploring the 300 varieties of orchids of Sri Lanka. Visit an Ayurvedic hospital to learn about Ayurvedic oil massage treatments.

• Travel to Nuwara Eliya by train.

• Explore a traditional tea plantation in the central highlands. Gain insight into the process of growing tea and its effect on the Ceylon region.

• Explore the nature trails, play golf, or enjoy horseback riding.

Stay overnight.

• Spend a free day hiking in the Horton Plains Nature Reserve or strolling through the local markets.

• Use some free time to explore the area.

• Wander around Victoria Lake and sink in the views.

• Drive down from the hill district towards beach country to Udawalawe Reserve. Elephants are in abundance here and come strolling alongside the roads. Make several stops to observe these mighty creatures before arriving for the evening.

• Enjoy a delicious and informative cooking demonstration.

Stay overnight in a comfortable tented camp.

• Enjoy a morning nature trail near the Udawalawe Reserve. Roam through the wilderness and see a wide variety of birds and wildlife. Meet some local farmers in the fields and learn more about their rural way of life.

• Drive to your beautiful hotel in Ahungalla.

• Optional activities:

  • Yala (Ruhuna) National Park: Yala National Park, with an area of 1,259 sq km, is the biggest national park in Sri Lanka. The park is located 309 km south of Colombo on the island's southeast. The national park is divided into Yala West (Ruhuna) and Yala East. Yala West, or Ruhuna National Park, is one of the best parks in the world to observe and photograph leopards. There are about 35 leopards in the park, which is probably the highest density anywhere in the world. Other animals that can be seen in the park are elephants, sloth bears, spotted deer, barking deer, mouse deer, toque monkey, mongoose, and crocodiles. Yala East contains a large variety of water birds.

    45 USD per person (entrance fee, jeep, and government taxes).

• Visit the famous Galle Fort in this charming colonial city. It is a 16th-century fort, first built by the Portuguese and later occupied by the Dutch. Even after being battered by Mother Nature, the ramparts are still standing, including after the 2004 tsunami.

• Return to Ahungalla for the night.

• Relax by the pool in Ahungalla or head to the beaches of Hikkaduwa or Bentota.

• Optional activities:

  • Turtle Farm - created to protect this endangered species. The eggs are collected and immediately buried in a sandy compound that offers protection from birds, crabs, and humans, thanks to some netting. There are 8 varieties of turtle in the world, five of which can be found here: parrot, green, loggerhead, crocodile, and leatherback. All turtles lay 105 eggs six times a year, and the incubation period lasts 48 days. The turtles are kept for a 3-day period to let their navel close and prevent them from being eaten by fish and crabs.

    (5 USD per person)

  • Madu River - The Maduganga River is a shallow water body in southwest Sri Lanka, which enters the sea at Balapitiya. The Buddhist Kothduwa temple is situated on an isolated island in the lake together with the smaller Randomber Lake. It is connected by two narrow channels and forms the Madu Ganga wetland. It has high ecological, biological, and aesthetic significance, being home to 303 species of plants belonging to 95 families and 248 vertebrate animals. It might be one of the last remaining tracts of pristine mangrove forests in Sri Lanka.

    (25 USD per person)

• Travel to the capital, Colombo.

• Enjoy an orientation walk around the fort area.

• Visit the Pettah Bazaar. The area is home to Jami Ul-Alfar Mosque, one of Colombo's oldest and most visited mosques. It also hosts Kayman's Gate, Colombo Town Hall, and the Khan Clock Tower.

• Have breakfast and transfer to the airport for your return flight.