7-Day Sri Lanka Cultural Tour with Sigiriya and White Water Rafting

• Arrive at Colombo Airport and be welcomed by your guide/driver.

• Transfer north into central Sri Lanka to Sigiriya, with a comfort stop en route.

Overnight at Dambulla.

• After an early breakfast, climb the Sigiriya Rock Fortress, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The base of the rock is ringed by a moat, rampart, and extensive gardens, including the renowned water gardens. The majestic Lion's Paw picturesquely guards the stairway to the palace on the summit.

• See the famous frescoes of the "Heavenly Maidens" of Sigiriya in a sheltered pocket of the rock, as well as the 10-foot-high Mirror Wall.

• Proceed to Habarana for an elephant ride. The tour takes you along the forest trail, across the river, and through the village on elephant back.

• Visit Polonnaruwa, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and a well-planned medieval city defended by enclosing walls and graced by palaces, shrines, monasteries, pavilions, parks, ponds, and irrigation lakes. Of these, the Vatadage and the Thuparama Image House are the most spectacular.

• Continue to Gal Vihara, which consists of statues of the recumbent, standing, and seated Buddha.

Overnight stay at Dambulla.

• Have breakfast and then continue to Kandy.

• En route, ascend to visit the most impressive of the many cave temples in Sri Lanka. It is the largest and best-preserved cave temple complex in the country.

• See paddy fields, coconut groves, rubber and spice gardens, and plantations along the way.

• Visit a spice garden in Matale.

• Arrive in Kandy and check in at the hotel.

• Explore the Temple of the Tooth, Kandy town and bazaar, the arts and crafts centre, a gem museum, Kandy Lake, and a lapidary.

• Enjoy the Kandyan Cultural Show at the Kandyan Arts & Cultural Centre. The show features graceful and rhythmic dancers and drummers, culminating in an impressive fire-walking show.

Overnight stay at Kandy.

• After breakfast, travel to Nuwara Eliya, a picturesque colonial town set among the island's central highlands and renowned as a centre for the production of Sri Lankan tea.

• Enjoy a brief city tour followed by fascinating visits to a tea plantation, wonderful green diversity of trees, plants, and flowers, the Mackwoods tea factory, Sri Lanka's highest mountain Pidurutalagala, and a tea factory, with the opportunity for a tasting session.

Overnight stay at Nuwara Eliya.

• Have breakfast and leave for Kitulgala, a riverside town surrounded by lush jungle.

• Arrive in Kitulgala and check in at the hotel.

• Enjoy a high adrenaline-pumping "White Water Rafting" experience on the Kelani River, one of the longest rivers in Sri Lanka.

• Take in the fascinating views of the surrounding forest while rafting, and in the calm waters you can let yourself float while enjoying the scenic beauty. End the rafting experience with a river bath.

Overnight stay at Kithulgala.

• Enjoy breakfast and leave for Negombo Beach for a relaxing night by the sea.

• Discover a peaceful retreat by the ocean offering deluxe accommodation with contemporary elegance. This Negombo beach hotel gives the traveller a chance to discover the sights and sounds of this quaint coastal town.

• Visit the Dutch Fort or try water sports if you wish.

Overnight stay at Negombo.

• Enjoy breakfast, spend some leisure time at the hotel, and proceed to the airport with sweet memories of Sri Lanka.