9-Day Sri Lanka Cultural and Wildlife Tour with Knuckles Trek

You will be picked up from the airport and driven to Polonnaruwa for your overnight stay.

Visit Polonnaruwa in the morning. It was Sri Lanka's capital for about 200 years before the kingdom was transferred to Dambadeniya, and Polonnaruwa was conquered by the Indian king Kalinga Magha. You can visit the archaeological museum, royal palace, audience hall, swimming pool, sacred quadrangle, Shiva Devale, Pabalu Vehera, Rankoth Vihara, Kiri Vihara, Lankatilaka Buddha statue, and the Buddha figures at Gal Vihara.

Afterward, drive to Sigiriya and stay overnight there.

Start the journey at 7:00 a.m. and visit the eighth wonder of the world, which features huge walls, water canals, security guard rooms, natural stone arches, the mirror wall, and the world-famous Sigiri paintings. It is an isolated rock kingdom rising more than 200 metres in height. You will need to spend more than two and a half hours here.

Your second destination is the Dambulla Cave Temple, the largest and best-preserved cave temple in Sri Lanka. The caves were converted into a temple complex by King Walagamba during the 1st century. There are about 153 Buddha statues and murals covering 2,100 square metres. You will need around one and a half hours to cover the entire temple complex.

Then travel to Kandy, enjoy a Kandyan dancing event in the evening between 5:00 p.m. and 6:00 p.m., and spend the night in Kandy.

Begin the journey early in the morning at 7:00 a.m. to Knuckles Valley for hiking. While reaching the peak, you will pass tea estates, waterfalls, panoramic scenery, pygmy rain forest, and cloud forest. You can also watch many varieties of birds and animals at the same time. Spend the night in a jungle camp, where you will be served BBQ for dinner.

Start climbing downhill through tea plantations and medium trekking terrain. There are sparkling waterfalls along the way to enjoy. You will be dropped back at your hotel in Kandy by the evening.

Soon after breakfast, you will visit the Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic, situated in the World Heritage city of Kandy. Lord Buddha's most sacred molar tooth is placed in seven golden caskets under a golden ceiling.

You can also see the royal palace of the last king who ruled Sri Lanka until 1815. There are four Hindu temples, as well as the Buddhist Museum and the Archaeological Museum, situated on the Maligawa premises.

Continue to the Ambuluwawa Tower, which stands 48 metres high on an isolated mountain.

Then drive to Nuwara Eliya, passing waterfalls, high-grown tea plantations, and world-reputed tea factories. Stay overnight in Nuwara Eliya.

The journey begins at 5:00 a.m. with a drive to Horton Plains, the highest plain in Sri Lanka, where you will follow a 9 km circular walking track. World's End is the most iconic viewpoint, offering views as far as the south coast of Sri Lanka. Baker's Falls is another eye-catching sight, and Horton Plains is a sensitive natural zone in Sri Lanka.

Next, drive to your hotel in Ella. Walk for about 30 minutes towards the railway track to see the Nine Arch Bridge. Little Adam's Peak is an attractive viewpoint for sunset. Stay overnight in Ella.

Drive to Tissamaharama. Soon after passing Ella, you can see the wonderful Ravana Ella waterfall. Ravana Ella is the widest waterfall in Sri Lanka and is especially attractive.

By 1:30 p.m., you can join the Yala safari. It is an interesting and very popular experience among tourists, as Yala is the second-largest wildlife reserve in Sri Lanka. It has one of the highest leopard densities of any national park in the world. If you are lucky, you may spot leopards. Stay overnight in Tissamaharama.

Drive straight away to see the Hummanaya blowhole, which pumps seawater up to 40 feet during the south-west monsoon season. Next, visit the turtle conservation project at Rekawa. Finally, drive back to your hotel in Unawatuna or the nearest beach resort.