13-Day Sri Lanka Cultural Tour with Safari, Train Ride and Coast

• Get picked up from the airport and then drive to Negombo.
• See the fish market and relax on the beach.

Stay overnight in Negombo.

• The next destination will be Wilpattu National Park. The safari starts at 2:00 p.m. You can see the natural habitats of wild animals, including Sri Lankan leopards and Sri Lankan sloth bears. It is the largest national wildlife reservoir and one of the most attractive parks in Sri Lanka.
• After spending 3-4 hours there, drive back to the hotel in Wilpattu.

Stay overnight in Wilpattu.

• You will be taken to Polonnaruwa, which was the capital of Sri Lanka for about 200 years. Finally, the kingdom was transferred to Dambadeniya, and Polonnaruwa was conquered by the Indian king Kalinga Magha.
• You can visit the Archeological Museum, the Royal Palace, Audience Hall, Sacred Quadrangle, Shiva Devale, Pabalu Vehera, Rankot Vihara, Kiri Vihara, the Buddha statue at Lankatilaka, and the Buddha figures at Gal Vihara. It normally takes 5-6 hours to visit the entire kingdom in Polonnaruwa.

Stay overnight in Polonnaruwa.

• Drive to Sigiriya. Remarkable tourist activities in Sigiriya include a village tour to experience ancient village life and day-to-day activities, including oxen cart rides, catamaran rides, a walk through the paddy fields, a cookery demonstration on traditional Sri Lankan foods, and a traditional meal.
• You can dedicate the whole evening to visiting Pidurangala Rock in Sigiriya to catch the sunset scenery.

Stay overnight there.

• Get picked up at 7:00 a.m. from your residence in Sigiriya and drive straight away to Lion Rock.
• You will visit the eighth wonder of the world, which contains huge walls, water canals, security guard rooms, natural stone arches, mirror stone, and the world-famous Sigiri paintings. It is an isolated rock kingdom more than 200 m in height. You have to spend more than two and a half hours here.
• Then 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 2100 square meters. You will spend around one and a half hours covering the entire temple complex.
• Drive to Kandy.
• Then, enjoy the Kandyan dancing event in the evening between 5:00 p.m. and 6:00 p.m.
• Finally, visit the Temple of the Tooth Relic. The most sacred molar tooth of Lord Buddha is placed in seven golden caskets under a golden ceiling.

Spend the night in Kandy.

• Pick up at 7:00 a.m. from your hotel, then drive to Pinnawala Elephant Orphanage to see milk feeding and elephant bathing.
• Return to Kandy.
• On the way, you will visit the Royal Botanical Garden, which is covered with colourful flowering plants, herbal plants, epidemic plant species, and palm family trees. More than 4000 varieties can be seen here. The world's giant bamboo tree species are found only here. There are also more than 100 species of ferns, and the widest variety of orchid plants, lotus, and water lilies are grown in artificial ponds in the garden.
• Then you will be heading to the viewpoint of Kandy.

Spend the night in Kandy.

• Drive to Adam's Peak, another World Heritage and multi-religious place in Sri Lanka. It is an isolated mountain peak of 7359 feet above sea level. Adam's Peak is another sacred, highly valued, and attractive place among local and foreign tourists. The season begins from the full moon on the Poya day in December and ends on the full moon Poya day in May. It is not easy to climb the rock during the weekend because it is too crowded with local pilgrims.
• You can start the journey in the evening or at midnight to avoid the heat of the sun. At daytime, sunrise is another amazing scenery you can see from the top of the hill, and the temperature is less than 15 Celsius. Therefore, make sure to pack warm clothes and equipment according to your needs.

Stay overnight on top of the mountain.

• In the morning, witness a magical sunrise and return to the hotel.
• In the evening, drive to Nuwara Eliya and stay overnight there.

• The journey begins from Nuwara Eliya (Nanuoya) Railway Station in the morning. It takes nearly 3 hours and 30 minutes to reach Ella. It is the iconic scenic train journey in Sri Lanka. The train takes you along green tea plantation hills, lovely old tunnels, waterfalls, and stunning landscapes, and lets you enjoy traditional village life while travelling.
• Then drive to the hotel in Ella. In the evening, when you walk for about 30 minutes towards the train track, you can see Nine Arch Bridge.

Stay overnight in Ella.

• Drive to Mirissa.
• You can see the wonderful Rawana Ella waterfall soon after passing Ella.
• On your way, you can see the Hummanaya blowhole and a turtle hatchery. The Hummanaya blowhole pumps seawater up to 40 feet from a natural hole between two close rocks and splashes water into the sky.

Stay the night in Mirissa.

• The dolphin and whale watching tour begins at 6:00 a.m., and you will have to spend nearly 4 hours on it.
• Next, you can see stilt fishing and drive to the World Heritage site of Galle Fort, built by the Portuguese and reconstructed during the Dutch period.

You will stay the night at Hikkaduwa.

• Firstly, go to see the coral reefs and enjoy scuba diving and snorkelling under the safety supervision of well-experienced professionals. The Hikkaduwa coastal area is most suitable for surfing from November to April.
• In the evening, you can enjoy the Madhu riverboat safari and get natural fish therapy for self-relaxation.

Stay the night at Bentota.

• You will be dropped off at the airport according to your flight departure time.