8-Day Sri Lanka Heritage and Wildlife Tour with Yala and Mirissa

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Day 01

Arrival and Sigiriya Rock Exploration

• On your arrival, meet your tour guide at the airport and drive towards Sigiriya.
• Visit Sigiriya Rock. Deep in the middle of Sri Lanka, a massive column of rock juts out from the green tropical forest. It rises 660 feet tall and features frescoes, graffiti, and landscaped gardens. The rock is known as "Sigiriya" and holds a special place in the island's cultural history.
• Then, head to see the Ritigala ruins. Ritigala is a mountain in central Sri Lanka that is home to an ancient Buddhist monastery. It is located 43 km (27 mi) away from the ancient monastic city of Anuradhapura. The ruins and rock inscriptions of the monastery date back to the 1st century BCE.

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Day 02

Minneriya Safari and Pidurangala Rock

• Visit Minneriya National Park, situated in the North Central Province of Sri Lanka. The area was designated as a national park on 12 August 1997, having originally been declared a wildlife sanctuary in 1938.
• You can see around 200 elephants here at the same time.
• Next, head to Pidurangala Rock, one of the oldest places in the Sigiriya area. You can enjoy a spectacular view of Sigiriya from Pidurangala Rock.

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Day 03

Polonnaruwa Archaeological Sightseeing

• Drive to Polonnaruwa for a sightseeing tour. Kings ruled the central plains of Sri Lanka from Polonnaruwa 800 years ago, when it was a thriving commercial and religious centre. The glories of that age can still be found in the archaeological treasures that give a vivid idea of how the city looked in its heyday.
• You'll find the archaeological park a delight to explore, with hundreds of ancient structures - tombs and temples, statues and stupas - in a compact core. The Quadrangle alone is worth the trip. Polonnaruwa's proximity to elephant-packed national parks only adds to its popularity. With good accommodation and plenty of bikes for hire, the town itself makes a pleasant base for a day or two. Nearby Kaduruwela, 4 km east of Polonnaruwa, has the lion's share of banks, shops, and other facilities.
• Return to the hotel.

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Day 04

Kandy, Dambulla and Cultural Highlights

• Travel to Kandy, a large city in central Sri Lanka. It is set on a plateau surrounded by mountains that are home to tea plantations and biodiverse rainforest. At the heart of the city is scenic Kandy Lake (Bogambara Lake), which is famous for strolling. Kandy is also famed for sacred Buddhist sites, including the Temple of the Tooth (Sri Dalada Maligawa) shrine, celebrated with the grand annual Esala Perahera procession.
• Visit Dambulla Cave Temple, also known as the Golden Temple of Dambulla. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site in Sri Lanka, situated in the central part of the country. The Buddhist temple complex consists of five cave temples carved under a huge overhanging rock. The temples were carved out over several centuries, with the oldest dating back to the 1st century BCE.
• Many spice gardens exist in and around Kandy, such as the New Ranweli Spice Garden in Kandy, which is located within the Royal Peradeniya Gardens, New Paradise Spice and Herbal Garden in Mawanella, which is on the way to Kandy, and Isiwara Ayurvedic Village in Matale, which is an hour's drive away from Kandy.
• See the Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic, or Sri Dalada Maligawa, a Buddhist temple in Kandy, Sri Lanka. It is located in the royal palace complex of the former Kingdom of Kandy and houses the relic of the tooth of the Buddha.
• Visit the Gem Museum, which exhibits rare minerals found in Sri Lanka and some of the oldest fossils of living beings from the Cambrian era, about 541-485 million years ago. The museum also gives visitors detailed knowledge of how Sri Lankan minerals and gems outshine those found worldwide.
• Visit Peradeniya Botanical Garden and then attend a Kandyan Dance Program.

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Day 05

Ella Hill Country Hikes

• Travel to Ella, which has become the go-to town in the hill country for tourists and, as a result, has a reasonably well-established tourism-oriented economy. For example, there is espresso coffee and fish and chips on offer, along with lounge and backpacker-style bars aimed solely at visitors. Unfortunately, there is not much more than the touristic infrastructure, which means there is little local life. The recent rise in popularity also means most things here are costly. Ella is situated in the middle of beautiful countryside, with small vegetable plots in the valleys, tea plantations on the hillsides, and forests on the tops.
• Go for a hike to Little Adam's Peak and visit Ella Rock.

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Day 06

Yala Safari and Kataragama Pilgrimage Town

• Go on a wildlife safari in Yala National Park. Nestled in the south-eastern corner of Sri Lanka, Yala National Park is the island's principal national park. It offers the most incredible diversity of animal and birdlife in the country. The habitats found in the park are wide-ranging, from freshwater lakes to beaches, rocky outcrops to green plains and jungle. This creates an area of immense biodiversity and makes it one of the world's most popular destinations to spot the elusive leopard, which loves to lounge on the huge granite boulders that dot the parkland.
• Don't forget to look for pugmarks and follow them. If you're lucky, a leopard will oblige you with a sighting. If you are fortunate, you might even spot a hunt. The grace with which the cat conducts itself is quite a sight to behold. Allow the wilderness to capture your heart fully, just before you capture it on your lenses.
• Next, go to Kataragama, a pilgrimage town sacred to Buddhist, Hindu, and indigenous Vedda people of Sri Lanka. People from South India also go there to worship. The town has the Kataragama temple, a shrine dedicated to Skanda Kumara, also known as Kataragama deviyo.

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Day 07

Mirissa Coast, Blowhole and Marine Life

• Travel to Mirissa, a small town on the south coast of Sri Lanka, located in the Matara District of the Southern Province. It is approximately 150 kilometres south of Colombo and is situated at an elevation of 4 metres above sea level. Mirissa's beach and nightlife make it a popular tourist destination.
• You will see Dondra, historically known as Devinuwara temple port town or Devinuwara temple town. Until the late 16th century, Dondra was a historic temple port town complex. A multi-religious site, its primary deity was the Buddhist god Upulvan. At its zenith, it was one of the most famous religious sites on the island, containing a thousand statues from various sects of Hinduism and Buddhism.
• Next, visit Hummanaya Blowhole, the only known blowhole in Sri Lanka, which is considered the second-largest blowhole in the world. Hummanaya refers to the noise, "hoo", which can be heard from a distance when the blowhole is active.
• Go for whale and dolphin watching in Mirissa, one of the most exciting water activities you can do during your holiday in Sri Lanka. Blue whales, the largest animals in the world, are often spotted here, and Mirissa is one of the best places in Sri Lanka for whale and dolphin watching tours.
• You can also go for a snorkelling experience in Mirissa.

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Day 08

Galle Fort and Departure

• Visit Galle Fort, in the Bay of Galle on the southwest coast of Sri Lanka. It was first built in 1588 by the Portuguese and then extensively fortified by the Dutch during the 17th century from 1649 onwards.
• Return to your hotel. Then, transfer to the airport for departure.