8-Day Sri Lanka Tour from Katunayake with Yala Safari and Whale Watching

• Meet the tour representative at the airport in Negombo and transfer to Colombo city.
• Start your Colombo city tour with a special visit to the Gangaramaya Temple.

Overnight stay at a hotel in Negombo.

• Have breakfast and transfer to Kandy. (Travel duration - 2 hrs)
• Visit the Pinnawala Elephant Orphanage on the way. Pinnawala Elephant Orphanage is home to young elephants that have been displaced and separated from their natural habitat, located in Pinnawala village in the Sabaragamuwa Province of Sri Lanka. Pinnawala Elephant Orphanage is the best place for an up-close and personal experience with the world's largest land mammals.
• Arrive in Kandy and visit the Temple of the Tooth Relic, a UNESCO World Heritage Site built in the 16th century as a place of veneration and protection for Lord Buddha's sacred tooth. Walk through the beautifully embellished passageways and elaborately painted halls in red, cream, and black. Lounge against delicately carved pillars and be amazed by the beautiful golden statues. Enjoy an unforgettable experience of history and art.
• Stroll through the spice garden and see the Kandy Gem Museum, the wood carving factory, and the batik and silk factory.
• See the cultural dance show in the evening.

Overnight stay at a hotel in Kandy.

• Enjoy your breakfast and head to Nuwara Eliya. (Travel duration - 3 hrs) Nuwara Eliya, meaning "city on the plain (table land)" or "city of light," is a town in the central highlands of Sri Lanka with a picturesque landscape and temperate climate. Nuwara Eliya's climate made it the prime sanctuary of British civil servants and planters in Ceylon. Called Little England at the time, it was also a hill country retreat where British colonialists could immerse themselves in pastimes such as fox hunting.
• See the finest Ceylon tea plantation field and factory to learn how tea is manufactured in Sri Lanka. You can observe the tea pickers, locally known as 'tea pluckers,' as they move between the lush green rows along the mountains with their large baskets. After that, you will be given a guided tour explaining fermentation, rolling, drying, cutting, sieving, and the grading of tea. Finish with a tea-tasting session and learn the history of Ceylon tea and why it is considered among the best in the world.
• Explore the beautiful city. This highland city was the premium holiday resort town of the British in the 19th and early 20th centuries. Enjoy walking through the streets with their pretty little cottages, quaint villas, and beautiful mansions.
• Make a memory at the old red-bricked post office as you purchase an inexpensive and colourful postcard to take home or send to your friends.
• Relax at Queen Victoria Park or on the shores of Lake Gregory.

Overnight stay at a hotel in Nuwara Eliya.

• Have breakfast and transfer to Tissamaharama; en route, visit Ella. (Travel duration - 4 hrs) Ella is a small village in the highlands of Sri Lanka, filled with tea estates, mountains, waterfalls, and, of course, some good air to breathe. Many people include Ella as one of their must-visit destinations just to witness the breathtaking views it creates. It is a dream place for many trekkers, with some of the best hikes the island provides. This hidden village has become vastly popular among tourists in recent years. Views of mist and clouds covering the summits of the mountain range, along with the morning sunrise in Ella, are spectacular scenes to witness and capture. In Ella, you can see the Ella Gap and visit Ravana Falls.
• Visit the Buduruwagala Rock Temple (optional visit) on the way. Buduruwagala means "rock of Buddhist sculptures" and is aptly named, as there are seven figures carved into the rock. The largest of these is a Buddha statue standing at an impressive 51 feet in a stance known as the "Abhaya Mudra." The rock on which these images have been carved has an interesting shape - almost like a kneeling elephant with its head bent towards the earth - and is about 300 feet wide and 7 feet high.
• Proceed to Tissamaharama to enjoy the evening jeep safari in Yala National Park. This amazing three-hour safari offers the opportunity to visit Yala National Park, the second largest on the island, located off the southeastern coast of Sri Lanka. Get a chance to see the famous Sri Lankan leopards, indigenous wild water buffalo, Sri Lankan sloth bear, and large herds of Sri Lankan elephants. This park is famous for its elephants seen in all their playfulness, with whole herds bathing and playing in the water while feeding their babies. The park is also home to many other species of mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, fish, and invertebrates.

Overnight stay at a hotel in Tissamaharama.

• Have breakfast at the hotel and transfer to Mirissa. (Travel duration - 3 hrs) Mirissa is a serene beach town flanked by the blue-green waters of the Indian Ocean and a pristine stretch of silky sand. The warm and relatively still waters of the Indian Ocean between November and April beckon a multitude of whales and dolphins to remain in the ocean surrounding Mirissa for a while. While this period is popular for dolphin and whale watching, Mirissa welcomes visitors all year round with its gentle nature and beautiful coastline, ideal for a leisurely holiday filled with momentous moments of bliss. You can sail the seas, eat seafood, visit nearby sites, and relax on a hammock with a tropical drink.

Overnight stay at a hotel in Mirissa.

• Get on board a boat to meet the whales dancing off the nearby Mirissa coast. Whale and dolphin watching in Mirissa is one of the most exciting water activities you can do in Sri Lanka during your holiday. Every morning from September to April, boats head out to see blue whales. Not only blue whales, but you may also see spotted Bryde's whales, sperm whales, killer whales, and a few types of dolphins from time to time.
• Enjoy evening leisure at Mirissa Beach. During your free time, you can climb Parrot Rock on Parrot Island, Mirissa. It is a small rock.

Overnight stay in Mirissa.

• Have breakfast and transfer to Bentota. (Travel duration - 2.5 hrs)
• Visit the Kosgoda Turtle Hatchery on the southwestern coast of Sri Lanka. Learn more about the five endangered sea turtle species that come to the shores of Sri Lanka to nest. Learn how the Kosgoda Turtle Care Program helps protect the nests until they hatch and increases the babies' chances of survival. Get a chance to see, touch, and feed baby turtles, or even injured adult turtles that the Turtle Hatchery cares for.
• Go on a boat ride in Madu Ganga. Enjoy a wonderful two-hour boat ride down the Madu River with its flourishing ecosystem. Pass through the secretive passages created by the mangroves. See basking crocodiles and water monitors. Visit one of the small islands with its cinnamon-harvesting natives. Enjoy the restorative qualities of the famous fish massage. Observe the waterbirds in their natural habitats.
• Do water sports in the evening (optional). This gives visitors an ideal chance to stay in one place and savour many different above-water activities. Bentota has always been renowned as the water sports capital of Sri Lanka, with hoteliers in the area actively promoting everything from adrenaline-filled speedboat and jet ski rides, windsurfing, boogie boarding, water skiing, and kite surfing to a leisurely banana boat ride for families and kids.

Overnight stay at a hotel in Bentota.

• Enjoy breakfast at the hotel, check out, and proceed to Katunayake Airport after spending a memorable time on this island.