DISCOVER SRI LANKA

Transfer from Negombo to Sigiriya. for the Village Safari Tour. Bullock Cart Ride: Bullock Cart is the first vehicle in Sri Lanka. In the past once past famous mode of transport of local royalty. Today this vehicle become coordinating between the past and present. Boat Riding: Reservoir is a stunning mixture of the village after cart ride visitor can get Canoe Boat Ride in the reservoir. Village Tour:  Next visitor can get special experience of the pleasures of village life for visit house in the village. Toddy Tapping:  Toddy Tapping is a special thing in the village culture. Visitor can get this experience in his village tour. Tuk Tuk Tour: At the end visitor have a tuk tuk tour back to the starting point. Total tour is around 8 km ride.

Transfer from Sigiriya to Ritigala Reach Ritigala Mountain Ritigala can be reached from the turn-off from Habarana- Anuradhapura Road at a distance of 12km from Habarana. Another 5 km along a graveled yet memorable road leads to the foot of the mountain. Ritigala Mountain at a height of 766 m above the sea-level is the highest mountain in the north-central dry plains of Sri Lanka. The mountain mass about three miles long and about two miles wide at its widest point is covered with dense jungle inhabited by wild Elephants, leopards and bears. It is the watershed of the Malwatu Oya which feeds the Nachaduwa tank and Kalueba Ela which feeds Huruluwewa. The Ritigala Mountain has been declared a Strict Natural Reserve in order to maintain its pristine environment. Ritigala mountain’s cloud cover and mist that cloth it most of the year round has resulted in a flora much more commonly found at the central hills of wet zone than those in the dry plains: the upper part of the mountain is well known for its flora, some of which are rare; it has also a range of wild orchids. Transfer from Ritigala to Habarana for Elephant Back Safari at the evening. Elephant Back Safari brings in multifaceted joys. The majestic beast, the locations in close proximity to the cultural attractions and the terrain rich with bird life all add up to bring in memorable experiences to the tourists holidaying in Sri Lanka. Elephant Back Safaris are one of the newest and most thrilling safari experiences in Sri Lanka. This Elephant Back Safari not only makes it possible to view wildlife from the back of an elephant, but perhaps more importantly, provide the unique opportunity to share a day in the life of the elephant Transfer from Habarana to Sigiriya.

Climb the 5th century Sigiriya Rock fortress which is a UNESCO world heritage site, built by King Kashyapa (477-495). The spectacular citadel of Sigiriya rises sheer and impregnable out of the plains of the dry zone. It is the country’s most memorable single attraction, a remarkable archeological site made unforgettable by its dramatic setting. The rock was the innermost stronghold of a 70 hectare fortified town. A moat, rampart and extensive gardens including the renowned water gardens ring the base of the rock. Visit the world-renowned frescoes of the 'Heavenly Maidens' of Sigiriya, which are in a sheltered pocket of the rock approached by a spiral stairway.  Transfer from Sigiriya to Dambulla Dambulla rock temple was built by king Walagambahu in the 1st century B.C. and is a UNESCO world heritage site. It is the most impressive of Sri Lanka’s many cave temples. The complex of five caves with over 2000 sq. meters of painted walls and ceilings is the largest area of paintings found in the world. It contains over 150 images of the Buddha of which the largest is the colossal figure carved out of granite rock and spanning 14 meters. Transfer from Dambulla to Sigiriya.

Transfer from Sigiriya to Kandy. Visit Matale Spice Garden en route. Visit a spice garden in Matale to see different spices for which Sri Lanka is famous for. Here, clients could see different spices and how some of these spices are grown and processed. Witness a Cookery demonstration.                Sri Lanka is famous for its spices and spices gardens. These spice gardens offers tourists memorable visits to various spice plantations in Sri Lanka. In order to promote and uplift spice growing and spice gardens of Sri Lanka a spice council was established with all key industry private and public sector stakeholders. During early historical times Sri Lanka known as Taprobane, was world renowned for its Quality Spices. During ancient times the Greeks, Romans and the Arabic maintained their links with Sri Lanka through the spice trade. In the 16th century Ceylon, as it was then known, was discovered by Portuguese who soon began trading in cinnamon and other spices. The Dutch and British followed bringing with them their own history and influences, forming a strong Western presence which created a history of food expressed with spices which can be tasted in the dishes today. Also the Spices are use in Ayurveda in Sri Lanka. Spice Gardens in the hill capital Kandy and at Matale and Mawanella give interesting insights into spice production in Sri Lanka.The importance of spices in the minor export crops of Sri Lanka consist of Fragrant clove, cinnamon, cardamom, nutmeg, mace and pepper, for which Sri Lanka has been farmed since ancient times, thrive in the hills. Visit a spice garden in Matale to see many different types of spices Sri Lanka is famous for. Just 25 km from the hill capital of Kandy, the Matale spice gardens are among the best on the island. You will be introduced to different spices and shown how some of these spices are grown and processed. A processing and training unit has been set up in the area and farmers are grouped in a cooperative to ensure fair prices and you will also be able to purchase spices. Gardens are open to visitors, a delightful place to stroll in fragrant greenery and learn about nutmeg, pepper vines, clove trees and curry, cinnamon and the precious cardamom, a relative of ginger. It grows in the shade of high jungle trees and can only be harvested by hand. Visitors may buy spices, traditional remedies and cosmetics, taste a herbal brew and in some venues, enjoy the full flavors of Sri Lankan spices over lunch or an Ayurveda massage based on natural products from the garden. Transfer from Matale to Kandy.

Enjoy the sightseeing tour of Kandy which is a UNESCO world heritage site. The historic city about 480m above sea level surrounded by mountains was known to Sri Lankan as Kanda Uda Rata, which means the hill country. Kandy was home to Sri Lanka's last independent Kingdom, which survived two centuries of colonial incursion before finally falling to the British at the beginning of the nineteenth century. Visit the Temple of the tooth, The Royal Botanical Gardens, the Peradeniya University campus and catch a panoramic view of the picturesque town from Upper Lake Drive. Early evening, you will visit a Kandyan Dance performance and be treated to a spectacular fire walking finale Kandy is also famous for its shopping, gems and jewellery, handicrafts, batiks, silks etc. And you will have the opportunity of browsing to your heart’s content.

Ramboda waterfalls are situated at Ramboda of Nuwara Eliya district of Sri Lanka. Ramboda is at between Nuwara Eliya and Gampola towns. The height is about 109m and the 729th highest in the world.  There are about 27km to Ramboda from Gampola town. Ramboda waterfall is at downside of the main road and it cannot see from the main road. You should you down to the main road at Ramboda bridge of Nuwara Eliya Kandy main road and then you can visit the Ramboda waterfall. Ramboda waterfall is not a single waterfall and it has two stairs. Up side of the main road of Ramboda place, there is another waterfall. Most of tourists dismiss the waterfall and they visit up side waterfall and go away. But don’t forget to visit Ramboda main waterfall at downside of the Ramboda of Nuwara Eliya Sri Lanka Near Ramboda waterfall there is the longest road tunnel of Sri Lanka. It is made in 2006 -2007 years and also you can visit the Kothmale Valley and Kothmala Mahaweli Pagoda as well Tea Plantation Rolling hills in Sri Lanka are carpeted with some of the best tea plantations in the world. Very popular all over the world, the Ceylon tea or the Black tea was brought to the Srilankan hills by the British, who found the hilly region tailor-made for the plantation of tea.  The British found the hilly areas of Srilanka suitable for the plantation of coffee and rubber. By the middle of the 19th century, Ceylon tea or Black tea had become very popular all over the world. Most of the tea companies in Sri Lanka were owned by the foreigners till 1971. Land Reform Act was brought was reclaim the land in foreign hands. Now, both the state-owned and private companies are in the fray. Visit a tea plantation and a tea factory, where the best tea in the world is produced. Here you could observe all about the process of manufacturing tea. You can also see how tea is graded. Taste a cup of pure Ceylon tea in the factory. Transfer from Tea Plantation to Nuwara Eliya. Nuwara Eliya meaning "the city of dawn" is the town at the highest elevation (about 2000m above sea level) in Sri Lanka and its tallest peak, Pidurutalagala (2555m) could be seen from here. The city established by the British in the nineteenth century, and known as "Little England" and is a popular holiday resort for Sri Lankans & tourists due to its cool climate and quaint colonial feel with its little bungalows surrounded by hedgerows. Nuwara Eliya is also the heart of the tea country and you can visit a plantation and a factory en route here and witness how the famous "Ceylon Tea" is brewed.

Horton Plains National Park (HPNP) was recommended for the tentative listing of World Heritage Sites (WHS) to United Nations Educational, Scientific & Cultural Organization (UNESCO) by the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources of Sri Lanka on 20th March 2006. On 30th July 2010 UNESCO declared Sri Lanka's Highlands comprising the Peak Wilderness Protected Area, the Horton Plains National Park and the Knuckles Conservation Forest, a World heritage site. The early morning drive The high altitude plains are beautiful, silent, strange & excellent for trekking & bird watching. A light sweater & stout shoes for the morning; a hat & sunscreen for mid-day. The weather can change very quickly on the plains. One minute it can be sunny & clear, the next chilly & misty. Pastries & sandwiches. Canteens of water, a flask of tea or a flask of coffee. We will be leaving as early as 5.30 am from Nuwara Eliya. The drive from here on via beautiful Diyatalawa (of military cantonment since the days of the British) to Horton Plains is particularly beautiful. Mountains, mist, tall trees, green vegetation, flowers & fruits all hugging you all along. The crisp & cool air would be wrapping you around. The pain in the A of waking up, getting up & getting ready early in the morning is all gone now. You start to feel assured that all that trouble is nothing compared the ride, hike & the park. This is hill country of Sri Lanka. Just before we reach the park we drive passing a stunning dawn view of Adam's Peak. The peak is prettiest during the pilgrimage season from December to May while the mountain is illuminated with lights). By 7 am we are at the entrance to the park.

Transfer from Nuwara Eliya to Yala. On the way, you may visit Hakgala Botanical Gardens. Garden established in 1861 as an experimental cultivation of Cinchona, a commercial crop thriving at the time. Once after the Tea replace the Cinchona, it was turned into an experimental Tea. In 1884 it transformed to a garden since then many sub-tropical and some temperate plants were planted in the gardens There are over 10,000 species of flora planted here and during the spring season in Nuwara Eliya thousands of visitors come to see the blooms here. Number of annual visitors is around 500,000.The garden is famous for number of species of Orchids and Roses are planted there.

Yala National park is Sri Lanka’s most visited wildlife reserve. Yala covers an area of 1260 square kilometers. The park’s dry-zone landscape is strikingly beautiful and the park’s wildlife has its own distinctive charm, with huddles of colorful painted storks perched on the incongruously conjoined sight of elephants marching sedately through the bush while rabbits scamper through the undergrowth. Leopards, sloth bears and elephants are the "big 3" here although crocodiles, jackalls and the many variety of birds are also a huge draw to this park which is the largest national park in the country.  The Yala National Park is the most visited park in Sri Lanka. In 2002 around 156,867 tourists visited the park. Foreigners, especially Europeans, account for 30% of total visitors. Block I is the main area for visits. Block III (main gate in Galge area, on Buttala-Kataragama Road) and the adjoining Kumana Park or 'Yala East' (main gate at Okanda, on the east coast not far from Pottuvil) however are becoming popular in their own right too. See [1] Note that the Situlpahuwa pilgrimage site, geographically in Block III, has kind of an 'enclave' status and is accessible FOC through separate roads from Tissa and Kataragama. Most of the visitors stated that reasons for their visit are to see wild animals, and elephant is the most preferred animal. The visitors like to see bears, leopards, birds as well. In 2000 the income from visitors including lodge fees was approximately US$468,629. Due to security conditions revenue was lost. The Yala National Park has been susceptible to terrorist attacks. On 17 October 2007 a group of LTTE cadres attacked an army detachment in Thalgasmankada in the park. The attack killed six army soldiers and another was caught up in a landmine explosion. On 11 July 2008 four people died in an attack launched by the LTTE. The cadres opened fire at a bus carrying pilgrims to Kataragama. Since the end of the civil war, May 2009, no violence has occurred in Yala area also and it is fully safe for visitors; this was also the main factor in opening blocks III and V for tourists

Proceed Hambantota Around the years of 1801 and 1803, the British built a Martello tower on the tip of the rocky headland alongside the lighthouse overlooking the sea at Hambantota. The builder was a Captain Goper, who built the tower on the site of an earlier Dutch earthen fort. The tower was restored in 1999, and in the past, formed part of an office of the Hambantota Kachcheri where the Land Registry branch was housed. Today it houses a fisheries museum. From 2 August to 9 September 1803, an Ensign J. Prendergast of the regiment of Ceylon native infantry was in command of the British colony at Hambantota during a Kandian attack that he was able to repel with the assistance of the snow ship Minerva. Earlier, HMS Wilhelmina had touched there and left off eight men from the Royal Artillery to reinforce him.[5] This detachment participated in Prendergast's successful defense of the colony.[6] If the tower at Hambantota was at all involved in repelling any attack this would be one of the only cases in which a British Martello tower had been involved in combat Economy & Infrastructure. Convention Centre Wind Farm Port Airport Transport Tele Cinema Village  Transfer from Hambantota to Hikkaduwa.  

The old part of the city within the Dutch Fort built in the 17th century has been declared a World Heritage site by UNESCO. A walk on the ramparts from Point Utrecht bastion to Flag Rock bastion will give you an excellent view of the ancient harbor which was known as Tar shish in the Bible. We will pass the District Court and the original entrance to the Fort en route to the Dutch Reformed Church built in the 17th century. The New Town to the north of the Fort was badly affected by the tsunami in 2004 and is the home of the famous International cricket stadium which has been re-built.

Transfer from Hikkaduwa to Colombo and on the way you may visit The Turtle Hatchery in Kosgoda and after that proceed Balapitiya for River Safari at the evening. Kosgoda is famous for its turtle hatchery- operated by the Wild Life Protection Society of Sri Lanka. It was established in 1981 to protect Sri Lanka's turtles from extinction. The hatchery pays fishermen for eggs that they collect at night along the sandy beach. Visitors can see huge tanks filled with new born turtle hatchlings. After being fed, the baby turtles are taken to the sea and released when they are 2-4 days old, usually during the safer hours of darkness. Although October to April is the main laying season, some eggs can be found at Kosgoda throughout the year. Proceed Balapitiya for Madu River Safari. The Madu River Lagoon is popularly known as the Madu Ganga. The town of Balapitiya which lies about 80km from Colombo is the waters-meet for the Madu Ganga. It is located in southwest Sri Lanka. The ‘Amarapura Nikaya’ a Buddhist sect, held its first higher ordination ceremony balanced on a fleet of boats that were anchored, in 1803. The Madu Ganga wetland with its estuary and mangrove islets makes up a coastal wet-land-eco-system. It is home to about 303 species of plants and 248 species of vertebrate animals. It is considered one of the last expanses of immaculate mangrove forests in Sri Lanka. The island citizens of these islets produce peeled cinnamon and cinnamon oil and you are sure to have the opportunity to experience this indigenous production. Transfer from Balapitiya to Colombo.

Enjoy a city tour of Colombo which is the largest city and former administrative capital of Sri Lanka and is a busy and vibrant city with a mixture of modern life and remnants of a bygone colonial era. Due to its large harbor and its strategic position along the East-West sea trade routes, Colombo was known to ancient traders 2,000 years ago. However it was only made the Capital of the island when Sri Lanka was ceded to the British Empire in 1815. The main city is home to a majority of the Sri Lanka’s corporate offices, restaurants and entertainment venues. On this tour you will visit many of the historical, religious and commercial sites of Colombo including the historic and bustling Fort and Pettah, the elite residential Cinnamon Gardens, the Galle face Green, Viharamahadevi Park and much more.

Transfer from Colombo to Airport for the departure