Wild and Ancient Sri Lanka

You will be met on arrival at Bandaranaike International Airport and transferred to your hotel in Negombo, where the remainder of the day is yours at leisure. Consider arriving a day or two earlier to spend relaxing or walking along the beachs of Negombo.

After breakfast, head out on a city tour, where you’ll observe that the bustling village of Negombo is historically interesting with strong Dutch and Catholic influences.  The narrow strip of land between the lagoon and the sea, as well as the Dutch-inspired inland canals, make for good exploring.  Negombo is in the heart of Sri Lanka's fishing industry, so be sure to take in the fish auction, the oruvas (outrigger fishing canoes) bobbing on the sea, and other colorful local scenes. Near the mouth of the lagoon, visit the ruins of the Dutch fort and its fine old gateway inscribed with the date 1678.  In the town center, visit St. Mary’s Catholic Church and its lovely painted ceilings.  After dinner, the evening is yours at leisure.

This morning, you’ll take a short ride from Negombo to Pinnawela to visit with and learn about Asian elephants at the Pinnawela Elephant Orphanage, established in 1975 by the Department of Wildlife Conservation.  The program began with seven orphans, and today there are close to 100 with “grandchildren” born to some of the original orphans. The orphanage is a leader in wild elephant conservation and education and, with the help of local and foreign elephant experts, it manages an elephant breeding program and the largest captive herd in the world.  You’ll have the opportunity to see the care and feeding of baby orphans  as well as the entire herd up close as it is walked right down the main the main street in town to the river, where they then play and socialize.  Afterward, drive to your hotel in Dambulla. Dambulla is the location of some of the most beautiful cave temples in Asia.  The caves, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, are the most impressive of Sri Lanka's cave temples and are thought to date back to the 1st century BC and King Valagambahu.  The complex of five caves, with over 21,000 square feet of painted walls and ceilings, is the largest area of paintings found in the world.  The caves also contain over 150 Buddha images, the largest of which is a colossal 45-foot-high carved rock Buddha.

Today, you’ll climb the spectacular fifth century rock fortress of Sigiriya, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and one of Sri Lanka’s most significant attractions.  Built by King Kasyapa (477-495 AD), the “Lion Rock,” as it’s known, is a citadel of unusual beauty rising more than 650 feet above the jungle in a sheer and mysterious manner. The rock was initially the innermost stronghold of a large (175+ acre) fortified town that later became a monastic refuge in the 16th-17th centuries.  It then fell into disrepair and was only rediscovered during 19th century British colonial rule. A moat, rampart, and extensive gardens, including beautiful water gardens with royal bathing pools, moated islands, and pavilions, ring the base of the rock. While at the site, you’ll also visit the world-renowned frescoes of the “Heavenly Maidens” of Sigiriya in a sheltered rock niche approached by a spiral stairway. These frescoes are painted in earth pigments on plaster and, despite being only 22 of what were some 500 frescoes originally, are in remarkable condition, with colors still glowing brightly.

In the afternoon, you’ll visit Polonnaruwa, which was once the royal capital, built in the 11th and 12th centuries AD, and also a UNESCO World Heritage Site.  At the site, you’ll visit the ruins of the magnificent Royal Palace, the Gal Viharaya, a group of four beautiful Buddha images considered to be the height of Sinhalese rock carving, the Audience Hall with its elephant frieze, the Lotus Bath, the statue of King Parakramabahu, and the Parakrama Samudraya, a large lake built by the king.  You’ll also have time to explore other monuments on your own.  Afterward, return to your hotel in Dambulla.

Today you will drive to Anuradhapura, the first capital and once the grandest city of ancient Ceylon, where Sinhalese kings ruled for more than a thousand years. It is the home of two UNESCO World Heritage Sites, and while there, you’ll visit several  places of historical and archaeological interest.  For example, Sri Maha Bodhi (sacred bodhu tree), more than 2,200 years old and the oldest documented tree in the world, was brought to the site as a sapling and is where Prince Siddhartha is said to have attained enlightenment. The Brazen Palace (built more than 2,000 years ago) is remarkable for its 1,600 stone columns, all that’s left of a magnificent nine-story home to more than 1,000 monks. Ruvanvelisaya (also more than 2,000 years old) is the most famous of all the dagobas, or Buddhist monuments.  The Samadhi Buddha statue (4th century) depicts the Buddha in a state of  “samadhi,” or deep meditation, and is one of the finest statues in the country. Also, Isurumuniya rock temple (3rd century BC) is well known for its very fine, well-preserved rock carvings.

In the afternoon, head to the high rocky ruins of Mihintale, where Buddhism was first introduced more than 2,300 years ago.  Climb a grand stairway of some 1,840 ancient granite steps to the summit from which there is a great panoramic view of the surrounding countryside.  Along the way, the hillside is filled with shrines, sculptures, stupas, and rock dwellings.  Return to your hotel in Dambulla for dinner and overnight.

After a leisure breakfast, travel to Kandy, stopping on the way to visit a spice garden in Matale, where you will learn about different spices, including seeing how they are grown and processed.   Kandy is the last capital of the Sri Lankan kings and another UNESCO World Heritage Site.  Many old Sinhalese legends, traditions, and folklore are still lovingly kept alive at this magnificent site.  Drive around lovely Kandy Lake, built by the last Sinhala king,  Sri Wickrama Rajasingha, in 1807.  Also visit the town, including its bazaar, the arts and crafts center, a gem museum, and a lapidary.  This is followed by a visit to the Temple of the Tooth Relic in Kandy.  Participate in a local cultural show featuring Kandy’s dancers and drummers, then head to your hotel for the night.

You begin the day with a drive to nearby Royal Botanic Gardens of Peradeniya, first built as pleasure gardens by a Sinhala king, expanded by the British, and now the largest gardens in Sri Lanka, covering 150 acres, and home to an amazing variety of trees, plants, and flowers.  Return to Kandy, where the remainder of the day and evening are yours at leisure.

Today, you will travel to Nuwara Eliya, an old British village known for its location in the heart of tea-growing country, its invigorating mountain climate and scenery, and its quaint hilltop resort atmosphere.  This area produces a significant share of the world’s best tea.  Also, Sri Lanka’s highest mountain, Pidurutalagala (about 8,300 feet) is located here. The day is free for you to explore at leisure, perhaps trying one of the finest 18-hole golf courses in South Asia (the beautiful Nuwara Eliya Golf Club), making this six mile hike through Horton Plains , or touring one of the area’s tea factories.  Return to town for dinner and overnight.

After breakfast, travel to Udawalawe National Park, considered the best of Sri Lanka’s many national parks, with its savanna reserves rivaling those in Africa.  This park is world famous for its elephant herds; wild buffalo; sambar, barking, and spotted deer; langur (a type of monkey); jackal; and the occasional leopard.  These are just some of the many animals you’ll see in the park.  After touring the park, continue on to Yala Village, near the southeast coast, for dinner and overnight.

Begin the day early with a photo/driving safari in Yala National Park.  Yala, the largest national park in Sri Lanka, is the home to some of the same wildlife as in Uda Walawe, but with the addition of sloth bears and crocodiles.  Large flocks of migratory and indigenous birds are also found here, a delight for birders.  Return to Yala Village for dinner and the night. In the mid to late afternoon, you have the option of exploring on another jeep safari.

Today you will travel to the southern port city of Galle, Sri Lanka’s fourth-largest city and probably its most historically interesting living city.  Once the chief port of Ceylon, Galle is now a delightfully quiet and easy-going city, still well-known for its old-town fort, its museums, a handful of old Dutch buildings, including a fine old 17th century church, and its hand-made lace. The fort (spanning some 90 acres), a UNESCO World Heritage Site, was originally built by the Portuguese and later extended by the Dutch in the 17th century.  Take a pleasant stroll around the fort and enjoy the atmosphere before heading to your hotel for dinner and overnight. Return to your hotel where you have the afternoon at your leisure.

This morning, you have the option of heading out on a whale watching excursion (Nov-Apr). Blue whales are often seen and if you are lucky, you'll spot a sperm whale and perhaps a few dolphins.

This morning, you will drive to Colombo, Sri Lanka’s largest city and former (now administrative) capital, where you’ll take a city tour of both old and new sights.  With a long history dating back to the 5th century when it was a stop on the sea trade route between Asia and the West, Colombo is changing quickly these days, with skyscrapers being built in some old sites and old world charm preserved in others.  Visit British-era colonial buildings, the old clock tower, the Pettah bazaar (a great place for picking up a few mementos of your travels), mosques, churches, and Hindu and Buddhist temples.  Head to your hotel for dinner and your last night in country.

Transfer to the airport in time to check-in for your flight back home, or, for the ambitious traveler with time available, head onward to neighboring India.  Alternatively, consider an excursion to the Maldives for a relaxing few days on the beach -- contact us for more info.