Culture & Beaches of Sri Lanka

Colombo - Pinnawela - Habarana - Anuradhapura - Sigirya - Polonnaruwa - Dambulla - Kandy - Nuwara Eliya - Bentota

Duration

13 days

Tour Type

Private

Price From

£2,375 pp

Overview: Culture & Beaches of Sri Lanka

Discover the cultural treasures, natural beauty and golden beaches of Sri Lanka on this wonderful 13-day journey. Explore ancient cities and sacred temples, experience the island’s famous tea country, then unwind on the beautiful beaches of Bentota.

Tour Highlights:

Explore Colombo’s historic Fort, bustling Pettah markets, Hindu temples and colonial landmarks
Visit Pinnawela Elephant Orphanage and see elephants being fed and bathed
Discover the ancient UNESCO World Heritage city of Anuradhapura and its sacred Buddhist monuments
Visit the sacred Sri Mahabodhi and the ancient Bodhi tree, grown from a branch of the tree associated with Buddha’s enlightenment
Explore the spectacular Sigiriya Rock Fortress and its famous ancient frescoes
Discover the ancient royal city of Polonnaruwa and admire the remarkable Buddha sculptures at Gal Vihara
Visit the magnificent Rock Cave Temple of Dambulla, filled with historic statues and paintings
Explore sacred Kandy and visit the Temple of the Tooth Relic and Natha Devale
Enjoy a traditional Kandyan dancing and drumming performance
Travel through the scenic mountains and tea plantations to Nuwara Eliya, known as the ‘Little England’ of Sri Lanka
Dress in traditional Sri Lankan attire and experience tea plucking with local workers
Tour a working mini tea factory and discover how Sri Lankan tea is produced, processed and tasted
Relax for three nights on the golden beaches of Bentota, with time to enjoy the Indian Ocean at your own pace
Return to Colombo for further sightseeing before your journey home

From ancient Buddhist kingdoms and sacred temples to misty tea plantations and palm-fringed beaches, Culture & Beaches of Sri Lanka combines the island’s fascinating heritage with plenty of time to relax beside the Indian Ocean.

Day 1 - UK - Sri Lanka

Day 1 - UK departure

Depart the UK with international economy flight to Colombo. We can also arrange departures from your local airport at no extra cost.

Day 2 - Arrive in Colombo

Day 2 - Colombo arrival

On arrival in Colombo airport, you will be met by our representative and escorted to your hotel for overnight stay.

Day 3 - Colombo to Habarana via Pinnawela

After breakfast embark on your on your drive to Habarana in north central Sri Lanka.

En-route to Habarana, visit Pinnawela Elephant Orphanage, set up by the Sri Lankan government to rehabilitate orphaned elephants. Spend some time at the orphanage, seeing elephants being fed and bathed by the orphanage staff.

Upon arrival in Habarana check into your hotel for overnight stay.

Breakfast

Day 4 - Excursion to Anuradhapura

After breakfast enjoy an excursion to Anuradhapura, a UNESCO World Heritage site situated on the banks of the historic Malvathu Oya River. Anuradhapura, an ancient city founded in the 05th century B.C., is home to the largest number of monuments of the great Sinhala civilization. Visit the ancient royal palaces, shrines, dagobas and Sri Mahabodhi. Also visit the “Bodhi tree” which is over 2,200 years old, grown from a branch of the tree under which Lord Buddha attained enlightenment.

Breakfast

Day 5 - Excursion to Sigirya and Polonnaruwa

After breakfast visit the UNESCO World Heritage site of Sigiriya Rock, built by King Kassapa in the 5th century AD. Today the rock is a treasure trove of rare art. In a pocket of the giant rock are the famous frescoes of the heavenly maidens of Sigiriya. Also called ‘the Lion Rock’ or the ‘Rock Fortress’ this citadel rises more than 1,000 ft from the jungles below. If you wish to climb Sigiriya Rock, there are approx. 1200 steps and on an average it takes approx. 1.5 hrs to climb the rock (actual time varies from person to person).

Later embark on your scenic drive to the UNESCO World Heritage site of Polonnaruwa, the 2nd capital of Sinhala kings dating back to 11th & 12th century A.D. The entire landscape of the region is punctuated by huge man-made reservoirs, the most famous of which is the ‘Parakrama Samudra’. Numerous monuments are found in this city & ‘Gal Vihara’ complex is one of the best among them with fine sculptures of standing and seated Buddha. Also visit the Polonnaruwa museum here.

Breakfast

Day 6 - Habrana to Kandy via Dambulla

After breakfast, embark on your drive to Kandy.

En-route visit another UNESCO World Heritage site, the Rock Cave Temple of Dambulla, which dates back to the first century BC. The temple consists of a series of 5 caves of statues and paintings, including a 47 ft. long statue of Lord Buddha. This is the largest and best-preserved cave temple complex in Sri Lanka.

Continue drive to Kandy, en-route visiting the Spice Garden at Matale. Upon arrival in Kandy, check in at your hotel for overnight stay.

Breakfast

Day 7 - Kandy

After breakfast, explore the sacred city of Kandy, one of Sri Lanka’s 8 UNESCO World Heritage site.

Today we will visit the Temple of Tooth Relic of Buddha, located in the royal palace complex which houses the relic of the tooth of Buddha. Since ancient times, the relic has played an important role in local politics because it is believed that whoever holds the relic holds the governance of the country. Visitors are not allowed inside the inner chambers and cannot see the tooth relic.

Also visit Natha Devale, located in front of the Palace complex of Kandy. Natha Devale, built in the 14th century, is said to have been in existence even before the Tooth Relic was brought to Kandy.

This evening enjoy a cultural dance show to see the popular Kandyan dancing and drumming of Sri Lanka.

Breakfast

Day 8 - Kandy - Nuwara Eliya

Day 8 - Kandy to Nuwara Eliya

This morning embark on your scenic drive to Nuwara Eliya, the ‘Little England’ of Sri Lanka, set against beautiful backdrops of mountains, valleys, waterfalls and tea plantations.

Today in Nuwara Eliya, enjoy an experience of tea plucking, wearing the local Sri Lankan attire – saree for the ladies, sarong for the men. You will get a small demonstration about how to pluck tea leaves and place them in your basket. Professional tea pluckers will accompany you – you’ll be amazed at how efficiently and quickly they manage to fill their baskets to meet their minimum target of 15kg a day!

After tea plucking, we will arrive at the Mini Tea Factory, where the chief tea taster, will inspect your efforts. Then we take a tour of the Mini Tea Factory and understand the process, from the initial drying (withering) of the leaves, through rolling, fermenting and sifting, to produce the different types of tea. Finally, you can taste the different teas, from flowery pekoe to green tea and teabag dust, to appreciate for yourself the differences in colour, flavour and strength.

Breakfast

Day 9 - Nuwara Eliya - Bentota

Day 9 - Nuwara Eliya to Bentota

After breakfast, embark on a leisurely drive to Bentota, a relaxing beach destination of Sri Lanka.

Upon arrival, check in at your hotel for 3 nights stay. Enjoy the rest of the day at leisure.

Breakfast

Day 10 - Bentota

Day at leisure to sit back and relax on the beach.

Breakfast

Day 11 - Bentota

Day at leisure to sit back and relax on the beach.

Breakfast

Day 12 - Bentota - Colombo

Day 12 - Bentota to Colombo

After breakfast embark on your return drive to Colombo

This afternoon, take a city tour of Colombo visiting the commercial city centre area known as the “Fort” built by the Portuguese in the 16th century. See the busy markets and bazaars of Pettah and visit the Hindu temple with magnificent stone carvings. Also visit the old Dutch church built in the 18th century and drive past the Town Hall, Independence Square and the Bandaranaike Memorial International Conference Hall to see the replica of Avukana Buddha.

Then visit Kelaniya Buddhist temple, believed to have been hallowed during the third and final visit of Lord Buddha to Sri Lanka, eight years after gaining enlightenment. The temple is also famous for its image of the reclining Buddha and paintings which depict important events in the life of the Buddha.

Breakfast

Day 13 - Sri Lanka - UK