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Sri Lanka In-depth

This tour has it all!

Embark on a comprehensive journey through Sri Lanka’s vibrant destinations, from Negombo’s fishing markets to Kalpitiya’s lagoon safari, Wilpattu’s game drives, and the ancient city of Anuradhapura. Explore Jaffna, Trincomalee’s beaches, Sigiriya Rock Fortress, Kandy’s Temple of the Tooth, and conclude in Colombo with a city tour, capturing Sri Lanka’s rich heritage and natural beauty.

Overview

From $3,199

Itinerary & Map

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Ayubowan! When you arrive in Colombo, meet your tour guide at the airport and transfer to Negombo. Relax and listen to the waves as you drift off to sleep.

Highlights: City Tour of Negombo (Optional) & Welcome / Sunset drink

(Optional): Embark on a City tour of Negombo and observe the livelihood of the locals living by the sea, especially those of the fishermen. Visit the Fish market in Negombo, which is a very famous fish market in the world and has also become a tourist attraction. As it is located on the beach, you can witness the fishermen dragging fishnets and drying them on the beach.. 

Unforgettable Moment: Gather for a special Welcome “Sunset drink by the sea” before dinner.

Highlights: Kandy City Tour, Temple of the Tooth Relic, Cultural Show 

Breakfast at the hotel. 

Leave Negombo for Kandy. 

Upon reaching the Hill Capital, do a city tour of Kandy and visit the Sacred Temple of the Tooth Relic. This temple, originally built by the Kandyan Kings in 1595, to house and honour the sacred tooth relic of the Buddha. Attracting crowds of white-clad pilgrims bearing lotus flowers for means of worship, the Maligawa features a myriad of intricate carvings that speak volumes of the architectural values of Kandy. Today the City of Kandy is a UNESCO World Heritage Site in part because of the Temple of the tooth relic. 

End the day by watching the Kandyan Cultural Show with its colourful traditional dances and delightful music. The Kandy Cultural Show gives an opportunity to experience some of the traditions of Sri Lanka. Enjoy this hour-long extravaganza as some of the most popular art forms of the island take to the stage. Be delighted by fire dancers and sword dancers. Watch the colourful Kandyan dancers take to the air to the thrumming primal beat of the drums. 

Continue to your hotel for dinner and overnight stay. 

Highlights: Cooking Class & walking tour (Optional) 

Breakfast at the hotel. 

(Optional):  ‘A Glimpse of Kandy’ Leave for your Kandy walking tour. Explore the timeless streets of Kandy by foot with a local resident host. Learn about the city’s origins, its evolution and about the lifestyle of its people. End the tour on a high note with a cold one and a small snack at an iconic colonial pub which is more than one hundred years old. 

(Optional):  Enjoy an exciting Cooking Class. Learn the intricacies of locally sourced vegetables and the unique spice blends used in Sri Lankan cuisine. Grasp the art of making healthy curries and combining flavours in a pot full of joy, laughter, and unforgettable memories. Tasty food ensures a good mood, so do not be surprised if you find yourself uplifted by the time you are done eating the meal you made yourself. Let this experience leave your taste buds tingling and eagerly looking forward to trying out the recipes yourself upon returning home. 

Return to your hotel for dinner and overnight stay.

Highlights: Spice Garden, Dambulla Cave Temple 

Breakfast at the hotel. 

Leave Kandy to Habarana. 

En route, visit the Spice Garden in Matale. The Matale environment possesses excellent conditions for growing cinnamon, vanilla, nutmeg, peppercorn, and other flavourful delights. Learn about the process of growing these natural products using ecologically friendly methods. 

Visit the Dambulla Cave Temple. This historic temple has five caves and 157 statues of the Lord Buddha, many paintings on the ceilings and walls that emphasise the artistic talent of ancient days. The history of the caves, rock, and temple dates from the first century BC. The fascination of these caves is not only the statues but also the many intricate and delicate paintings that cover the ceiling and walls, created with indigenous traditional paints. Because of the history, archaeological and artistic implications, it was declared as one of the UNESCO World Heritage sites in 1991. 

Continue to Habarana and check in-to the hotel and spend the remainder of the day at leisure.

Highlights: Sigiriya Rock Fortress, Polonnaruwa Ancient City, Kaudulla National Park 

Have an early start to the day by climbing the Sigiriya Rock Fortress and enjoy a breathtaking view of the sunrise. Called by many names including “The Lion Rock” for its initial name of “Sinhagiri.” Sigiriya is nestled on a 660ft tall rock that will have you fixated from its history and architecture to nature as you climb up the old fortress known as the eighth wonder of the world. The fortress was built in the fifth century by King Kashyapa and is a piece of art with an amazing view. The architectural and irrigational technologies of Sigiriya, such as the Water Gardens, still baffle engineers. The climb up steep steps of metal with railings passes a wall decorated with frescoes. 

Return to the hotel for Breakfast. 

Later, drive to Polonnaruwa and do the Polonnaruwa Ancient city tour. Polonnaruwa is another UNESCO world heritage site on the island which houses elaborately carved statues of Lord Buddha and glorious stupas touching the high skies. 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 be found in the archaeological treasures that still give a promising idea of how the city looked in its heyday. You will 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. 

Unforgettable Moment: This evening, enjoy a safari game drive at Kaudulla National Park by Jeep. Kaudulla National Park is one of the largest known meeting places of Asian Elephants in the world. During this period herds up to 350 elephants can be seen at the 8,890-hectare park within a few square kilometres of the Kaudulla Reservoir. Some reports account the number of elephants to be as high as seven hundred. 

Return to your hotel upon completion of the day’s activities.

Highlights: Trinco panoramic tour 

Breakfast at the hotel. 

Leave Sigiriya for Trincomalee. 

Embark on a panoramic tour of Trincomalee, affectionately known as ‘Trinco.’ Trinco is a port city on the northeast coast of Sri Lanka. Set on a peninsula, Fort Frederick was built by the Portuguese in the 17th century. Within its grounds, the grand Koneswaram Temple stands on Swami Rock cliff, a popular vantage point for blue whale watching. The holy complex contains ornate shrines and a massive statue of Shiva. Nearby Gokanna Temple has panoramic views over the city and the coastline.

Breakfast at the hotel.

Spend some free time on the beach at your own leisure. 

(Optional): An early start is ideal for Dolphin and Whale watching in Trincomalee: the most popular east coast seaside hamlet in Sri Lanka famous for its powdery sandy beach and turquoise blue shallow waters. Calm seas provide the best opportunities during the months from May to September to go to deep waters to see these marine giants, Blue Whales of Sri Lanka. 

(Optional): You may enjoy Snorkelling at Pigeon Island. Set out on a 20-minute boat journey from Trinco Blu by Cinnamon to Pigeon Island in the morning. After the boat ride, snorkel and discover vibrant corals, luminescent fish, and graceful turtles. 

Highlights: Panoramic tour in Jaffna with Mantri Manai and Nallur Kovil, Kadurugoda Viharaya 

Breakfast at the hotel. 

Leave Trincomalee for Jaffna. 

Upon reaching the capital of the Northern province, do the panoramic tour in Jaffna. Your panoramic tour including: Mantri Manai, Nallur Kovil (Photo Stop only). Mantri Manai or Manthiri Manai is a historic palace situated in Nallur, Jaffna, Sri Lanka. It is one of the archaeological protected monuments in Jaffna. 

Afterwards visit the Kudurugoda Viharaya. It is considered one of the ancient Buddhist remains in existence today in Jaffna Peninsula. 

Highlights: Nagadeepa Temple, Fort Hammenhiel 

Breakfast at the hotel. 

Early morning, visit the Nagadeepa Temple. Nagadeepa Purana Vihara is an ancient Buddhist temple situated in Jaffna district of Northern Province, Sri Lanka. It is among the country’s sixteen or seventeen holiest Buddhist shrines. According to contemporary history, the Gautama Buddha visited the site after five years of attaining Enlightenment to settle the dispute between two warring Naga kings, Chulodara and Mahodara. 

Take another boat ride to have lunch at the Fort Hammenhiel restaurant (lunch at own expense)

After lunch, visit Fort Hammenhiel: a fort built around a small island between the islands of Kayts and Karaitivu of Jaffna Peninsula in Northern Sri Lanka. 

Return to your hotel upon completion of the day’s activities.

Breakfast at the hotel. 

Leave Jaffna to Anuradhapura. 

Check in-to the hotel & spend the remainder of the day at leisure.

Highlight: Anuradhapura Ancient City 

Breakfast at the hotel. 

This morning, leave for a sightseeing tour at the Anuradhapura Ancient city: one of the ancient capitals of Sri Lanka, and famous for its well-preserved ruins of an ancient Sri Lankan civilization. It was the third capital of the kingdom of Rajarata, following the kingdoms of Tambapanni and Upatissa Nuwara. The city, now a World Heritage site, was the centre of Theravada Buddhism for many centuries. The city lies 205 km (127 mi) north of Colombo in the North Central Province, on the banks of the historic Malvathu River and is one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world and one of the eight World Heritage Sites of Sri Lanka. 

Return to your hotel upon completion of the day’s activities. 

Highlight: Wilpattu National Park 

Breakfast at the hotel. 

Leave Anuradhapura to Wilpattu. 

This afternoon, enjoy a safari game drive at Wilpattu National Park by Jeep. 

Wilpattu is the largest and one of the oldest National Parks in Sri Lanka. It is among the top national parks world-renowned for its leopard population. Explore the park’s tranquil waterways and marvel at the diverse range of species that call this park home. Keep your eyes peeled for the majestic Sri Lankan Elephant, elusive Sri Lanka Leopard, lumbering Lankan Sloth Bear, elegant Spotted Deer, powerful Buffalo, graceful Sambar, and agile Mongoose, among others. 

After completion head back to the hotel.

Breakfast at the hotel. 

(Optional) Morning, you may choose to enjoy a second safari game drive at Wilpattu National Park by Jeep. 

Highlight: Kalpitiya Lagoon Boat Ride 

Breakfast at the hotel. 

Leave Wilpattu for Kalpitiya and check in to the hotel. 

In the early evening, enjoy a Kalpitiya lagoon boat ride. Your boat ride will take you across the pristine waters of the Lagoon in Kalpitiya towards the sand dunes and Salt Pans in the distance. The little fishing villages and local community living on the border of the Lagoon and the stretch between the lagoon and the mighty ocean will let you see the challenging work the locals put in to earn their livelihood from the locally available natural resources. 

Breakfast at the hotel. 

Spend some free time at leisure or enjoy some Kitesurfing (weather permitting) on this charming coast. 

Highlight: Gin Distillery Tour 

Breakfast at the hotel. 

Leave Kalpitiya for Colombo. 

Unforgettable Moment: Approximately 2.5 hours into your drive, you will reach the Navasigawatta estate (off Madampe) for a tour of the Rockland Distillery (an eco-friendly distillery). Our tour today begins with a demonstration of the art of toddy tapping and a taste of freshly tapped toddy. An age-old Sri Lankan tradition involves walking along ropes tied between coconut trees while tapping toddy. You will then drive about half an hour to the distillery, where you can walk through the facility and taste aged and unaged arrack.

In 1924, Rockland Distilleries was founded on a family estate. For the first time in Ceylon’s history, an Arrack production venture was set up. Among the nation’s most advanced distilleries, Rockland Distilleries has been owned and operated by a family for a century.

Proceed to Colombo and check in-to the hotel & relax. 

Breakfast at the hotel. 

Spend the morning relaxing and enjoy all the amenities at the hotel. 

Late checkout from the hotel and transfer to the Airport in time to connect with your departure flight. 

Inclusions & Exclusions

  • 4-5-star Accommodation in Sustainable hotels
  • Daily Breakfast, 1 Lunch, 14 Dinners
  • Welcome Sunset Drink by the Sea in Negombo
  • Day use room in Colombo at Radisson Colombo Hotel – on Room Only Basis on Day 17 
  • Transport in an Air-conditioned Private Vehicle from arrival to departure.
  • Service of an English-Speaking Chauffeur / National guide throughout the tour
  • Sightseeing and Entrance fees
  • Negombo Fishing Market
  • Negombo City Tour
  • Kalpitiya Lagoon Safari
  • Rockland Distilleries Tour
  • ONE Half-day Safari Game drive at Wilpattu National Park
  • Anuradhapura Ancient City
  • Panoramic tour in Jaffna (with Mantri Manai and Nallur Kovil), Kadurugoda Viharaya, Nagadeepa Temple, Fort Hammenhiel
  • Sigiriya Rock Fortress
  • Dambulla Cave Temple
  • Temple of the Tooth Relic
  • Kandy city tour and Cultural show
  • Colombo City Tour
  • Transfer by boat from Kayts to the Fort Hammenhiel restaurant on Day 11. 
  • Unforgettable Moments
  • International Airfare
  • Visa
  • Travel Insurance
  • Tips & Porterage
  • Meals not included in the itinerary.
  • Optional Tours
  • Additional Transfers (outside group dates)
  • Expenses of a personal nature
  • Camera or Video permits

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