Exploring the Essentials

Arrival & welcome at the airport. Comfortably transfer you to the hotel in Dambulla. Check in & relax. OVERNIGHT STAY IN “DAMBULLA”

After having breakfast visit Minneriya National Park for a morning safari.  Minneriya National Park is one of Sri Lanka’s most popular wildlife sanctuaries, particularly for its resident elephant population. Between the months June to October, Minneriya Park hosts an amazing wildlife spectacle famously called ‘The Gathering’, which is a congregation of over 300 or more elephants by the Minneriya reservoir. As the scorching sun dries up the Minneriya reservoir, it leaves the receding waters to give way to a lush grass plain. Elephants converge yearly to feast on these grass plains, much to the delight of many thousands of visitors to the national park. Minneriya is believed to be the only place in Asia where a herd of more than 40 elephants could be seen, as it is uncommon for Asian elephants to stay in large herds. OVERNIGHT STAY IN “DAMBULLA”

After having breakfast at the hotel, visit the Sigiriya rock fortress. Sigiriya Rock Fortress was built in the 05th Century A.D by King Kassapa. Declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1982, the city and palace complex was built on a rock over 200m high, hence Sigiriya being called the ‘Palace in the Sky’. It is considered to be one of the best-preserved examples of ancient urban planning with a web of gardens, tanks, city structures and palace ruins. Highlights of the Fortress include extensive and well planned Gardens, Frescoes of Sigiriya Damsels, Mirror Wall which still baffles scientists as to how it was made and Lion’s Platform. Afterwards, proceed to Polonnaruwa and an exciting visit to the ancient kingdom of Polonnaruwa. Polonnaruwa is an ancient city in Sri Lanka and forms part of the “Cultural Triangle” along with Sigiriya, Anuradhapura, Kandy and Dambulla. It served as the capital city for nearly 2 centuries between the 11th and 13th centuries AD and is an incredible day trip destination in Sri Lanka. During its time as a capital, Polonnaruwa was ruled by the Kings Vijayabahu I, Parakramabahu the Great and Nissanka Malla – all 3 of these rulers devoted themselves to fostering agriculture, religion and social development and the kingdom prospered under their reign during this era.  The ruins of Polonnaruwa were officially inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1982. Drive back to Dambulla. OVERNIGHT STAY IN “DAMBULLA”

Continue your journey towards the last kingdom of the country, Kandy.  Kandy is one of the most scenic cities in Sri Lanka and lies amid hills. It is the capital of the Central Province. It is both an administrative and religious city. Kandy is the second-largest city in the country. Kandy is very famous among tourist for three main reasons: It is home to the sacred tooth relic of the Buddha, The Botanical Gardens and it always has a special place when it comes to festivities such as the Esala Perahara. En route: visit Dambulla Cave Temple. Dambulla is the largest and best-preserved cave temple complex in Sri Lanka. The rock towers 160 m over the surrounding plains. There are more than 80 documented caves in the surrounding area. Major attractions are spread over five caves, which contain statues and paintings. These paintings and statues are related to Sri Gautama Buddha and his life. Evening visit Kandy temple of tooth relic. The Temple of the Tooth relic is the place that houses the Relic of the tooth of the Buddha. Originally part of the Royal Palace complex of the Kandyan Kingdom, it is one of the holiest places of worship and pilgrimage for Buddhist around the world. The Palace of the Tooth relic, the palace complex and the holy city of Kandy are associated with the history of the dissemination of Buddhism. The temple is the product of the last peregrination of the relic of the tooth of Buddha and the testimony of a religion which continues to be practised today. OVERNIGHT STAY IN “KANDY”

After having breakfast at the hotel drive towards Peradeniya. Visit Royal Botanical Garden, Spend some time in the Botanical Garden.  Visit Royal Botanical Garden, Spend some time in the Botanical Garden. Royal Botanic Gardens, Peradeniya are about 5.5 km to the west of the city of Kandy in the Central Province of Sri Lanka. It is near the  Mahaweli River (The longest river in Sri Lanka). It is renowned for its collection of orchids. The garden includes more than 4000 species of plants, including orchids, spices, medicinal plants and palm trees. OVERNIGHT STAY IN “KANDY”

Continue your journey towards the misty hill country; Nuwara Eliya. Often referred to as ‘Little England’, this genteel highland community does have a rose-tinted, vaguely British-country-village feel to it, with its colonial-era bungalows, Tudor-style hotels, well-tended hedgerows and pretty gardens. Indeed, Nuwara Eliya was once was the favoured cool-climate escape for the hard-working and hard-drinking English and Scottish pioneers of Sri Lanka’s tea industry. OVERNIGHT STAY IN “NUWARA ELIYA”

Drive towards the deep-down south; Yala for an exciting stay closer to the wildlife. En route visit Rawana Falls, Ella. The falls have been named after the legendary king Ravana, which is connected to the famous Indian epic, the Ramayana. According to legend, it is said that Ravana (who was the king of Sri Lanka at the time) had kidnapped princess Sita, and had hidden her in the caves behind this waterfall, now simply known as the Ravana Ella Cave.  This waterfall measures approximately 25 m (82 ft) in height and cascades from an oval-shaped concave rock outcrop. During the local wet season, the waterfall turns into what is said to resemble an areca flower with withering petals. Evening game drive at Yala National Park. Yala National Park is the most visited and second largest national park in Sri Lanka, bordering the Indian Ocean. The park consists of five blocks, two of which are now open to the public, and also adjoining parks. It is situated in the southeast region of the country and lies in Southern Province and Uva Province. Yala hosts a variety of ecosystems ranging from moist monsoon forests to freshwater and marine wetlands. It is one of the 70 Important Bird Areas (IBAs) in Sri Lanka. Yala harbours 215 bird species including six endemic species of Sri Lanka. The number of mammals that have been recorded from the park is 44, and it has one of the highest leopard densities in the world.  OVERNIGHT STAY IN “YALA”

(pick up clients from the hotel at …………. hrs)  Proceed to the Colombo Airport (BIA) to catch your flight home. (DEP – …….. at ……… hrs)  Note: The departure transfer will be arranged to reach the airport 03 hours before the departure flight time as is the standard. ----End of the Tour----