A teardrop-shaped island some thirty miles off the south coast of India, Sri Lanka is where the village and beach life of today stands shoulder to shoulder with 2,500 years of recorded history. Indeed the island is home to no fewer than seven UNESCO-listed World Heritage Sites which makes it one of the richest treasure troves of natural and
man-made wonders in the world. And when you learn that this is also the oldest continually Buddhist country on earth, it’s little wonder that such an insignificant dot in the ocean (no bigger than Ireland in fact) still holds the international traveller in thrall.

The royal city of Kandy close to its centre continues to be the biggest draw. This laid-back ‘capital’ of the hill country is where you’ll find the golden-roofed Dalada Maligawa shrine housing the sacred tooth of Buddha. Its religious importance is still celebrated with daily services held at dawn, midday and again in the evening, the white-clad pilgrims blending in perfectly with the city’s sparkling lake and age-old buildings.

Of course three other magnificent World Heritage Sites also await. The Cave Temples of Dambulla, the Sigiriya Rock Fortress and the ancient medieval capital of Polonnaruwa date back thousands of years and introduce you to anything from royal palaces and reclining Buddhas to tranquil water gardens and story-telling wall frescoes. A wildlife
adventure is not far away either courtesy of a National Park home to elephants, leopards and sloth bears, not to forget the purple-faced leaf monkey!

Yet you don’t have to delve quite so far into Sri Lanka’s past to enjoy a visit here. The country’s more recent Dutch colonial history is still very evident in the coastal town of Galle, whilst the capital of Colombo might well be noisy and frenetic, but it is still worth your time – if only for a late-night cocktail at the fashionable Blue Elephant!

And when it comes to the beaches, some of the best examples of these can be found on the south-west coast around Bentota, the seemingly endless golden sands flanked by sleepy fishing villages and dense green coconut plantations. Nearby there’s scenic paddy fields and picturesque hill villages to leisurely explore, although the Sinharajah
Rain Forest is well worth an entire day away from your sun lounger. You might not only encounter a python or two, but also mouse deers, flying squirrels and wild boars. And when we tell you that its ancient forest has trees reaching heights of 45 metres or so, you won’t be surprised to learn that this also ranks amongst Sri Lanka’s seven World
Heritage Sites!

SRI LANKA TOUR ONE
9 nights/10 days from £965 per person
excluding international flights

DAY 1 - COLOMBO
Arrive at Colombo Airport. You will be met on arrival and transferred to the Beach Negombo hotel which lies about 20 minutes outside the city. During your overnight stay you can simply relax or, time permitting, enjoy an afternoon tour of Colombo.

DAY 2 - PINNAWELLA ELEPHANT ORPHANAGE
After breakfast you will leave for Dambulla. En route enjoy feeding time at the Pinnawela Elephant Orphanage, the home of young, orphaned and abandoned elephants. Watch as the keepers bring their charges down to the river to bathe and play. Your afternoon is
at leisure. Dinner and two nights at the Heritance Kandalama Hotel, Dambulla or the Cinnamon Lodge, Habarana.

DAY 3 - AT LEISURE
Enjoy the day at leisure at your preferred hotel.

DAY 4 - SIGIRIYA AND POLONNARUWA
After breakfast view the ancient paintings at the Rock Fortress of Sigiriya. In the afternoon take an excursion to Polonnaruwa which was once the medieval capital of Sri Lanka and boasts ancient palaces and fine Buddhist sculptures. Dinner and overnight at Vil Uyana hotel, a stunning new resort styled after an
African safari lodge.

DAY 5 - MINNERIYA NATIONAL PARK
Your morning is at leisure to relax at the hotel and maybe take advantage of its Ayurvedic spa. In the afternoon you will be taken to a typical Kamatha village for a local lunch and then you can enjoy a jeep safari of the Mineriya National Park with its herds of wild
elephants. Dinner and overnight again at Vil Uyana hotel, Sigiriya.

DAY 6 - KANDY
After breakfast you will leave for the beautiful city of Kandy, seeing the ancient cave inscriptions of the Dambulla Cave Temples en route. In the afternoon enjoy a visit to the famous Temple of the Tooth. Dinner and overnight at either Kandy House or the Earls Regency, Kandy.

DAY 7 - NUWARA ELIYA
After breakfast visit Kandy’s ancient Royal Botanical Gardens. Then proceed to Nuwara Eliya, visiting a tea plantation en route. In the afternoon enjoy a tour of the picturesque hill resort of Nuwara Eliya, staying overnight at Tea Trails which is located at an altitude of
4,000 feet in Hatton.

DAY 8 - HORTAIN PLAINS
Depart early for a tour of Hortain Plains, one of Sri Lanka’s most fascinating regions featuring vast open plains, pointed peaks and deeply-wooded forests. Your afternoon is at leisure to enjoy your hotel. Dinner and
overnight at Tea Trails, Hatton.

DAY 9 - COLOMBO
After breakfast depart for Colombo and check-into the Cinnamon Grand hotel for an overnight stay. This is your opportunity to explore Sri Lanka’s capital city.

DAY 10
The choice is yours. Either depart for the UK or the Maldives!

DAY 1 - COLOMBO
Arrive at Colombo Airport. You will be met on arrival and transferred to the Beach Negombo hotel which lies about 20 minutes outside the city. During your overnight stay you can relax or, time permitting, enjoy an afternoon tour of Colombo.

DAY 2 - POLONNARUWA
After breakfast you will leave for Dambulla. En route stop off at ‘Kamatha Village’ to enjoy a typical Sri Lankan lunch. In the afternoon take an excursion to Polonnaruwa, the ancient medieval capital of Sri Lanka with is fine sculptures of standing, seated and recumbent Buddhas. Dinner and overnight at either the Heritance Kandalama Hotel, Dambulla or the Cinnamon Lodge, Habarana.

DAY 3 - AT LEISURE
Enjoy the day at leisure at your preferred hotel.

DAY 4 - KANDY
After breakfast visit the ancient Rock Fortress of Sigiriya. In the afternoon enjoy an hour’s elephant ride around Dambulla Lake before departing for Kandy. This is not only Sri Lanka’s most beautiful city, but also an important Buddhist cultural centre. Dinner and overnight at either Kandy House or the Earls Regency, Kandy.

DAY 5 - KANDY & PINNAWELA ELEPHANT
ORPHANAGE
After breakfast stop off at the Pinnawela Elephant Orphanage and watch the young and abandoned elephants feeding, playing and bathing. In the afternoon enjoy a city tour of Kandy, including a visit to the Temple of the Tooth where the sacred tooth relic of the Buddha is enshrined. Dinner and overnight at
either Kandy House or the Earls Regency, Kandy.

DAYS 6 to 11 - BENTOTA
Leave Kandy and transfer to the Saman Villas resort in Bentota where you will stay for the next 5 nights. This is your opportunity to experience Sri Lankan beach life, a variety of different excursions also available to tempt you away from your sun lounger!

DAYS 11 to 13 - GALLE
After breakfast drive to the history-rich trading port of Galle and check into The Fortress hotel. Spend the next two days exploring this picturesque town or simply relaxing around the pool.

DAY 14
Transfer to the international airport at Colombo for your flight back to the UK or on to the Maldives.

You can, of course, combine both these tours with any of our featured beach or city hotels in Sri Lanka or the Maldives. Call us on 01244 322770 to discuss the best option for you, as well as obtain your own personal quotation.

WHEN TO VISIT: THE PERIOD BETWEEN DECEMBER AND MARCH IS THE BEST TIME TO VISIT OUR FEATURED DESTINATIONS IN THE HILL COUNTRY, AS WELL ON THE WEST AND SOUTH COASTS OF SRI LANKA - YOU’LL BE SURE TO AVOID THE MONSOON RAINS THEN!

HOW TO VISIT: SRILANKAN AIRLINES OFFER DIRECT FLIGHTS TO COLOMBO, THE JOURNEY TAKING ABOUT 10 HOURS. QATAR AND EMIRATES ALSO OFFER SERVICES VIA DOHA AND DUBAI. YOU SHOULD PLAN ON SPENDING AT LEAST 7 DAYS EXPLORING THE COUNTRY, COMING HERE FIRST BEFORE POSSIBLY ADDING IT ONTO A RELAXING
WEEK IN THE MALDIVES.