Day 01: Arrive Colombo
On arrival at international airport you will be met and transferred to the hotel.

Colombo the capital of Srilanka and is located on the west coast of the island. The city is a bustling metropolis, the city is an attractive blend of old and new. It has the lazy charm of the bygone era combined with the verve and vivaciousness of a modern city. Colombo is an ideal location to start the Sri Lanka sojourn.nad the city is also home to a majority of the Srilanka corporate office and entertainment venues.

In the morning you will proceed for a city sightseeing tour

Visit the Fort, Slave Island, where the slaves had their night quarters, Mount Lavinia – the famous beach, Kelaniya Raja Maha Vihara – the famous Buddhist temple, Wolvendaal Church – the oldest Dutch church. Also visit House of Fashion, ODEL, Noritake ceramic shop & a local souvenir shop.

Stay overnight at your hotel.

Day 02: Colombo - Galle - Hambantota
After breakfast you leave Colombo and drive along the palm fringed coast to the south passing well-known beach resorts like Kalutara, Beruwala, Bentota and Hikkaduwa. Along the road there are many interesting things to be seen, for instance the "toddy-tapers", young men who climb high into the trees to collect the sweet, milky sap of the coconut blossom, or one of the many turtle hatcheries.

Afternoon you will stop at the old city of Galle.

The fort with its impressive great rampart is well preserved. In 1505 the Portuguese took the town from the Singhalese king and built large fortifications which they called Santa Cruz. In 1640 the Dutch stormed the fortress. They later incorporated the remains of the Portuguese fortification in an imposing new fort for the protection of the harbour and the sea routes. At Dondora you will reach the most southern point of the island and continue in easterly direction along large, beautiful, white, palm fringed beaches.

The countryside becomes now more and more barren and before you reach your hotel in Hambantota, you will see along the road many salt-fields from where from seawater salt is produced.

Stay overnight at your hotel.

Day 03: Hambantota - Nuwara Eliya

Groote Church, Srilanka Travel Guide in the first light of dawn you can participate on an optional photo safari to the nearby Bundala game sanctuary.

After a few miles you will be in the tea-country; wherever you look, you will see tea plantations, the rich full green of thousands and thousands of tea bushes. And out of the green in regular intervals the white -coloured tea factories will enchant your eyes. Occasionally you can see a few rice fields and near villages vegetable plantations or gardens.

After passing through Bandarawela (1200 m) you will reach Nuwara Eliya in the evening. The small resort town of Nuwara Eliya, situated on 2070 m above sea level, lies on a little lake and is surrounded by mountains covered with tea bushes. At the town boundaries there are a lot of vegetable plantations and flower fields, also along the roads of Nuwara Eliya and in most of its gardens flowers are blooming.

Stay overnight at the hotel.
 
Day 04: Nuwara Eliya - Kandy
In the morning you will proceed for Kandy via Pinnewela.

In Pinnewela you visit the elephant orphanage, where about seventy elephants are well looked after, mostly young animals that have been found throughout the country sick and abandoned by their herd and brought to Pinnewela.

After visiting the Pinnewela continue drive to the Kandy and on arrival check-in into the hotel.

Kandy is a World Heritage Site and the name Kandy was derived by the colonial rulers from the word Kanda in Sinhala, meaning a hill. Kandy was the stronghold of the Sinhalese kings, who promoted and protected the local culture until the city fell to the British in 1815. Kandy is famous for the Kandy Perahara-a huge cultural pageant that takes place in the month of July or August. It is one of the most colorful processions of the world. Thousands of drummers and dancers accompanying a parade of ornamented elephants perform in the streets of Kandy. 

Later proceed for a city sightseeing tour

Drive around the Kandy Lake, the Kandy town and bazaar, the arts and crafts centre, a gem museum and a lapidary. Also visit the Temple of the Tooth also known as Dalda Maligawa, it is one of the most sacred Buddhist pilgrimage sites in the world.
Stay overnight at your hotel.

Day 05: In Kandy
In the morning visit of the world-famous Botanical Garden Pera-deniya.

The park dates back to1371 under the reign of King Vikrama Bahu III when he held court here. The English put the cornerstone of the present garden in 1821. During the Second World Warthe garden served as the headquarters of Earl Mountbatten, the supreme commander of the allied forces in Southeast Asia who later became the last Viceroy of India.

You will find in the garden a very large variety of orchids, spice trees, palms, bushes, as well as tropical plantsand flowers of all type.

Stay overnight at your hotel.

Day 06: Kandy - Dambulla - Sigiriya - Giritale
Gardens at The base of the Rock, Sigiriya Tours In the morning after breakfast visit of the world-famous Botanical Garden Peradeniya. The English put the cornerstone of the present garden in 1821. During the Second World War the garden served as the headquarters of Earl Mountbatten, the supreme commander of the allied forces in Southeast Asia who became later the last Viceroy of India. You will find in the garden a very large variety of orchids, spice trees, palms, bushes, as well as tropical plants and flowers of all type.

You will leave now the central hill country, proceeding north. Along the road you will see paddy fields, coconut groves, rubber and spice gardens and plantations. You will stop at one of the spice gardens there you can see a lot of trees, bushes and plants cropping spices. Later in Dambulla you will ascend for a visit of the most impressive of all the many cave temples in Sri Lanka. The Raj Maha Vihara temple complex consists of 5 separate caverns with numerous statues of the Buddha and Hindu deities. After this visit, the driver will take you to the Sigiriya rock.

This impressive monolith which rises 200 m out of the jungle has been transformed in the 5th Century by king Kassapa into a fortress and became his capital as he feared for his life. On top of the rock was the kings palace "The Heaven Castle", what remains today are only foundation walls of this once magnificent building and the many fortifications. What remains to be seen and is worth the difficult climb are the phenomenal frescoes of the Sigiriya Maidens. No one knows whom the seductive beauties, painted in brilliant colours on the rock walls, represent. One can think of them as heaven-dwelling nymphs from a realm of radiant light.

After this visit you will drive to the Hotel Giritale for overnight stay.

Day 07: Giritale - Polonnaruwa - Giritale
In the morning you will departure to Polonnaruwa for the visit of the well preserved remains of the city which has been the capital of the Singhalese kings from the 11th to the 13th century.

You see the excavations: Temples, dagobas, the royal palace, the royal library. The most famous Singhalese king Parakrama Bahu the Great (1153- 1186) has built in the environs of Polonnaruwa an impressive irrigation system with many artificial tanks interconnected with irrigation channels. The reservoir near Polonnaruwa has been until recently, when the large dams were built in the mountains, the largest and most beautiful artificial lake.

Stay overnight at your hotel.

Day 08: Giritale - Anuradhapura - Colombo
In the morning you will leave to Anuradhapura in order to visit a selection of the most remarkable sights. You will see some of the most famous as well as the tallest dagoba of Sri Lanka, remains from palaces, temples, monasteries, ceremonial baths and the temple of the holy Bo-tree. This tree was grown from a sapling of the very tree under which more than 2500 years ago the Buddha found enlightenment.

After the visit of Anuradhapura you leave for Colombo and on arrival check-in into the hotel for overnight stay.

Day 09: Colombo Departure
In the morning you will be free for your independent activities.

Late evening as per scheduled you will be transferred to airport to the flight for onward journey.