Wildlife & Cultural Sri Lanka

Upon your arrival at the Bandaranaike International Airport, you will be welcomed and assisted by a representative of Sayang Holidays. You will then be escorted to your vehicle and introduced to your chauffeur to be transferred to the hotel.

Check in to the hotel for overnight stay.

Meals: None
Overnight in Negombo

After an early breakfast, proceed to Pinnawela to visit the Elephant Orphanage. You will arrive at the orphanage by lunch, in time to witness the afternoon feeding.

The Elephant Orphanage provides a good chance for people to get up close and personal with a pachyderm. It is recommended to go and have lunch by the river because after feeding, they are all brought down to bathe. Watching the elephants from a vantage point with a cold drink is an unforgettable experience.

In the afternoon, take a guided tour of the city of Kandy.

Kandy is the old capital of Ceylon and the seat of the last Singhalese kingdom. It is a charming city with the most important Buddhist temple in the country. It lies near an ancient artificial lake, amongst rolling hills that are covered by forests and tea plantations. Set in the mountainous area of the island, there are fantastic views of the city from some of the hotels.

Wandering about in Kandy is a fun experience, with crossroads and interconnecting byroads – all forming an intertwined complex. Most pavements are dominated by vendors selling garments, lotteries, toys, and various fancy items – making passing through look almost impossible, especially during the festive seasons. The main market area in the heart of the town is often frequented for its array of fresh fruits, vegetables, fish and meat stalls, sweets, clothes, fancy goods, and what not.

Kandy is a great place to buy gemstones. Sapphires of all colours, rubies, tourmalines, and spinnels can all be found here. Visitors are invited to have a look around their workshop, where you will be able to see the design, cutting, polishing, and setting processes.

There is also local dance performance which you will enjoy in town in the late afternoon. It is a little touristy, but entertaining nonetheless.

Check in to the hotel for dinner and overnight stay.

Meals: Breakfast, Dinner
Overnight in Kandy

Enjoy breakfast at the hotel, then visit the rock fortress of Sigiriya in the morning.

The legendary sky citadel of Sigiriya, the “Lion Rock”, famous for its frescoes of ‘Celestial Maidens’ is arguably the most impressive site in Sri Lanka. Built by King Kasyapa in the 5th century on top of a vast 200m granite rock, it took 7 years to build and was abandoned after 10 years of occupation when the King, defeated by his brother, committed suicide. Although it is a steep climb, the views and frescoes are definitely worth the effort. Sigiriya is best visited first thing in the morning or just before sunset, when it is cooler and less crowded.

Continue to Dambulla to visit the Cave Temple Complex in the late afternoon.

Dambulla is renowned for its Cave Temples, which were built by King Valagambahu during the 1st century BC in gratitude for the shelter he sought in the caves when fleeing from Indian invaders. Sited on a gigantic granite outcrop which towers more than 160m above the surrounding land, the caves are completely covered by ancient frescoes depicting religious and secular scenes. Protected within the caves are hundreds of statues of Buddha, many carved out of the rock itself, of which the largest is the 15m Dying Buddha.

Continue your journey to Kandy, stopping enroute in Matale to visit the spice plantations that grow a variety of spices such as cinnamon, pepper and nutmeg, for which Sri Lanka was renowned and initially colonized by the Portuguese, Dutch and British. You could also visit a batik factory and watch the production of the artistic fabric.

Arrive in Kandy and check in to the hotel for dinner and overnight stay.

Meals: Breakfast, Dinner
Overnight in Kandy

After breakfast, check out of the hotel and proceed to Nuwara Eliya (80 km/2.5 hrs).

You will visit the Royal Botanical Gardens of Peradeniya on your way in the morning.

Initially a royal park, it became a botanical garden in 1821 under British rule. Here, exotic crops such as coffee, tea, nutmeg, rubber, and cinchona (quinine) – all of which were to become important to the country’s economy, were first tested.  The botanical gardens are fantastic, with an excellent orchid house and a wide variety of plant species from all over the world. For keen gardeners, a full morning is recommended to visit the gardens, possibly longer.

Proceed to Nuwara Eliya. Just outside Nuwara Eliya, you will visit a tea plantation and factory.  Here you will learn the process of how two fresh tea leaves and a bud are converted in to that fine brown dust we call “tea”.

Arrive in Nuwara Eliya and check in to the hotel, then enjoy a guided tour of the city.

Set in the cool and misty, hilly interior at an altitude of 1800m is the colonial hill station of Nuwara Eliya. Built by the British in the 19th century as an escape from the sweltering heat of the lowlands, it came complete with half-timbered mock-Tudor houses with inglenook fireplaces & billiard tables, a golf course, race track, gentlemen’s clubs, and botanical gardens. Now a bustling town and the vegetable garden of Sri Lanka, it nonetheless gives you a glimpse into life in the colonial heyday. Return to the hotel for dinner.

Meals: Breakfast, Dinner
Overnight in Nuwara Eliya

After an early breakfast, checkout and proceed to Yala, enjoying the beautiful sceneries of Ella along the way. You will also have the opportunity to visit the stunning waterfalls in Ella.

You will arrive in Yala in the afternoon.

Check in to the hotel for dinner and overnight stay.

Meals: Breakfast, Dinner
Overnight in Yala

After an early breakfast, proceed to Yala National Park accompanied by a tracker.

Yala National Park (1,570 sq km) was created in 1938, and is located in the south-eastern corner of the island. Its diverse range of habitats, including scrub jungle, brackish lagoons, lakes and rivers, are home to approximately 400 elephants, 120 leopards, wild buffalo, crocodile, wild boar, sambar deer, musk deer, black bears, macaques, jackals, and a numerous variety of birds.

After the morning safari, return to the hotel to rest. In the late afternoon, you will proceed back to Yala National Park for your second safari.

Return to hotel for dinner and overnight stay.

Meals: Breakfast, Dinner
Overnight in Yala

After breakfast, check out and proceed to Colombo.

Arrive in Colombo and check in to the hotel for dinner and overnight stay.

Meals: Breakfast, Dinner
Overnight in Colombo

After breakfast, take a guided tour of the city.

Facing the Indian Ocean and stretching along 14 km of the island’s western shores, Colombo used to be called the Garden City of the East.  Things have changed, overcrowded buses and minivans have replaced the bullock carts, and the once quiet roads are now bustling with people and traffic.  Yet, the city still has its charms with its complex assortment of tree-lines boulevards, colonial buildings, parks, open air markets, temples, lakes, churches, and now even skyscrapers. Colombo is the natural entry and exit point from the country. Its excellent shopping, great restaurants, and thriving art scene make it an enjoyable stop.

You will also visit the famous Gangarama Temple and the Historical Museum of Colombo.

Return to hotel in the late afternoon. Relax and enjoy dinner.

Meals: Breakfast, Dinner
Overnight in Colombo

Check out of the hotel and transfer to the airport for your departure flight home.

*Please note that you are required by the Airport & Aviation Authorities to be at the airport 3 hours before your flight.

Meals: Breakfast