SCHEDULE

• On arrival at Bandaranaike International airport, meet, greet and transfer to Negombo.
• Check in to the hotel (check in time after 12. 30 p.m)
• Evening enjoy a short visit to the neighbouring communities with your guide (depending on your arrival time)
• Dinner and overnight stay at your hotel in Negombo

Negombo is a historically interesting town strongly influenced by the Catholic Church. The narrow strip of land between the lagoon and the sea and the many canals make for good exploring.

The Dutch captured the town from the Portuguese in 1640, lost it again the same year, and then recaptured it again in 1644. The British then took it from them in 1796 without a struggle. Negombo was one of the most important sources of cinnamon during the Dutch era, and there are still reminders of the European days.

• Early morning, visit an authentic fish market in Negombo and interact with the local fishing community
• After breakfast, transfer to Wilpattu
• Check into the campsite for lunch
• Enjoy an evening safari at Wilpattu National Park
• Dinner safari at Wilpattu National Park Buffer Zone. Enrich your culinary tour by enjoying a cooking experience in the jungle and spending couple of hours in a tree hut
• Overnight stay at Big Game camp (tent) in Wilpattu

NEGOMBO FISH MARKET - This is held every day of the week except Sunday. This colourful and authentic fish market is a great place to observe the local fishing trade and see the amazing variety of fish and seafood that is offloaded from the boats. It’s also a very educational aspect of your culinary tour.

WILPATTU NATIONAL PARK - The oldest and largest National Wildlife Park in Sri Lanka opens its doors to avid wildlife safari-goers, offering ample opportunities to spot the Sri Lankan Leopard. The Wilpattu National Park still holds virgin territory appeal, due to the fact that it had remained closed to visitors for a long time and is a must-see for those wishing to explore uncharted wildlife parks in Sri Lanka.

SCHEDULE

• Leave for the Anuradhapura Railway Station after breakfast
• Get on to the Intercity Express Train to Jaffna (your chauffeur will stay in Anuradhapura)
• A local driver will pick you up at the Jaffna Railway Station and transfer you to your hotel for lunch
• Enjoy your City Tour in Jaffna relishing the local food including Rio Ice Cream which is unique to Jaffna. Your food experience Sri Lanka will not be complete without it
• Dinner and overnight stay at the hotel in Jaffna

SCHEDULE

• Breakfast at the Hotel
• Visit to Delft Island in the morning
• City tour in Jaffna in the evening
• Dinner and overnight stay at your hotel in Jaffna

The JAFFNA District, the northernmost region of Sri Lanka, is one of the oldest districts in lower South Asia. The peninsula, overlooking India, the Palk Strait and the Bay of Bengal, is connected with the rest of Sri Lanka by a shallow lagoon that elephants used to wade across. Nowadays, Jaffna is home to 900,000 people and marks one of the most densely populated areas of Sri Lanka. For visitors, Jaffna has it all - friendly people, a rich culture, delicious northern dishes to make your foodies dreams come true, salubrious climate and the picturesque islands all combine to make it a veritable traveller’s paradise.

SCHEDULE

• Breakfast at the hotel in Jaffna
• A brief tour of the Jaffna vicinity
• Check out from the hotel around noon and transfer to the Jaffna Railway station to connect with the train to Anuradhapura
• Your Chauffeur will pick you up at the Anuradhapura Railway Station and transfer you to the hotel in Anuradhapura
• Dinner and overnight stay at the hotel in Anuradhapura

Founded in 377 BC, ANURADHAPURA is renowned as one of the oldest inhabited cities in the world. Today, with large number of ancient monuments and several UNESCO World Heritage Sites, the city is one of the best places to discover the great Sinhala civilization that flourished in this region. This truly archaeological city was the first established kingdom in ancient Sri Lanka, and several kings left behind a legacy of architectural and engineering marvels.

In Anuradhapura, you can see some of the most famous as well as the tallest Dagoba in Sri Lanka known as “Ruwanweli Maha saya”. The remains of historical palaces, temples, monasteries, ceremonial baths and the temple of the holy Bo-tree (Sri Maha Bodhi) is also in this historically significant city. The Sri Maha Bodhi Bo tree was grown from a branch of the tree under which "The Buddha" attained enlightenment while he was meditating, more than 2500 years ago.

SCHEDULE

• Leave for a village trail early in the morning after some tea (by 6.00 am)
• Back to the hotel for a late breakfast
• Transfer to Sigiriya after breakfast
• Check in at the hotel
• Visit Sigiriya Rock Fortress in the evening
  • Dinner and overnight stay at the hotel in Sigiriya

VILLAGE TRAIL IN ANURADHAPURA - This village trail offers guests a taste of the typical village life at its best. We start the trail at the boutique stall of your local host Samantha. Enjoy some freshly-made herbal porridge and ride approximately 1 km on a gravel road. Stop at a village house that runs by a small dairy farm. Here you will be able to have an experience cow-milking by hand in the village house. Enjoy a fresh glass of milk and continue the trail on bikes. Once you reach the village tank, you will be able to do some local fishing with fishing rods and bait which will be another unique experience. Your local host Samantha is the one who in charge of the lake and will help you to fish in the lake. Further paddling on the bank of the lake, you will have to cross the lake by carrying your bikes and reach a village house. Enjoy a local dish of ‘roti’ (a flat cake made with flour and coconut) and grinding a ‘lunu miris’ (best described as a local chilli paste) on the grinding stone. Complete it with a cup of a herbal drink. This is an interesting part of your food tours as the ‘lunu miris’ is quite spicy! Say goodbye to the villagers and ride along the village and paddy fields and reach to the main road where your vehicle will take you back to the hotel.

SCHEDULE

• After breakfast, transfer to Kandy via Dambulla and Matale
• Visit the Dambulla Cave Temple
• Continue to Kandy via Matale
• Visit a Spice Garden in which the fragrant spices and medicinal herbs are grown.
• Check in at your homestay. Evening at leisure.
• Dinner and overnight stay at the homestay in Kandy.

DAMBULLA ROCK CAVE TEMPLE (known as the ‘Golden Temple’) consists of 5 caves, containing over 150 images of Buddha, this site goes back to 1st century BC when King Valagambahu took refuge here. The second cave, the most elaborate and most spectacular of the five, is the largest which is 170ft long, 75ft broad and 21ft high. There is a large reclining Buddha statue and statues of two kings namely, Valagambahu who first took refuge there and did most of the constructions and Nissankamalla who later did more work. In the centre of this cave is a large container to collect the water that drips from the rock ceiling even during the dry season. This place is worth visiting not only for the cave temple, but also for the beautiful view over the countryside we get from near the caves situated at around 150m above the road.

SCHEDULE

• Breakfast at the hotel
• Visit the Vegetable and fish Market and get the provisions for the lunch
• Cook your own lunch with the help of your local host ‘Suzi’
• Enjoy your own prepared lunch
• City Tour in Kandy in the evening
• Visit Kandy Temple of Sacred Tooth Relic and visit cultural performance
• Dinner and overnight stay at your homestay in Kandy

SRI DALADA MALIGAWA - Famously known worldwide as The Temple of the Tooth, the Sri Dalada Maligawa dates back to the 16th century, though most of the present buildings were built in the 19th century. Venerated as the most important object in the Buddhist world, the Sacred Relic of the Tooth of Buddha is enshrined at the Temple. It was brought from India 2500 years ago and it’s said that the possessor of the Relic had the right to rule the country. The Relic is kept in a gold casket and stored amidst great security in the Inner Chamber. The Temple complex is made up of numerous buildings most of which are highly decorated with paintings and carvings depicting Buddha. Rich in history and tradition, the Sri Dalada Maligawa is a religious centre where daily worship is a colourful and joyful way of everyday life. At several times throughout the day different services are held and with the large numbers of worshippers present, it is clear to see why Buddhists are so piously devoted towards the Sacred Tooth Relic. Spine-tingling traditional drumming to be heard coming from the Inner Chamber, will signal that the ceremonial opening of the window for the public viewing of the casket with the Relic within, is just about to begin. We conclude our tour before the Drumming commences.

SCHEDULE

• After breakfast we will proceed to the Kandy Railway Station
• Enjoy a scenic train ride from Kandy to Nanu Oya ( Approx. 6 hours)
• Your chauffeur will meet you at the Nanu Oya Railway station and transfer to Nuwara Eliya
• Check in at the hotel and enjoy the surroundings in the evening
• Dinner and overnight stay at your hotel in Nuwara Eliya

TRAIN TRAVEL - Experience the remains of the bygone era in these ‘time machines’ witnessing breathtaking views and historical locations. The railway was initiated by the British in the 19th century with the main purpose of transporting goods, mainly the tea from the plantations and the imported goods to upcountry and most of it remains the same. You will still witness the Single Line Tablets being in use, where in most part of the world, it’s a museum artefact.

SCHEDULE

• Breakfast at the hotel
• Transfer to Haputale after breakfast
• Stop at the fruit and vegetable market in Bandarawela
• Upon reaching Haputale, get in to a Tuk Tuk and ride to Lipton’s Seat
• Visit a tea plantation community in Dambetenna Village
• Check in at your bungalow in Haputale
• Dinner and overnight stay at your bungalow in Haputale

CEYLON TEA - Sri Lanka is one of the biggest and best tea producers. Tea is an integral part of the culture since it goes hand in hand with hospitality, every household offers tea to guests every time, no exceptions. It has been said that even the British Royal Family drinks Sri Lankan Tea.

The LIPTON’S SEAT lookout is one of Sri Lanka's most impressive viewpoints by which the Scottish tea baron Sir Thomas Lipton used to survey his burgeoning empire from here, and today it's said you can see across emerald hills and tea estates to no fewer than seven different provinces.

SCHEDULE

• Breakfast at the Bungalow
• After breakfast, transfer to Udawalawe
• Check in at the campsite for Lunch
• Go for an evening Safari in Udawalawe National Park
• Back at the campsite in the evening
• Dinner and overnight stay at Big Game Campsite in Udawalawe

UDAWALAWE NATIONAL PARK - Located on the boundary of Sri Lanka's wet and dry zones, the park is home to an impressive diversity of flora and fauna. Originally, the national park was created to provide a sanctuary for wild animals displaced by the construction of the Udawalawe Reservoir in 1972. The reservoir, surrounded by open plains and foothills, is continuously replenished by River Walawe that draws its waters from the central highlands. The fringes of the reservoir and its creeks are filled with weather-bleached skeletons of thousands of jungle trees, and the area is about to become an important breeding place for aquatic birds. With approximately 400 elephants residing within the park's boundaries, it is not unusual to see big herds gathering to feed and bath at the waterholes in Udawalawe. In addition to this main attraction, Udawalawe is home to many water buffalo, water monitor lizards, sambar deer, monkeys and the occasional leopard. The bird enthusiasts shall be in their own winged paradise with not only the variety, but the quantity of bird species in the park.

SCHEDULE

• Breakfast at the campsite. Leave for Galle after breakfast
• Visit Elephant Transit Home in Udawalawe by 9.00 am
• Continue to Galle and check in at the hotel
• Cycling tour in the outskirts of Galle. Visit a Village Home and experience local way of cooking signature dish ‘Fish Ambulthiyal’
• Overnight stay at your hotel in Galle

SCHEDULE

• After breakfast at the hotel
• Visit Galle Dutch Fort. Walk into the colonial era of the South Coast in Sri Lanka with a unique, one-of-a- kind host
• On conclusion, transfer to Colombo
• Evening commence a shopping tour
• Experience a Crab Meal at ‘Ministry of Crab” in Colombo
• Overnight stay at your hotel in Colombo

Galle Fort is situated in the Bay of Galle on the south coast of Sri Lanka. It was built first in 1588 by the Portuguese, and then extensively fortified by the Dutch during the 17th century from 1649 onwards. The Galle Fort has been declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site under criteria IV, for its unique exposition of an urban ensemble which illustrates the interaction of European architecture and South Asian traditions from the 16th to the 19th centuries. Today, most of the properties are owned by the Sri Lankan Government and a few Dutch people who had the ownership from the beginning.

COLOMBO is Sri Lanka’s commercial capital. It’s an important port in the Indian Ocean since ancient times. Traders from the middle-east used Sri Lanka as an exchange center while Arab traders came to gather the ivory, precious stones and spices such as cinnamon, cardamom, cloves and pepper, which were highly priced in Europe. There are many locations relating to the Portuguese, Dutch and British colonial times in Colombo. Ever a commercial city, the needs of leisure travellers can be fulfilled with the range of activities available in the city. The city tour will be conducted in way that students may experience the melting pot of cultures that make up Sri Lanka and learn about its history, trade and communities.

SCHEDULE

• After breakfast proceed to Airport to catch the departure flight ( check out time before 12 noon).