Detailed Itinerary
Day 01 to Day 02
Day 1
Once you arrive in Sri Lanka, you will be met by one of our highly professional chauffeurs who will transfer you to Kitulgala. Once there, you will check-in at the Kitulgala Rest House, the ideal place to begin white water rafting.
Your daily dose of adventure will begin with a rafting session, a thrilling adventure on the white water sections of the Kelani River that is suited for both amateurs and professionals. The rafting session will cover 100 kilometers and will go on for approximately 3 hours. During the river run, you will experience the thrill of shooting rapids and euphoria of making it through after an exciting session. During your rafting session, we will pass the scenic location used for the 1956 film “Bridge over the river Kwai” that is also a great place to jump in for a refreshing swim. On a clear day we can even dive to see the remains of the actual bridge and carriages used for the film – but this is advised only for experienced divers with proper equipment. For those of you who would prefer to enjoy the river and its wonderful scenery without the thrills and spills, we can raft through the flatter section of the lower gorge as its also suitable for children over 6 and family groups.
After your rafting adventure, you will stop for lunch and resume your day’s adventure by going to explore the Makandawa Rainforest, on a soft/moderate trek covering a distance of 7 kilometers going on for approximately 2.5 hours. The forest reserve covers an extent of 192 hectares, and is one of the oldest forest reserves in the country. It is significantly protected and has unique and endangered biodiversity. One of the most rewarding things to do in the jungle is to go birdwatching as you might have the opportunity to see endemic birds such as the Black Eagle, The Trogon, Sri Lankan Orange Billed Babbler, Chestnut Backed Owlet, Blue Magpie and the Red Faced Malkoha.
You will end your first day in Sri Lanka with dinner and an overnight stay at the hotel.
Day 2
You will check-out of the hotel at 6.00 am and make your way to Bogawantalawa with a packed breakfast to have during your drive. When you reach Bogawantalawa, you will go on a hard nature trail that will cover a distance of 22 kilometers which will go on for 8.5 hours. This trail will take you through an incredible array of diversity from forests, jungles, tea plantations, grasslands with ascents and descents, flat terrains, desolate and inhabited areas with many changing types of vegetation and some of the most spectacular views in Sri Lanka!
From the Bogawantalawa tea plantation itself, you will begin your trail with a rapid ascent through a jungle terrain and come out of the jungle to open grasslands which is very similar to the landscape of the famous ‘Horton Plains’. During your trail you will pass a river and notice a number of man-made holes, a result of gem mining in the area and is sure to see the footprints of the leopard and sambhur deer which roam around the area and even spot the animals themselves if you’re lucky!
After you’re done with your trail, you will be picked up from Belihuloya and transferred to our Kinchigune campsite for dinner and your overnight stay.
Day 03 to Day 05
Day 3
After breakfast at Belihuloya, you will begin your drive to Yala to explore the wild! When in Yala, you will be staying at the Big Game Campsite, where you will have a real tented camp experience in the wild (under the guidance of our experience staff).
Today you will be touring the Yala National Park, which is the most visited and second largest national park in Sri Lanka. The park consists of 5 blocks, out of which 2 are open to the public and adjoining parks. The blocks have interesting individual names – Ruhuna National Park, Kumana National Park and Yala Easy for the adjoining are to name some. Yala was designated as a wildlife sanctuary in 1900 and is best known for its variety of wild animals such as the Sri Lankan elephant, Sri Lankan leopard and aquatic birds.
After your safari, you will head back to the camp and enjoy a bon-fire dinner followed by an overnight stay at the camp.
Day 4
Today you can decide if you’d like to have a packed breakfast and have it in the jeep while you enjoy or a morning safari at Yala or if you’d like to have a leisurely breakfast at the hotel. After checking-out we will proceed to Negombo a historic old fishing town. This town has a very strong Catholic influence due to it being under the colonization of the Portuguese, Dutch and later British many centuries ago.
When in Negombo, you will be staying at the Goldi Sands Hotel and have the opportunity to take some time and relax in the beach, make some sandcastles or get a tan! You will end the night with dinner and an overnight stay at the hotel.
Day 5
After breakfast at the hotel you will be transferred to the airport to catch your flight back home with many fond memories of your adventure in Sri Lanka.
Please note its advised to arrive at the airport at least 60 minutes before time of departure.
