Detailed Programme
Day 1 & Day 2
Day 01
Upon your arrival in Sri Lanka you will be picked up by one of our chauffeurs and driven to the hotel you chose to spend the first two days of your honeymoon – either The River House, in Balapitiya or The Habitat in Kosgoda.
The River House was the first Sri Lankan property to be listed on Condé Nast’s Annual Hot List. The villa-style accommodation offers views of its beautiful garden or the Madu River. When staying at the River House, you can choose to indulge yourself in an in-room massage, go for a relaxing swim in the outdoor pool amidst lush greenery or even canoe for a quiet and tranquil cruise down the river.
The Habitat, Turtle Beach is located on a sparkling stretch of sandy beach is located in the town of a turtle hatchery. When staying here, immerse yourself in a Sri Lankan culinary experience by taking part in a cookery demonstration with the chefs of the hotel or even take a nature trail on a bicycle. The first two days are all about starting a great vacation at a great location!
Day 02
Wake up relaxed after a great day of relaxing. Today you have the choice to stay back at the hotel/villa and enjoy a more laidback holiday or you can choose to explore the city.
Kosgoda is the town of the local turtle hatchery and you can begin your trail with visiting here that is very popular amongst both locals and foreigners. Afterwards visit the Kothduwa Temple on the Kothduwa Island in the middle of the Madu River. End your day by lazing around on the beach before heading back to the hotel.
If you chose Balapitita, you too can take a cruise down the Madu River and while you’re there, don’t forget to get the infamous ‘fish massage’! Afterwards visit the Kothduwa Temple, on the Kothduwa island down the river and be awed by the temple that is said to have housed the sacred tooth relic of Buddha and the bodhi tree on the island was planted from a bud of the Jaya Sri Maha Bodhi, the sacred fig tree in Anuradhapura.
Day 3 & Day 4
Day 03
On your third day you will be checking out of your respective hotels and be driven to either the Tamarind Hill Resort in Galle or to The Frangipani Tree hotel in Unawatuna. Both hotels are in the city of Galle, just like your previous two days – ensuring your city exploration remains the same, where ever you may choose to stay.
Tamarind Hill is a divinely restored manor house, built nearly three centuries ago in the outskirts of the heritage city of Galle oozing style and sophistication. This is a quiet and luxurious hotel that offers total privacy and freedom to enjoy your vacation in style with its close proximity to the beach, relaxing pool and in-house massages.
The Frangipani Tree property is a 9 minute walk away from the beach with an outdoor pool offering you views of the sea and garden with a sun terrace for guests to enjoy an alfresco meal in the exotic city of Galle.
Day 04
Today you can choose if you’d like to stay back at your respective hotels or visit the city to explore the blends of culture that has made Galle so unique and popular among everyone of all ages! Should you wish to explore the city, you can begin by visiting the Dutch Galle Fort, a world heritage site that now offers you a wide variety of shops whilst ensuring the architecture and culture around the fort remains the same. Afterwards head towards the Unawatuna Bay and take a dip in the sea that is perfectly safe for swimming due to the reef that protects this bay. You can also visit the Japanese Peace Pagoda that is a Buddhist temple with a circular deck for sweeping views of the ocean and surrounding landscape.
Should you wish to remain in your hotel, if you are at Tamarind Hill you can enjoy a cookery demonstration with the hotel chef, take a nature trail via bicycle or have an in-suite massage. You can also ask the management to arrange for you to go kayaking, go on a village excursion, go whale watching in Mirissa, dive and snorkel, explore beeralu lace making and visit Rumassalla.
If you are staying over at Frangipani Tree, you can laze around in your spacious and elegant room, take a dip in the pool, visit the lush gardens and immerse yourself in the greenery, hit the beach for some fun the sea or speak to the front desk to arrange for you to go on their unique ‘cinnamon experience’ where you will be shown the one of a kind art of cinnamon cultivation to learn how one of the world’s most loved spices are grown.
Day 5 & Day 6
Day 05
Today you will be driven to Eco Team’s prime accommodations; Ahaspokuna that is nestled in the hill-country, providing a unique experience for those willing to explore the local wilderness with our finest local hospitality. Mother nature around Ahaspokuna is a mosaic of habitats – wide grasslands, caves used by elephants who visit for salt, an eclectic variety of plans and herbs – some of which are of medicinal value, streams, hidden waterfalls and a plethora of mammals and birds. The serene calm and quiet surrounding our camp will set you in the mood for a relaxing session of yoga any time of the day. Should you want to practice some yoga, we can certainly arrange an experienced instructor for you to learn and experience yoga at the facility during your stay. It doesn’t matter if you are a yoga pro or a newbie, here for a short stay or a long stay – we tailor make our programs to give you the best holiday experience in Sri Lanka. Similar to yoga, we are also happy to arrange a well experienced instructor for you to learn and experience meditation. These sessions can also be combined with yoga too. To make your stay even better, we can arrange an Ayurveda session at Ahaspokuna – preferably after a relaxing yoga and meditation session. The Sri Lankan practice of Ayurveda is very different to our neighboring country – with over 5000 years of empirical research by various practitioners, they have helped refine Ayurveda messages into a sublime fort of art that combines the skilled knowledge of the body with knowledge of oils, music and bodywork techniques and kept this a local secret. End this blissful day with a glass of wine to enjoy in your outdoor bath!
Day 06
Today you will be driven to the Govenor’s Mansion in Hatton, the town of the world famous Sri Lankan highland tea. The hotel provides many recreational activities including cycling, fishing, ability to rent a car to go sightseeing and even enjoy a barbecue in the misty hills of the central highlands. Hatton district is colloquially known as the tea capital of Sri Lanka as it houses major the centrals – Bogawantalawa, Dickoya, Maskeliya and Talawakele. Hatton was founded during the British colonial times in order to serve the coffee plantations and latter tea estates and gets its name from the village in Aberdeenshire, Scotland whilst a number of the surrounding tea estates are also named after Scottish villages. Hatton serves as a gateway to Adam's Peak and Sinharaja Forest Reserve, but is better known for its Ceylon tea plantations and Stassen group tea.
Day 7 & Day 8
Day 07
Since Hatton provides as a gateway to Adam’s Peak, today you will be climbing this infamous mountain range that is the island’s 4th highest mountain with a peak at 2,240 meters in height and looms over massive hills covered with a lush green jungle, making it a great place to view birds and butterflies. There is a mythical legend surrounding the footprint – which is now covered by an oversized reproduction in cement – found at the peak of the summit. Buddhists believe it to be the footprint made by Buddha during his 3rd visit to the island, Christians believe it is the footprint of Adam after he was banished from the Garden of Eden (hence the name ‘Adams Peak’) while other Christians believe it to be of St. Thomas the Apostle and Hindus believe it to be the footprint of Lord Shiva. The mountain is also known as the ‘butterfly mountain’ due to the large number of butterflies to who visit the peak to perish every year. Although it usually takes about 4 hours to reach the summit, during the months of pilgrimage, it can take up to 30 minutes to reach from one step to another. The summit overlooks beautiful lush flora and fauna as well as provides an uninterrupted look into the skyline causing most climbers to prefer a night ascent so they can witness the glorious sunrise in the misty morning hours. After spending some time at Adams Peak and enjoying snacks along the way, we will begin our descent to have lunch at the guest house and rest before dinner followed by an overnight stay.
Day 08
After having mounted Adams Peak yesterday, you can choose to either visit a tea plantation or take a guided walk through the town of Nuwara Eliya. Should you opt to choose the tea plantation tour, you will be taken on an tour of the tea production process with the resident tea planter as well as a guided tour of the tea factory. Enjoy a leisurely walk through the stunning tea gardens and learn more about the world famous Ceylon Tea! Or should you wish to explore the city, our guide will take you through ‘the city of light’ which translates into English from the Sinhala name used to address the city. Afterwards you will be brought back to Grand Hotel where you will have dinner and spend the night.
Day 9 to Day 12
Day 09
Heighten your luxury honeymoon in Sri Lanka by taking part in some golf which you will be indulging at the famous Victoria Golf Club, Kandy; a beautiful property nestled away amidst lush greenery. Afterwards make your way towards the new and popular 98 Acres Resort and Spa in Ella, set amidst a stunning landscape. The hotel is just an 8 minute walk away from the popular tourist destination the ‘Demodara Nine Arch Bridge’, 700 meters away from Little Adam’s Peak, 1.6 kilometers away from the Ella Spice Garden and 2 kilometers away from the Ella Rock.
Day 10
Treat your adventurous side by embarking on an adventure involving paragliding or if jumping off heights is not your ‘thing’ we got you covered by offering you a helicopter ride – both ways which you can enjoy the lush green surroundings of Ella and have a first-hand experience of exotic Sri Lankan nature. Afterwards you will head back to the 98 Acres resort where you will get some rest and relaxation chilling in the pool together that is amidst stunning nature.
Day 11
You will leave Ella and travel to Kandy where you will stay at the Stone House, a comfortable and luxury property set amidst the central highlands of Sri Lanka. The peoperty is in close proximity to various significant locations in Kandy including the Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic, Kandy Museum, Lakeside Adventist Hospital that is 5 kilometers away, Kandy City Center which is 4.2 kilometers away and Ceylon Tea Museum that is 8 kilometers away. In the evening you will be taken to the Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic, the most important destination for Buddhists visiting Sri Lanka followed by a cultural dance that happens in the temple for its daily religious rituals before you head back to your hotel for dinner and a nightcap.
Day 12
Post breakfast, we will be visiting two other temples in Kandy, beginning with Gadaladeniya, a well-known tourist destination in Sri Lanka visited usually by devotees, pilgrims, history and architecture enthusiasts and nature lovers. The ancient monastery is located atop a hill in Diggala and has dagobas, an image house holding Buddha statues, frescoes and interior sculptures depicting Jataka stories, a “Makara Thorana” (dragon arch) embellished with gods like Brahma, Sathusta, Suyama and Natha, a shrine room dedicated to God Vishnu and the Gadaladeniya inscription carved on a rock.Lankathilaka Viharaya, is a dramatic building made out of clay brick which was once a five-storied building. The temple was decorated with flowers, creepers, birds, animals and statues of gods with two pillars standing at around 116 feet in height at the entrance of the building. However, in the present day, these pillars have broken and reduced to a height of 58 feet. Afterwards should you wish, we can arrange a special meeting with Vipula Wanigasekera, a spiritual study veteran for 3 decades to discuss about the true nature of life. After having gone through many masters, many years of study and meditation, he decided to publish his book ‘Pointers to Enlightenment’ after he realized the seeker is illusory whilst most humans are caught up in a mind-driven life. He is now a senior lecturer at a government owned university and was a marketing professional and a diplomat and senior government official previously.
Day 12 to Day 15
Option 1
Day 13
You will leave Kandy and be chauffeured to Colombo where you will be spending your final two romantic nights in blissful Sri Lanka. You will be staying at the Mount Lavinia Hotel, right by the beach where you can enjoy the crashing of the waves with a candle lit dinner. This location too was used for the filing of the 1956 film ‘Bridge over River Kwai’.
Day 14
Enjoy your final day in Colombo by spending it by the beach or indulging in some shopping and sightseeing around the commercial capital of Sri Lanka. There are plenty of places to discover in this busy city and our guides will be more than happy to accommodate you on this.
Option 2
Day 13
Leave Kandy and be driven to Dambulla where you will check-in to the Dambale Hotel, a resort built on the concept of ‘peaceful harmony with nature’ allowing guests to enjoy stunning views of the surrounding natural landscapes. Afterwards you have the option of visiting either or both Sigiriya and the Dambulla Cave Temples. Sigiriya, famous for its frescos and architectural genius is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and considered to be the 8th Wonder of the World. The Dambulla Cave Temple is another UNESCO World Heritage Site and is the largest and best preserved cave temple complex in Sri Lanka housing a large number of Buddha statues, paintings and statues of former local kings.
Day 14
Depart from Dambulla and be chauffeured to Colombo to enjoy your final day in the commercial capital. You can also indulge in some shopping including souvenir shopping and even explore interesting locations in the city.
Day 15
With the end of a magic fortnight travelling around discovering Sri Lanka, you will be taken to the airport to catch your departing flight back home. We hope to have created an unforgettable honeymoon experience and sincerely hope you will be back for a taste of adventure of the exotic island.
