Detailed Itinerary
Day 01 to Day 04
Day 01 - Arrival and airport transfer to Negombo
Upon your arrival in Sri Lanka, you will be transferred from the Bandaranaike International Airport to Negombo by your designated chauffeur. In Negombo, you will check-in to your hotel and enjoy a short evening visit to the neighboring communities with your guide; depending on your time of arrival and retreat to bed after dinner at the hotel. Negombo is a coastal town, consisting of predominantly a fishing community with very strong faith in the Catholic Church. Religion was introduced to the narrow strip of land between the lagoon and the sea by the early voyagers who later colonized Sri Lanka. The town has been under the rule of the Portuguese, Dutch and later the British for its location and importance in cinnamon cultivation during its day. The town still carries the reminders of the European charm which has lived throughout the years.
Day 02 - Tour of Negombo and Kalpitiya
After breakfast at the hotel, you will have the opportunity to visit an authentic fish market in Negombo and interact with the local fishing community. The fish market is held every day of the week except Sunday, owing to the strict tradition of observing sabbath by these locals of strong Catholic faith. At the market, you will have the opportunity to observe the local fishing trade and see the amazing variety of seafood that is offloaded from the boats. Afterwards you will leave to Kalpitiya, a small yet beautiful coastal town, with a close knit fishing community untouched by commercial tourism offering remarkable local beauty to those lucky enough to visit! Once in Kalpitiya, you will have the opportunity to visit the morning fish markets which sells fresh catch unloaded in the morning after the fishermen’s trips from the previous night. The town also carries interesting examples of the country’s rich colonial history which can be seen at the Dutch Fort and St Peters Church. End the day enjoying the coastline with a leisurely boat ride up the lagoon and canoe trips down the river or go on a four wheel drive jeep ride along the deserted sand dunes between the ocean and lagoon which is a unique way of watching the colorful evening sunsets.
Day 03 - Tour of Kalpitiya and transfer to Wilpattu
In the early morning, go on a dolphin watching boat ride in the sea off Alankuda Beach in Kalpitiya. This area is home to a variety of dolphins, and holds pods which have hundreds of dolphins often spotted in Kalpitiya, especially near the Bar Reef which is just an hours boat ride away. Viewers can see the Bottlenose, Rissos, Indo-Pacific, Humpback dolphins with the most common being the Spinner and Long Snouted dolphins, who in addition are playful and acrobatic. They get their names from the spins they’re famous for which they perform while leaping out of water. Other tricks of theirs include tail or head slaps, flips and salmon jumps. After dolphin watching, you will head back to the hotel for breakfast and then check-out to be transferred to Wilpattu. Once you reach Wilpattu, you will check-in at the Big Game Camp and enjoy lunch at the campsite. Afterwards you will be taken on a safari excursion with your naturalist guide and end your stay back at the campsite after dinner.
*Dolphin sightings are almost guaranteed during the months of November to April and the excursions will ideally commence at sunrise and last for between 2-3 hours.
Day 04 - Tour of Wilpattu
After morning tea with cookies, you will be leaving the campsite to go on an extended safari at the Wilpattu National Park. The park is the oldest and largest national wildlife park in Sri Lanka, which also offers ample opportunities to spot Sri Lankan Leopards. The Wilpattu National Park still holds virgin territory appeal due to the fact that it has remained closed to visitors for a long time, making this a must-see venue for those wishing to explore uncharted wildlife parks in Sri Lanka. Over the years, the park has had a steady upward trend of visitors wanting to experience wildlife safaris. The park has retained its status due to its strong prevalence of leopards and Sri Lankan sloth bears. Once in the park, we will be stopping at a scenic location within the park to enjoy breakfast and later stop near a lake for lunch. You will be brought back to the camp in time for dinner afterwards you will be taken on a guided night walk and end the day at Big Game Safari Camps.
Day 05 to Day 08
Day 05 - Transfer to Jaffna via Anuradhapura
On your fifth day, you will leave the park to go to Anuradhapura and travel to Jaffna by train. You will be travelling in the intercity express whilst your chauffeur will remain back in Anuradhapura. A local driver will pick you up from the Jaffna Railway Station and transfer you to your hotel for check-in. You will be then taken on a city tour, of the northernmost region of Sri Lanka which is also one of the oldest districts in lower South Asia. The peninsula, which overlooks the Palk Strait and Bay of Bengal is connected with the rest of Sri Lanka by a shallow lagoon in which elephants use to wade across. Today, Jaffna is home to 900,000 people and is one of the most densely populated areas of Sri Lanka. For visitors, Jaffna has it all – from its friendly people, rich and vibrant culture, salubrious climate, picturesque views and not to forget Rio Ice Cream, an establishment unique to the northern town of Sri Lanka. You will be ending the day with dinner and a nightcap at the hotel.
Day 06 - Tour of Jaffna
Your day will be spent travelling around Jaffna, starting with the Neduntheevu, also known as Delft Island, an island 30 kilometers away from the mainland surrounded by shallow waters and reefs making it difficult for ships to attack. This island was strategically important during the Chola Dynasty, Portuguese, Dutch and British colonial period. Towards the west of the island, you would be able to see ruins of South Indian Chola architecture and traditional shrines, a pigeon house made of corals constructed by the Portuguese and Dutch, see the ‘devils well’ since you cannot see the bottom of the well and thought to be the devil’s mouth which is the source of drinking water for the 5000 inhabitants of the island and a few kilometers away see a footprint found on the island of Nainativu which Christians believe to be Adam’s footprints.
Day 07 - Transfer back to Anuradhapura
On your 7th day, post breakfast in Jaffna you will be taken on a brief tour of the vicinity. Thereafter, you will be checking-out of the hotel and be transferred to the Jaffna railway station to catch a train back to Anuradhapura. Your chauffeur will pick you up from the Anuradhapura railway station and transfer you to your hotel. Anuradhapura is a kingdom found in 377BC, making it the first kingdom to be established in Sri Lanka and is renowned as one of the oldest inhabited cities in the world. Today, the city also houses a vast number of ancient monuments and several UNESCO World Heritage Sites as well as being the best place to learn about the great Sinhalese civilization and how it flourished in that region. Anuradhapura is the home to the tallest shrine in Sri Lanka; the Ruwanweli Maha Saya, remains of historical sites, temples, monasteries, ceremonial baths and was the first place to pay homage to the Sri Maha Bodhi – a branch of the tree under which Lord Buddha attained enlightenment. Several kings have left many architectural legacies and engineering marvels in this lost kingdom.
Day 08 - Tour of Anuradhapura, Mihintale and transfer to Trincomalee
After breakfast at the hotel, you will be visiting historical sites in Anuradhapura and then proceed towards Mihintale. Mihintale is a sacred mountain, which is regarded as the cradle of Buddhism in Sri Lanka. Mihintale has a grand stairway of 1840 steps made of granites slabs which leads to the summit of the mountain that provides a splendid view of the surrounding countryside and is also dotted with ancient stone architecture, shrines, rock boulders and sacred caves used by monks for meditation. You will then proceed to Trincomalee where you will check-in at the hotel for a nightcap.
Day 09 to Day 12
Day 09 - Tour of Trincomalee
You will begin your day with whale watching which can be done during the months of March to September. The rest of the day will be spent in leisure in the town has one of the finest natural deep water harbors in the world and is located on the north east coast of Sri Lanka, 260 kilometer away from Colombo. The town is also home to beautiful white sandy beaches, clear blue waters around Pigeon Island and also has several snorkeling and diving spots making Trincomalee the perfect destination vacation for anyone who loves sun, sand and sea!
Day 10 - Transfer from Trincomalee to Sigiriya
Post breakfast in Trincomalee, you will be transferred to Sigiriya and check-in at your hotel prior to any excursions. You will then climb the Sigiriya Rock Fortress which is a 3 hour climb. The ancient city of Sigiriya is a premier historical destination in Sri Lanka which was declared a cultural world heritage site in 1982 by UNESCO and was proposed to be named as the 8th wonder of the world, indicting it is in the same league as other international wonders such as the Grand Canyon, Machu Pichu and the Pyramids of Giza. The topography of the area is flat except for the massive rock boulder which rises at a staggering height of 600 feet above the jungle. Sigiriya, which translates into Lion Rock gets its name from the way in which visitors begin their ascent to the monument – which is through the open jaws and the throat ‘giriya’ of a lion ‘Sinha’ in Sinhalese. Unfortunately the only remains today of the lion figure are the giant paws which is sculpted into the side of the rock. After visiting the Lion Rock Fortress, you will head back to your hotel for an overnight stay in Sigiriya.
Day 11 - Tour of Sigiriya
You will be visiting the Dambulla Rock Cave Temple, also known as the Golden Temple, it dates back to the 1st century BC and as legend says, King Valagambahu was to have taken refuge here. The cave consists of 5 caves and contains over 150 images of Buddha images. Out of all 5 caves, the 2nd cave is the most elaborate and most spectacular which is 170 feet in length, 75 feet in width and 21 feet in height. This cave also houses a reclining statue of Lord Buddha as well as a statue of King Valagambahu, who aside from taking refuge here, was noted to have done most of the construction as well as King Nissankamalla who later did more renovations. The center of the cave has a large container that collects water which drips from the ceiling even during the dry season. This place is also worth a visit for the view of the beautiful countryside situated 150 meters away from the caves. Afterwards you will be heading on a village trail under the guidance of our local tour leader and to further get a taste of the way of living of the villagers, you will be enjoying a lunch prepared by the villagers themselves. Afterwards you will head back to the hotel and have dinner with our special guest Sunil Gunathilake, the Senior Research Assistant of ‘The Primates Projects’ who will then take you through the 47 years of history of the Polonnaruwa Monkey Kingdom where the primate ‘actors’ became an instant hit with award winning Monkey Kingdom.
Day 12 - Tour of Sigiriya, Polonnaruwa and Dambana
After breakfast Dambulla, you will be transferred to Polonnaruwa, which is part of the famous ‘Cultural Triangle’ to visit many of its historical sites. Polonnaruwa is an ancient capital that is nearly 1000 years old, first claimed by King Vijayabahu however many of the city’s development was done during the rule of King Parakramabahu. Under his patronage, he built massive buildings, ornate parks, and a 2500 hectare tank known as the ‘Parakrama Samudraya (Sea of Parakrama). The city is divided into a new and old town with impressively preserved ruins split into five main areas including ‘The Quad triangle’ also known as the ‘Terrace of the Tooth Relic’, the Northern City Group and the Rest House Group with the royal palace ruins of ‘Nissanka Malla’. Due to the well planned out compact layout, the ruins can be easily explored on foot or leaving your car behind and jump onto a bicycle to get about. You have the option of visiting the Monkey Project in Polonnaruwa at a rate of $80 per person where the tour will last for two and half hours.
Afterwards, you will be transferred to Dambana to visit the veddah village after checking into the Mahoora Mobile Tented Camps in the area. Dambana is a remote jungle village, where the original indigenous people of Sri Lanka still reside. During your visit, you will be meeting the chief of the veddah village, also referred to as the ‘Wanniyaleththo’. The veddahs come from a direct lineage of the island’s original Neolithic community dating back to at least 18,000 BC. The veddahs were originally a tribe of hunter-gatherers with the women staying back at home to tent to the family whilst the men used bows and arrows to hunt and gather wild plants and honey. Their original dwellings were in caves and rock shelters where many elaborate paintings have been discovered even in Sri Lanka, painted by the womenfolk while waiting for their men to return home from hunting. However today, they live in unpretentious huts made of wattle, daub and thatch. By visiting the veddah community, you will have the unique opportunity to get firsthand experience on their culture which has remained relatively untarnished by modern technology and commercialization and with much devotion to their traditions. One of their main traditions involve the blessing of gods with a famous dance known as ‘Kiri Koraha’ and another is hunting. According to tribe rules, visitors cannot participate in communal activities without the chief’s permission. Once it is granted, close observation of their culture and participating in some of their activities is made possible.
After visiting the veddah community, you will be heading back to the campsite for a barbeque dinner around a campfire before calling it a night.
Day 13 to Day 16
Day 13 - Tour of Dambana
After breakfast, you will be heading back to visit the Veddahs again to observe their unique lifestyle. There, you will be introduced to their unique methods of food preservation such as drying meat and preserving it by soaking in honey and preserving meat in the hollow of a tree enclosed with clay. They have a diet rich in meat, which includes venison, rabbit, wild boar and even monitor lizards derived mostly by animals they’ve hunted down in the forest. They only killed animals for food and refrained from harming both the young as well as pregnant animals. Later on you will head back to the campsite for lunch and then head over to a jeep safari at Maduruoya National Park. This park was established under the Mahaweli Development Project on the 9th of November 1983 and acts as a catchment of the Maduru Oya Reservoir. The park provides a sanctuary for wildlife specially elephants, leopards, sloth bears, sambhur, spotted and barking deer, wild boar and wild buffalo. After your safari, you will head back to the campsite for yet another barbecue dinner with campfire and a nightcap.
Day 14 - Transfer to Kandy from Dambana
Post breakfast at the camp, we will begin proceeding to Kandy. Once there, we will check-in at the hotel and visit the Sri Dalada Maligawa, or more famously known around the world as Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic. The temple was built during the 16th century, however the present building was built during its 19th century restorations. Venerated as the most important object in the Buddhist world, the sacred tooth relic of Lord Buddha brought from India 2500 years ago is kept in a gold casket and stored amidst great security deep in the inner chamber of the shrine. It is said that the possessor of the relic has the right to rule the country, and thus this has created many wars between kingdoms for power over the nation many centuries ago. The temple complex is made up of numerous buildings most of which are highly decorative in paintings and carvings of Buddha. Rich in history and tradition, the Sri Dalada Maligawa is a religious center where daily worship is a colorful and joyful way of everyday life – several times throughout the day the day there are different services held with a large number of worshippers present where spine-tingling traditional drumming can be heard coming from the Inner Chamber, which is a signal for the ceremonial opening of the window for the public viewing of the casket with the Relic. We conclude our tour of the sacred shrine before the drumming commences. Afterwards we will take a walk in the city and visit an optional cultural performance in the evening if requested. You will head back to the hotel for an overnight stay for another day in the last kingdom of Sri Lanka.
Day 15 - Tour of Kandy
Today will be a slightly more laidback tour than the other days. After breakfast, you will proceed to view two important yet lesser known highlights in the Kandy suburbs – Gadaladeniya and Lankathilaka. Gadaladeniya Viharaya and Lankathilaka Viharaya were built by King Buwanekabahu IV during the 14th century and both temples are built with an influence of South Indian architecture. Afterwards, you will be taken for a luncheon with a French turned Sri Lankan historian Professor Jacques Soulie, the Director of Alliance Françoise in Kandy. He is a psychiatrist by profession, has been based in Sri Lanka for several years and can speak and understand Sinhalese very well. He was a former professor at University of Peradeniya acting as a visiting French language lecturer, and is considered to be one of the greatest contributors to the Franco-Sri Lankan relations and has been a catalyst for several arts and literary events which have happened in Kandy over the years. Afterwards you will head back to the hotel to relax before having dinner with our special guest of the night; Vipula Wanigasekera a spiritual studies scholar for nearly 3 decades where he will be discussing about the Buddhist way of life and meditation. He will take you through his life’s journey of going from one master to another in order to know more about the true nature of life. After having gone through many hours of learning, he decided to write a book name ‘Pointers to Enlightenment’ when he realized the seeker is illusory whilst most humans are caught up in a mind driven life. He is now a senior lecturer at the Sri Lankan government owned National School of Business Management and has been a marketing professional, diplomat and senior government official prior to his current post.
Day 16 - Tour of Kandy, Idalgashinna and Belihuloya
After breakfast at the hotel, you will proceed to the Kandy railway station to enjoy a 6 hour train ride to Idalgashinna, thereafter take a 2 hour tuk tuk ride from the station to check-in to our tented semi luxury camps at Kinchigune campsite. The train ride will be a once in a lifetime opportunity as you will experience the remains of the bygone era as you are transported in these ‘time machines’ through breathtaking views and historic locations. The train way was incepted by the British during the 19th century for the main purpose of transporting goods – mainly tea from the plantation and imported goods. The railway tracks still use the single line tablets which are in most part of the world a museum artifact today. Our camp in Kinchigune is a communal camp and will be set up if there are more than 5 travelers due to its nature.
Day 17 to Day 21
Day 17 - Tour of Belihuloya
Post breakfast, you will be taken to the oldest traditional tea factory in the country situated approximately 9 kilometers away from your accommodation, where you will travel by vehicle for 5 kilometers and travel the other 4 kilometers on foot. Tea is an integral part of the Sri Lankan culture, and goes hand in hand with our local hospitality and is served in almost every household to both guests and homemakers on a daily basis. It is even said that the British Royal Family drinks Sri Lankan tea. Once you conclude your tour, of the tea factory, you will then go on to visit a small school with 100 students who come from the plantation community. Afterwards you will head back to the campsite, and later go on a canoeing expedition at Samanala Wewa, a flat water body and return to the hotel for dinner and an overnight stay at our Kinchigune Tented Campsite at Belihuloya.
Day 18 - Transfer from Belihuloya to Yala
Begin your day different by canoeing in the still calm waters of the Samanala Wewa and its surrounding beauty provided by the mountains. After spending your morning canoeing and breakfast, you will be transferred to Yala and check-in at the Big Game Campsite. The Yala National Park is the second largest national park in the country and is located in the southeastern region of Sri Lanka and covers almost 1000 square kilometers. Yala was designated as a wildlife sanctuary in 1900 along with Wilpattu and are the first two national parks in the country. The king of the jungle are leopards but you will also be able to see elephants, spotted deer, sambar, wild boar, wild buffaloes, sloth bears, jackals and mongoose along with numerous bird species such as rosy starling, paradise flycatchers, crested hawk eagles and blue tailed bee-eaters. After spending an evening full of leisure, retreat back to bed after dinner at the campsite.
Day 19 - Tour of Yala and Mirissa
After breakfast at the campsite, you will leave for the golden southern beach of Mirissa. Once in Mirissa, you will embark on a yacht around 3.30pm to enjoy a sunset cruise in the sea. This cruise will last for two and a half hours up to sunset. Indulge in aperitifs with snacks followed by a seafood dinner whilst the catamaran anchors in the sumptuous and calm bay of Weligama and spend the night under a million stars in the middle of the Indian Ocean, lulled to sleep by the soft waves.
Day 20 - Tour of Mirissa, Galle and Colombo
Today you will be having a different breakfast experience – you’ll be having it onboard whilst watching whales in the sea off Mirissa! Sri Lanka’s southern coast is one of the best places in the world to see blue whales and we boast the longest blue whale season as well. Other types of whales that can be seen are Bryde’s whale, sperm whale, dwarf sperm whale, spinner dolphin, striped dolphin and Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphin. You can see whales in Mirissa when they are on their annual migratory route travelling from the Horn of Africa up to the waters of the Arabian Sea from November to April.
Afterwards, we will head back to the shore and drive to Colombo through Galle. But first we will be taking a short stop to explore Galle Fort with our one of a kind host; Shanjei Perumal. He was a former advertising executive from Colombo who quit his job because he didn’t want to be confined to the concrete jungle of Colombo working at a 9-5 job. Shanjei chose Galle Fort due to this love and fascination for its living legend and became a full-time tour guide to assist beautiful people discover this beautiful location. Galle Fort is located in the Bay of Galle in the southern coast of Sri Lanka. First built in 1588 by the Portuguese, then extensively fortified by the Dutch from 1649 onwards, the fort is now declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site for its unique ensemble illustrating the interaction of European architecture and South Asian traditions from the 16th to 19th century.
Your final stop for the day will be in Colombo, the commercial capital of Sri Lanka. It holds an important port in the Indian Ocean since the early times. Colombo too holds many locations having Portuguese, Dutch and British heritage and even though it’s a highly commercial city, it has a range of leisure activities for travelers to enjoy whilst in the city. Traders from the Middle East used Sri Lanka, then Ceylon as an exchange center whilst Arab traders came here for ivory, precious stones and spices such as cinnamon, cardamom, cloves and pepper which were then sold for high prices in Europe. Your tour will be conducted so that you may experience the melting pot of cultures that make up this eclectic city with its many cultures, history and trade communities before calling it a day.
Day 21 - Transfer to airport for departure
After breakfast in Colombo, you will be transferred to the Bandaranaike International Airport to catch your flight back home.
*All hotel check-out times is by 12 noon.
*Please check-in at the airport at least 60 minutes prior to your expected time of departure.
