Detailed Itinerary
Day 01 to Day 03
Day 01
Upon your arrival at the Bandaranaike International Airport, you will meet your driver and enjoy a 3-4 hour drive up north up the picturesque roads, passing quaint local villages and countryside shops until you reach Kurunegala. Passing Kurunegala you will driver another 40 km towards Dambulla and reach your day’s retreat; The Brook Boutique Hotel and Spa, a small private award winning estate in Melsiripura. Once you have checked into the hotel, enjoy a refreshing shower and settle into your chosen villa. You can take the whole day in your private pool or in the sports room playing a variety of games or even in the library curled up with a book or watching a movie from their 2000+ collection of movies before dinner at the dining hall amidst the palm trees to end your first night in Sri Lanka.
Day 02
After enjoying a leisurely breakfast at your own pace at the hotel, you will visit the Na Uyana Monastery, a silent retreat hidden amongst the ancient Ironwood tree forest covering more than five thousand acres. You will have the opportunity to experience the calm and peaceful environment enjoyed by the meditating monks. The monastery is believed to date back to the 3rd century BC and is thought to be the first monastery established outside Anuradhapura.
Day 03
Wake up refreshed and well rested! Today, you will be heading to Sigiriya in the morning after breakfast to visit the magnificent Lion Rock Fortress with a guidebook in hand and our driver who will be assisting you throughout the ascent and descent of the rock. Sigiriya is a premium eco-tourism destination is Sri Lanka and is a designated UNESCO World Cultural Heritage since 1982. It was also proposed to be named as the 8th wonder of the world as it was thought to be in the same league as the Grand Canyon or the Ancient Pyramids of Giza. Sigiriya, is famous for its frescos that were hand painted with earth pigments and it’s amazing water mechanic system that have left engineers in awe even today! After visiting Sigiriya, your next stop is at the Dambulla Cave Temples that holds an impressive 150 murals of Lord Buddha, 157 statues including a 47 foot long statue of the recumbent Buddha. This site too is a UNESCO World Heritage Site as well as a sacred pilgrimage site and is the best well preserved cave temple in Sri Lanka. Apart from having a deeply religious background, the cave also provides a beautiful view over the countryside as the cave is located 150 meters above ground level.
Day 04 to Day 07
Day 04
Having packed and enjoyed your final breakfast at Brook Boutique, you will be on your way to Kandy to visit the famous Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic, another UNESCO World Heritage Site. The temple is famously known for having the sacred tooth relic of Lord Buddha, kept in a gold casket stored in the inner chamber under tight security and is an important religious location for Buddhists all over the world. The impressive temple complex is made up of numerous buildings and decorated with paintings and carvings of Lord Buddha. Afterwards you will proceed to your hotel, Santani Wellness Resort and Spa to enjoy a luxurious escape surrounded by the pristine greenery of the central highlands of Sri Lanka.
Day 05, 06 & 07
You will begin your days at the spa, with a wholesome breakfast and have the option to indulge yourself in a retreat or treatment of choice at Santani Wellness Resort and Spa or go around Kandy and discover people and places in the ancient city.
Santani Wellness Resort and Spa offers numerous wellness packages for those who wish to indulge themselves in some ‘me time’ and is also well suited to support anyone who has undergone any emotional or physical trauma and post-operative patients who wish to regain a healthy and balanced life. The resort also offers a fully customized programs for post-operative patients, personalized dosha Ayurveda programs for those with specific health conditions, a detox program to rid your body of toxins and prevention of cancer, hypertension, diabetes, cardiac issues etc. Santani is centered around creating a healthy lifestyle and this is the perfect wellness retreat for those who want to rid their body of stress and toxins!
Should you wish to explore the city of Kandy, we have a multitude of activities or people you can meet.
You can meet Professor Jacques Soulie, a French turned Sri Lankan who is the Director of Alliance Françoise in Kandy. He is a psychiatrist by profession, has worked in the University of Peradeniya as a visiting French lecturer and has been based in Sri Lanka for several years now. He has been a great contributor to the Franco-Sri Lankan relations and has been a catalyst for several arts and literary events that have taken place in Kandy over the years.
You also have the opportunity to meet Vipula Wanigasekera, who has been a spiritual study veteran for 3 decades to learn 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.
Visit the Peradeniya Botanical Garden that is 6 kilometers away from the center of Kandy which was once reserved exclusively for the Kandyan royalty. Today, the stunning 60 hectare large garden holds a fine collection of orchids and spices, whilst the avenue of royal palms, cannonball fruit tree and Burma bamboo are the highlights of the garden.
And finally, you can also visit the Udawatta Kele Sanctuary, a 104 hectare birder’s paradise with a plethora of bird species. It has now become home to species such as the Layard’s parakeet, yellow fronted barbet and the nocturnal brown fish owl. Apart from birds, the forest is also home to other animals including the toque macaque, wild boar, fishing cat and water monitor lizard as well as to around 460 plant species that are important for botanists and researchers.
Day 08 to Day 10
Day 08
After breakfast, you will be leaving for the heart of the Tea Country; Nuwara Eliya. The town was once colonized by the British who introduced tea plantation due to it being located 1890 meters above sea level and offers a more cooler climate than other regions, making Ceylon tea undoubtedly the best tea in the world. Because of the colonial history of this town, it’s called Little England. Nuwara Eliya is also famous for horse racing and boasts of an impressive golf course. When driving down the picturesque hills, you will see the colorfully dressed tea-pickers dressed in their colorful saris and cane bags behind their backs and stop to visit a tea plantation to watch the tea manufacturing process before checking into your hotel.
You will be staying at Amaya Langdale Spa, a unique resort in the hills of Nuwara Eliya. It offers services to put your mind, body and soul into a relaxing tranquility with their signature treatments starting from head down to your feet which will lure the stress, stiffness and tension away from your body to rejuvenate and revive you.
Day 09
You can chose to have a packed breakfast and have it on your way to trek the Horton Plains, a national park reserve filled with beautiful landscapes of rolling hills, forests and grasslands. This is the highest plateau in the island that spans approximately 10,000 hectares, hosts unique vegetation and is home to 24 species of mammals including elk, deer, giant squirrel, wild boar, wild hare, porcupine and leopard as well as 87 rare and 14 endemic birds. The most impressive physical feature of Horton Plains is the escarpment which falls 880 meters to the lowlands which is aptly named ‘World’s End’ with fabulous views of tea estates below all the way to the distant southern coastline.
Or should you wish to take a more laid back approach to spending your day, you can opt to play a round of golf on the famous Nuwara Eliya Golf Club or catch a boat ride on Lake Gregory, either of which you could do after lunch at Amaya Langdale.
Day 10
After breakfast at Amaya Langdale, you will be transferred to one of Eco Team’s prime accommodations; Ahaspokuna Bushwalk Camps Prepare yourself a small trek by foot, but don’t worry about your luggage! We will have it carried for you. Ahaspokuna is nestled in the hill-country, only accessible by foot and provides a unique experience for those willing to explore the local wilderness experience an exclusive bush walk and wilderness living experience 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 in the facility during your stay. The sessions will be followed by discussions with your instructor about the mindful Buddhist way of life. These sessions can also be combined with yoga too.
To make your stay even better, we can arrange an Ayurveda session at Ahaspokuna too – 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. This therapy takes account of your whole being and lifestyle and is a completely holistic approach for harmonized change to improve your health and wellbeing.
Accommodation at Ahaspokuna includes meals, drinks and treks. For a two night stay, you are entitled to have 3 to 4 walks. However, should you wish to stay back at the camp and indulge yourself in some relaxing ‘me time’ – we can certainly make that dream come true!
Day 11 to Day 15
Day 11
Wake up and start your day with some refreshing yoga, instructed by our trainer Amice – an internationally trained teacher who has completed her training at ‘Blooming Lotus Yoga’ and is fluent in English, Dutch, German and conversant in French. This multicultural lady has grown up, lived and worked in many countries, but her heart was captured by Sri Lanka and she found her true home here. She teaches predominantly Hatha Yoga as well as Yin and Restorative Yoga. Part of her practice and teaching are meditation, pranayama and mantras. After a chilled yoga practice, enjoy lunch and then take an afternoon guided bush walk safari and finally end your day with dinner and an overnight stay at Ahaspokuna Bush Walk Camp.
Day 12
After breakfast at Ahaspokuna, you will be driven to Udawalawe with a quick stop to enjoy lunch and an afternoon safari at the Udawalawe National Park. The park is located in the boundary of Sri Lanka’s wet and dry zones and is one of the best places in the world to see wild elephants as it has over 400 elephants residing within an area of 31,000 hectares. In addition to this main attraction, the park is also home to many water buffaloes, water monitor lizards, sambar deer and monkeys. The bird enthusiasts will also have their own winged paradise to enjoy with a variety and large quantity of bird species in the park. After visiting the park, you will be taken to our own Mahoora Tented Safari Camp to enjoy dinner and spend your night.
Day 13
After breakfast at the Mahoora camp, enjoy an early morning safari at the Udawalawe National Park. Thereafter, you will be driven to the small beach town of Unawatuna, a picturesque palm lined beach with turquoise waters in a semicircular bay that stretches for no less than one kilometer. End your night with dinner and an overnight stay at Coco Bay in Unawatuna.
Day 14
Enjoy breakfast at the hotel and spend the rest of the day getting some much needed sun, sand and of course sea in Unawatuna! End the day with a special evening to celebrate your last night in Sri Lanka with dinner and an overnight stay at Coco Bay in Unawatuna.
Day 15
Based on the time of your flight, we will make sure you reach the airport in time to catch your flight back home after a relaxing vacation in Sri Lanka.
