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Trip Route
Colombo – Habarana – Kandy - Nuwara Eliya – Hambantota (Yala) - Colombo
Trip Plan
Day 01 Colombo (Arrival) - Habarana
Arrive Colombo. On arrival transfer to Habarana (185 kms/4 hrs.). Check in at Hotel. Overnight Hotel.
Day 02 Habarana
After breakfast proceed to Sigiriya (38 kms./40 minutes) and climb the Sigiriya rock fortress. On completion return to the hotel. In the afternoon proceed to Anuradhapura (65 kms/ 1.5 hrs.) and do a city tour. On completion return to the hotel. Overnight Hotel.
Day 03 Kandy
After breakfast proceed to Pollonnaruwa (65 kms./ 1.5 hrs.) and do a city tour. On completion proceed to Kandy (148 kms./ 4 hrs.). Enroute visit the Dambulla cave temples. Check in at hotel. In the evening visit the Temple of the tooth relic and also witness a cultural dance performance. Overnight stay at hotel.
Day 04 Kandy- Nuwara Eliya
After breakfast do a city tour of Kandy including a visit to the Peradeniya Botanical gardens. Thereafter proceed to Nuwara Eliya (77 kms./ 3 hrs.) Enroute visit a Tea Factory and Tea Plantation. Check in at hotel. Overnight Hotel.
Day 05 Nuwara Eliya - Hambantota
After breakfast proceed for a city tour of Nuwara Eliya. In the afternoon proceed to Hambantota (195 kms./4 hrs.). Check in at Hotel for overnight stay.
Day 06 Hambantota
After breakfast do a safari of the Yala national park by jeep. Overnight stay at the Hotel.
Day 07 Hambantota - Colombo
After breakfast proceed to Colombo (305 kms./ 5 hrs.) and check in at hotel. In the evening do a city/shopping tour of Colombo. Overnight stay at the hotel.
Day 08 Colombo Departure
After breakfast proceed to the airport to board flight for onward destination
Best season December - April
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Sri Lanka
Garden of Eden Cities
Many a traveller before you, from ancient mariners and merchants, to modern astronauts and business people, have been seduced by the tantalizing beauty of the colours and costumes of this land which, according to Mark Twain, were “All harmonious, all in perfect taste”
Today’s Sri Lanka welcomes its visitors to experience the nation’s glittering tapestry of culture, and the rich abundance of nature, so handsomely bestowed, and to give credibility to the old adage – that good things come in small packages.
The island's medieval capital (11th to 13th century A.D.) is situated 216 km. from Colombo and rose to fame after the decline of Anuradhapura. The largest of the man made reservoirs, the huge Parakrama Samudra, is larger in size than the Colombo harbour. See also the ruins of the King's Council Chamber, the Royal Citadel, the Kumara Pokuna, Royal Pavilion, the Vatadage Relic House lavished with moonstones, guardstones and sculptured railing, Kiri Vehera - the best preserved of all Sri Lanka's un-restored dagabas; Gal Vihare - the most impresive sculptures are the colossal Buddha images carved on the face of a granite boulder. The recumbent Buddha measures 14 metres and the standing figure is 7 metres in height.
This rock fortress of Sigiriya was built by king Kasyapa in the 5th century A.D. and was a royal citadel for more than 18 years. In a sheltered pocket, approached by a spiral stairway, are the famous frescoes. The summit of the rock, with an area of nearly one hectare was the site of the palace, the outer wall of which was built on the very brink of the precipice. The UNESCO - sponsored Central Cultural Fund has restored Sigiriya's 5th century Water Gardens to their former glory.
Like Sigiriya, Dambulla is a vast isolated rock mass and it was here that King Valagam Bahu took refuge in the 1st century B.C. He later turned the caves into a rock temple. Some of the frescoes are over 2,000 years old and there is a colossal figure of the recumbent Buddha carved out of the living rock, some 14 metre long.
Kandy - The last capital of the Sri Lankan kings which is a world heritage site. The name Kandy conjures visions of splendor and magnificence. Many of the legends, traditions and folklore are still lovingly kept alive. Drive around the Kandy lake built by the last Sinhala king Sri Wickrama Rajasinghe in 1806, visit the Kandy town and bazaar, the arts and crafts center and a gem museum and lapidary. In the evening visit the temple of the tooth relic and thereafter witness a traditional cultural dance show.
Peradeniya Botanical Gardens was first built as a pleasure garden by a Sinhala king and was expanded by the British. it is 147 acres in extent and provides an amazing variety of trees, plants and flowers.
Nuwara Eliya is Sri Lanka's premier hill resort with a fine bracing mountain climate. Nuwara Eliya is also the heart of Sri Lanka's tea country producing 50% of the world’s best tea. Sri Lanka's highest mountain Pidurutalagala (8282 ft) is located here. Nuwara Eliya is the location for one of the finest 18 hole golf courses in Asia.
Situated 309 km. south of Colombo, Yala is approximately 1,259 sq.km. in extent and is located in the south eastern corner of the island. Its northern boundaries border on the Lahugala Elephant Sanctuary and it has the added bonus of a scenic ocean frontage. The terrain is varied flat plains alternating with rocky outcrops. The vegetation ranges from open parkland to dense jungle. Water holes, small lakes, lagoons and streams provide water for the animals and birds. The speciality here is the large numbers of elephants.
Colombo - Like many capital cities in developing countries, Colombo is fast changing its face, almost overnight, skyscrapers arise from where old buildings once stood, yet in some parts, the old world charm is retained. A 100-year-old Clock tower and several British built, colonial buildings are still to be seen in the city. The Pettah bazaar – where one can shop for bargains, a Hindu and a Buddhist temple, residential areas where you find the stately homes of the affluent, the Colombo museum, the Bandaranaike memorial international conference hall – an outright gift to Sri Lanka from the people’s republic of china, the new parliament in Sri Jayawardenapura and the folk art center are some of the places of interest that one can visit to.
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