Colombo

Welcome to Sri Lanka! On arrival at the airport in Colombo, your private driver guide will pick you up and transfer you to the hotel for check-in. Take a short break and get ready to start your 14-day tour.

Avukana Buddha Statue

This morning, enjoy your breakfast and we will head for Avukana Buddha Statue by a 4-hour drive. With a height of 12 meters (39 ft.), Avukana is the tallest ancient Buddha statue in Sri Lanka. The magnificent statue was constructed in the 5th century and carved out of a single piece of rock.

Anuradhapura

After visiting the statue, embark on a 1-hour private car transfer to Anuradhapura and check into the hotel. For the rest of the day, you may have a good rest at the hotel or step out to feel the ancient city which was the first capital of the country and now the largest Buddhist center in South Asia.

Mihintale

Today you will spend your morning at the historic town of Mihintale. As the cradle of Buddhism in Sri Lanka, Mihintale is a significant pilgrimage site. To fully visit the site, you need to climb a huge rock with 1,843 carved stone steps. On the way up, you will see the Kantaka Chetiya Stupa on your right side with only the base left. As you keep walking up, you may notice the ruins of the Monks’ Refectory & Relic House, a historic hospital and the Archeology Museum of Mihintale. Atop Mihintale Rock, you could get a panoramic vista of the nearby terraces and valley.

Kanniya Hot Springs

Next, we will drive you for about 1.5 hours to visit Kanniya Hot Springs, which is one of the most well-known and sacred hot springs in Sri Lanka.

Then, we will drive you to Nilaveli Beach in Trincomalee, from which you can enjoy a romantic sunset at the seaside. After that, you will be escorted to your hotel.

Trincomalee

With soft sandy beach and blue water, Trincomalee is known as the “Maldives” of Sri Lanka. You may lie on the beach for a sunbath or stroll along the seaside. Pigeon Island, which gets its name because of many rock pigeons, is a small but popular island surrounded by coral reefs. The tropical fish and other sea animals are abundant and colorful, making it a good place for snorkeling and diving. If luckily, you may even get up close to sea turtles or tropical fish in the sea.

Ancient City of Polonnaruwa

This morning, we will drive about 2 hours to visit Polonnaruwa Ancient City. The Kingdom of Polonnaruwa was the second kingdom of Sri Lanka which lasted for less than 200 years but left rich cultural heritages. Along with the Ancient City of Anuradhapura, Polonnaruwa was also listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site.

Sigiriya

Next, we will transfer you to the hotel in Sigiriya by one hour’s drive.

Sigiriya Lion Rock

Today you will first visit Sigiriya Rock Fortress. Known as the “Eighth Wonder of the World”, it was constructed on a 200-meter-high (656 ft.) huge rock. The whole fortress was originally carved like a lion, hence its name “Lion Rock”.

Around noon, we will drive you to Hiriwadunna Village. You may explore the countryside by jeep or tuk-tuk. Hiriwadunna is a peaceful village with geometric paddy fields and vegetable gardens, near which you may also see tree houses built by farmers to watch over them. Enjoy your time by watching the villagers make handicrafts or how they make local foods like pilaf and roti for your lunch. In the afternoon, you could take a catamaran cruise on the lake near the village, enjoying the idyllic landscape and the breeze on the lake. After visiting the village, we will escort you back to your hotel.

Dambulla Cave Temple

After breakfast, we’ll leave Sigiriya and drive to Dambulla Cave Temple for a visit. At the foot of the mountain where the temple is located, you will see a building with a design of a lion’s open mouth and a grand golden Buddha statue on it which gives the temple another name “Golden Temple of Dambulla”. Walk up for about 20 minutes and you will get to the cave temple standing 160 meters (525 ft.) above the surrounding plains. There are 5 caves in the temple, with a history of more than 2,000 years, housing about 150 golden Buddha statues with various postures.

Sri Muthumariamman Temple

Next, we will drive 2 hours to Sri Muthumariamman Temple, also known as Sri Muthumari Amman Kovil. It’s a typical Hindu temple with complicated decorations and rich colors. There is a striking 108-meter-high (354 ft.) Gopura tower named Raja Koburam, which is covered with a mass of statues of mythological figures. The temple enshrines Muthumari Amman - the goddess of rain and fertility. People perform rituals to pray for the goddess’s blessing.

Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic

Next, drive to Kandy in one hour, and we will visit one of Sri Lanka’s most important Buddhist sites - Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic (Sri Dalada Maligawa). One of the only two remaining tooth relics of Lord Buddha is enshrined in the temple.

Kandy Lake Club Cultural Show

After that, you will watch a Culture Dance Show. The traditional dance of Kandy features a sense of power and rhythm, especially the imitations of animals’ behaviors. There may be Wannam dances which depict the movements of a cobra or a group of monkeys. Through performers’ thrilling feat of acrobatics, you may feel Sri Lankan’s love for life and nature. After the show, you will be sent back to your hotel.

Royal Botanic Gardens Peradeniya

Today your morning time is for Royal Botanic Gardens, Peradeniya. It is an unmissable place to visit in Kandy especially if you are a nature lover. Known as “National Herbarium of Sri Lanka”, the gardens are home to over 4,000 species of plants such as rare orchids, spices, medicinal plants and palm trees. Towering banyan trees, cycas and Java fig trees create a cool and comfortable atmosphere here. Besides, maybe there are even monkeys and bats in the trees.

Next, we will drive you to Nallathanniya and make a stopover at a Tea Factory. You could take a sip of the authentic fresh Ceylon tea and get to know the processing of it. Also you could experience being a tea-picker yourself in the plantation. Enjoy picking tea leaves and taking a deep breath of the refreshing air. Upon arrival at Nallathanniya, we will help you check in at the hotel.

Adam's Peak Hike

This morning, your driver guide will accompany you to climb Adam’s Peak, which is a significant pilgrimage site in Sri Lanka.

Nuwara Eliya

After the climb, we will drive about 2 hours to the hotel in Nuwara Eliya and help you check in.

Horton Plains National Park

This morning, the guide will lead you to trek in Horton Plains National Park. Housing Sri Lanka’s largest cloud forest as well as lakes and waterfalls, the park could be a paradise for hikers and outdoor lovers. The hiking route is about 9.4 kilometers (5.8 miles), taking about 4 hours. Along the route, you may encounter cute animals like squirrels, deer, and birds. You will reach the World’s End, from which you could enjoy the gallant sight of Baker’s Falls and the surrounding hills.

Ella

After the hike, your private driver guide will send you to take a train to Ella. The Kandy-to-Ella line is one of the 2 most scenic train journeys in Sri Lanka, and your 3.5-hour train ride from Nuwara Eliya to Ella is the highlight section of it. The train will cross over many cloudy mountain ranges and take you through lush tea plantations, rolling hills, and paddy fields. Immerse yourself into the picturesque scenery and feel the breeze mixed with fresh smells of plants. Upon your arrival at Ella, we will pick you up from the train station and help you check in at your hotel.

After breakfast, let’s first pay a visit to Little Adam’s Peak, which takes its name from Adam’s Peak and is also considered a sacred mountain in Sri Lanka. With a height of 1,141 meters (3,743 ft.), Little Adam’s Peak is relatively easy to climb, which takes about 1-2 hours to reach the top. Your hike may start from greenish tea plantations.

Rawana Falls

Next, admire the beauty of Rawana Falls. This 25-meter-high (82 ft.) waterfall is one of the widest in Sri Lanka. It is named after King Ravana, a figure in an ancient Indian epic, who kidnapped a princess and hid her in a cave behind the fall. It is said that Rawana Falls looks like an areca flower during the rainy season. As you approach the view point, there may be some monkeys around.

Yala National Park Day Safaris

Then, we will drive to Tissamaharama for a jeep safari in Yala National Park. As one of the most popular wildlife-watching sites in Sri Lanka, the park offers a great chance to spot most of the wild animals of the country. It could be an unmissable life experience to go on a jeep safari to explore the park. After the safari, we will escort you to your hotel.

Galle Dutch Fort

Today we will head to Bentota and make a stopover at Galle Dutch Fort. As one of the UNESCO World Heritage sites in Sri Lanka, the fortress has an exotic ambience featuring a lot of European-style houses, including an iconic lighthouse.

Bentota

Upon arrival in Bentota, we will help you check in at the hotel. ► Tip: You may see some stilt fishermen on the way from Tissamaharama to Galle. They usually sit on high wooden stilts to fish with no bait, which attracts photographers from all over the world. But regrettably, today’s stilt fishing is becoming a profitable show for tourists. If you are still interested, please let your driver guide stop at Koggala for you to take some photos.

Bentota River

Bentota is a seaside resort famous for its golden beach and clear blue water. This morning, you will first enjoy a Madu River boat tour. Madu River, or Madu Ganga in the local language, is the largest mangrove reserve in Sri Lanka, which brings fertile soil to the land and provides habitats and feeding grounds for wildlife.

Next, we will wander around Athuruwella Stream.

Colombo

Today your 14 days Sri Lanka guided tour package is coming to an end. Your private driver guide will transfer you from Bentota to the airport in Colombo and see you off.