6 Nights - Sri Lanka Express Tour

6 Nights - Sri Lanka Express Tour

These holiday packages to Sri Lanka allow you a shorter version of discoveries but still allowing you to uncover entrancing values of the destination. It's focused on various aspects including the best & must visit sites. A program purely designed for guests travelling to Maldives for the beach stay. Please visit our offer page to explore the remarkable special offers on Maldives to assist your tour planning.

Holiday Highlights

• - Exciting optional excursion options
• - Climbing the Sigiriya Rock Fortress
• - Explore the medieval capital of Polonnaruwa
• - Dambulla's serene Buddhist cave temples
• - Temple of the Tooth in honour of Lord Buddha
• - Kandyan dancing and drum beats
• - Visit to Royal Botanical Gardens of Peradeniya
• - Elephant bathing & bottle feeding of baby elephants in Pinnawala

• - Tuk Tuk ride in Kandy
• - Wonderful journey in a local train towards hill country
• - Visit to a Tea Plantation & Factory while tasting high grades of tea
• - Discover the colonial city of Nuwara Eliya
• - Stop at Rawana Falls in Ella
• - Guided 4 x 4 jeep safari to Yala National Park
• - Galle Fort and a turtle hatchery in Kosgoda
• - Brief city of tour of Colombo and shopping in Colombo

Day 1 - Day 3

1^st Day - Arrival at the Colombo International Airport ...

Arrival at the Colombo International Airport. You will be met by our English speaking / other language speaking depending on availability Chauffeur Guide. Thereafter transfer direct to Sigiriya or Habarana or Dambulla according to the category of hotels selected with a comfort stop en route in Kurunagala.All 3 locations are conveniently located for all the ancient city sites and have a hotel complex principally for package tourists; also many better-heeled independent visitors also use it. PM optional activities,

- One hour elephant back safari

- One hour Bullock Cart Ride

- 4 x 4 jeep safari to Minneriya or Kaudulla National Parks

Overnight at selected category of hotel.

 

2^nd Day - after breakfast, visit the Rock fortress of Sigiriya ...

after breakfast, visit the Rock fortress of Sigiriya ,One of Sri Lanka's most fascinating UNESCO world heritage sites - A mighty 600 ft high rock-fortress of a 5th century King is famous for its entrancingly beautiful frescoes. The old stairway to the top led through the mouth of a huge crouching lion, carved from the rock- today only the paws remain. Remains of the handsome royal citadel are on the summit. PM: Proceed to Polonnaruwa a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Stop at a village house to witness the rural life style and to enjoy a friendly chat with some villages. Visit of Polonnaruwa - The 11th to 13th Century capital of Polonnaruwa has more to see and less to conjecture than the older metropolis of Anuradhapura. With its comparatively brief and uncomplicated history (two centuries and a dozen rulers, in contrast with 1,400 years and 123 kings of Anuradhapura) and its far more completely preserved ruins, much more recently exposed to the ravages of time. Return to your reserved hotel and overnight Explore the Polonnaruwa Site by bicycles

 

3^rd Day - after breakfast depart to Kandy visiting the Rock cave temples of Dambulla ...

after breakfast depart to Kandy visiting the Rock cave temples of Dambulla another protected UNESCO world heritage site. The caves at first came into use as a refuge for King Valagambahu in 1st century BC. Concealed by the local monks, upon returning from exile to his throne at Anuradhapura, he had the magnificent cave temple built for them. The cave temple consists of a complex of Buddhist image houses. Its rock ceiling is one large sweep of colorful frescoes, some of which dates back to over 2,000 years, which depicts Buddhist mythology, and the tales of the Buddha's previous births. This cave temple has the largest number of Buddha statues all housed in one place, including a 14m-long figure of the recumbent Buddha carved out of the rock. Continue the journey up to Kandy through roads in sharp curves and looking down are the deep valleys, abysses, rocks, waterfalls and streams glittering in the sun and patterned in emerald with terraced rice fields. The city of Kandy, lies in a triangular valley surrounded by mountains. Sightseeing of Kandy city in the evening including a visit to the Temple of the much revered Temple of the Tooth relic. Also witness a Cultural Performance. Temple of the Tooth Relic. Dalada Maligawa or the Temple of the sacred Tooth Relic in Kandy is the most venerated place of worship for Buddhists throughout the world. Built in the 16th century this temple houses the sacred Tooth Relic of the Buddha brought to Sri Lanka from the Kalinga province in ancient India in the 4th century AD. Several buildings have been added to the temple complex by successive rulers. Return to hotel and overnight at selected category of hotel

Day 4 - Day 7

4^th Day - Breakfast at the hotel. Thereafter proceed to Pinnawala .. .

Breakfast at the hotel. Thereafter proceed to Pinnawala and visit the Pinnawala Elephant Orphanage in time to witness the bathing and bottle feeding of the baby elephants. Pinnawala Elephant Orphanage Among the green hills of Kegalle, about 50 miles (85km) from Colombo on the road to Kandy in the hill country, a herd of about 60 elephants roam free in the Pinnewala Elephant Orphanage. This popular attraction, established as a sanctuary covering 25 acres of lush forest by the Sri Lankan Government in 1975, is unique. Its purpose is to feed, nurse and house young elephants lost or abandoned by their mothers. Recently the sanctuary has also started a breeding programme. Visitors are invited to observe and assist the baby elephants as they are fed from giant feeding bottles, before the pachyderms plod down to the river for their daily bath. Transfer to Rambukkana Railway Station (Closest station to Orphanage) by Tuk Tuk for an amazing 25mnts journey in a local train to Kandy – (subject to availability).Visit to the Royal Botanical Gardens in Peradeniya. The most beautiful in the world and begun as a pleasure garden by a Sinhala King. Every variety tropical and temperate tree and flower is cultivated here and special houses with orchids and e cacti are too beautiful to be true. Thereafter continue the journey towards Nuwara Eliya. Stop at a Tea factory and Plantation. A guided tour around will allow you to experience the whole process of tea production. It also provides an opportunity to buy the best grades of tea. Arrival in Nuwara Eliya. City tour with free tie for shopping. Overnight at selected category of hotel.

 

5^th Day - After breakfast at the hotel direction towards Yala ...

After breakfast at the hotel direction towards Yala with en route stop at Rawana Falls in Ella. Around 1530hrs - jeep safari to the YALA NATIONAL PARK - Sri Lanka's best known national park is popular for Elephant, Leopard, Bear, Crocodile and Wild Boar. More than three times larger than Undawalawe at 97,800 hectares, this is the second largest of Sri Lanka's national parks. Its open undulating terrain made it famous for elephants for many years, but recently the park has also received much fame through publicity by National Geographic and the Discovery TV channels, which focused on a leopard research/conservation and identification project. Claims have subsequently been made that Yala National Park has the world's highest concentration of leopard per square kilometre. This park is primarily shrub jungle with several salt and fresh water lagoons. The areas popular with leopard are rock strewn hillocks with dense shrub in which the animals hide. Overnight at selected category of hotel

 

6^th Day - After an early Breakfast at the hotel leave hotel around 0700hrs .. .

After an early Breakfast at the hotel leave hotel around 0700hrs towards Colombo with following visits & stops en route, En route brief stop in Galle. Galle is the best example of a fortified city built by Europeans in south and Southeast Asia, showing the interaction between European architectural styles and south Asian traditions. The Galle fort is a world heritage site and the largest remaining fortress in Asia built by European occupiers. Other prominent landmarks in Galle include St. Mary's Cathedral founded by Jesuit priests, one of the main Shiva temples on the island Brief city tour & thereafter further proceed towards Colombo Stop in Kosgoda to discover a turtle hatchery Overnight in selected category of hotel in Colombo city or near airport.

 

7^th Day - Departure transfer to airport ...

After breakfast departure transfer to airport. End of services. Combinable with an extension to Maldives