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Serendipity Tour . . .
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Day 01
Airport/ Colombo
PM: city tour of COLOMBO…Sri Lanka's capital up to recent times, spread along the shore of the Indian Ocean for some miles, where business and commerce begin and end. A drive through the city will take you to Colombo's most fashionable residential district - the Cinnamon Gardens and the Pettah, Colombo's busiest and most traditional bazaar area. Visits to the Hindu temple with elaborate stone carvings, the Dutch church at Wolfendhal dating back to 1749, the historic Devatahaha mosque and the Kelaniya Raja Maha Vihara Buddhist temple, traditionally believed to be the site visited by the Buddha 2500 years ago, are buildings worth looking at.
Dinner and Overnight in Colombo
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Day 02
Colombo/Pinnawela/ Sigiriya
AM: proceed to PINNAWALA… the Elephant Orphanage located on the banks of the Maha Oya, is mainly to house young elephants who find themselves displaced and lost from their natural habitats for various reasons - environmental changes due to development projects, being abandoned by their parents when they fall into pits and ravines, etc. It is most interesting to visit at feeding or bathing time.
PM: visit Sigiriya and climb the rock fortress. SIGIRIYA… meaning lion rock is more than just a fortress; it was one of the most unique cities in the history of Sri Lanka. A massive monolith of red stone that rises 650ft, this famous rock fortress, stark and forbidding, haunted by an epic story of murder and betrayal, was built in the 5th Century AD by King Kasyapa. The climb to the summit is reached between the paws of a lion. A niche in the rock is decorated with frescoes of spellbindingly lovely maidens; it has a moat abutted by a wall and is surrounded by rock and water gardens.
Dinner & Overnight in Sigiriya or Habarana
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Day 03
Polonnaruwa
AM: proceed to POLONNARUWA… the island's medieval capitals (11th - 13th Centuries AD). A unique irrigation complex (the sea of Parakrama) watered the city as well as the surrounding plains. The largest of the man made reservoirs, the huge Parakrama Samudra, is larger in size than the Colombo harbour. Of all the brilliant structures found in Polonnaruwa, the Gal Vihara is the best known, where colossal Buddha images are carved on the face of a granite boulder.
PM: visit the cave temples at DAMBULLA.. The Dambulla cave temple is by far the most impressive of all the many cave temples in Sri Lanka. Among the cave's numerous statues - there are 48 of the Buddha alone - are images of Upulvan (Vishnu) and Saman dating from the 12th Century (they may be the earliest devala statues to appear in a Buddhist image house). The cave's history dates to the 2nd or 1st Century BC, when King Valagam Bahu took refuge here after being driven out of Anuradhapura by invading armies.
Dinner and Overnight in Sigiriya or Habarana
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Day 04
Kandy
After breakfast, proceed to KANDY… this royal city, sheltered by the hills and looped by the Mahaweli - Sri Lanka's longest river, still holds religious and cultural significance. A stroll around the sleepy, but serene Kandy Lake, where balmy winds waft across, a walk through the Royal Botanical Gardens located at Peradeniya and a visit to the University of Peradeniya - the spacious green campus laid out near the banks of the Mahaweli is a must for any visitor to Kandy. Campus laid out near the banks of the Mahaweli is a must for any visitor to Kandy.
Visit Spice Gardens and Batik Factory en-route
Late evening visit the Temple of the Tooth Relic and view a traditional dance performance.
Dinner and Overnight in Kandy
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Day 05
Kandy - Nuwara Eliya.
After breakfast, proceed to Nuwara Eliya, en route visit Tea Estate and Factory. NUWARA ELIYA… nestled in a wooded basin at the foot of Mount Pidurutalagala Sri Lanka's highest peak, this region at 6,183ft above sea-level Has a cool, crisp climate unknown elsewhere in Sri Lanka. A serene retreat from the hustle and bustle of Colombo, the town seems like a piece of the English Lake District. Unusual plants, birds and animals thrive here besides natural feature like waterfalls and caves. Tea, the glistening green leaves of this lovely shrub, along with neat rows of green, cloak ridges and valleys providing a lasting impression of Sri Lanka's Hill Country. The Golf course - one of the most finest and picturesque in Asia - the serene Anglican Church of the Holy Trinity, beautiful parks and well kept lawns and hedges give the place an air of nostalgia.
Dinner and Overnight in Nuwara Eliya
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Day 06
Nuwara Eliya/Uda Walawe National Park/Habantota
After breakfast, proceed to Hambantota
PM Jeep Safari to UDA WALAWE NATIONAL PARK … this park comprises of grasslands, thorny scrubs and many valuable species of trees. Large herds of elephants, species of deer, wild boar, water buffalo and jackals are some of the wild animals found, along with a variety of avifauna that abounds the park.
Dinner and Overnight in Hambantota
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Day 07
Hambantota/ Galle/ Mt.Lavinia
Proceed to Mount Lavinia Hotel visiting the Historic fort city of GALLE … the port city, standing on one of the main sea routes in the southern part of the city, it has a unique charm among the many historic places in Sri Lanka. The Dutch built the 1st Protestant church in Sri Lanka here, and it is also famous for its Dutch Fort.
Dinner and overnight at the Mt. Lavinia Hotel
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Day 08
Departure or extension at a resort of your choice
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