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Adventure Tour - 11 Days / 10 Nights
Tour Highlights:
- Dambulla
- Sigiriya Rock
- Mineriya National Park
- Kandy
- Nuwara Eliya
- Horton Plains
- White water rafting in Kitulgala
- Three nights rest at the beach
Day 1: Airport - Dambulla
Upon arrival immediately transfer to Dambulla, probably you need for some rest after a long plane journey. But rather than spend a night recuperating at a sterile airport hotel, we recommend you jump straight into one of our comfortable air-conditioned minivans and drive straight to Dambulla in the heart of the Cultural Triangle, an area in the beautiful central drylands that has a rich and ancient history. The drive will take approximately four hours depending upon the traffic. Upon arrival you will check-in to the AMAYA Lake.
Day 2: Dambulla
After a lie-in and a relaxing breakfast, your first visit is to Sigiriya Rock fortress, a UNESCO protected historical site that was built in the 5th century by Prince Kasyapa, who allegedly killed his father-in-law, King Dhatusena, in AD 477. Dhatusena’s blood son fled to India to raise an army to overthrow his brother-in-law and Kasyapa decided to build an impregnable fortress upon the huge rock. Kasyapa, a playboy at heart, also turned the fortress into a penthouse with lurid frescos of beautiful women and a romantic Royal Garden with its symmetrical water gardens. The ambitious development ended in tragedy, as Kasyapa’s troops deserted him in the final battle, but the fortress remains a highlight of any trip to Sri Lanka.
In the afternoon start the trip with a leisurely cycle ride down dirt tracks and village paths to the town of Dambulla. The town is now a bustling agricultural market town but is also famous for its beautiful 1st century BC Buddhist cave temples. There are five caves containing Buddhist statues and paintings. You will need to climb up the caves, which lie about 100-150m above the road.
During the later part of the afternoon, you can go canoeing on Kandalama Tank, a relaxing paddle that will allow you to see some of the abundant local birdlife (particularly from Aug to April), including Kingfishers, Bulbuls, Egrets, Painted Storks and Ibis. Return to the hotel in time for dinner.
Day 3: Dambulla - Kandy
Pack your bags before breakfast as we depart early for Minneriya National Park for a morning safari. The park is a mix of dry evergreen forest, scrub jungle and grassy plains and is dominated by the Minneriya Tank. Large groups of elephants, sambar deer and toque monkeys are regularly seen here, as well as plenty of birdlife, including cormorants and painted storks. After the morning exploring the park, with the animals sloping off to the shade as the midday sun starts to burn hot.
After that, we travel south towards the central highlands and your next hotel, the Hunnas Falls in Kandy. Rest in the evening.
Day 4: Kandy
Kandy is a beautiful city, surrounded by hills and built around a lake. It’s also one of the most sacred cities in the country and home to the Temple of the Tooth, which is supposed to have housed and protected the Buddha’s tooth since the 4th century AD. Worshippers flock to the temple throughout the year and in August there is the Kandy Perahera, a magnificent Buddhist procession with fire-eaters, wildly dressed dancers, Kandyan drummers and colourfully decorated elephants. There is more to Kandy though than the temple: there are the Royal Botanical Gardens, where lovers stroll and chat amongst a variety of local and foreign plants, gem and antique shops, a bustling market and at Victoria, a 20 min drive by car away, one of Asia’s most beautiful golf courses.
During the morning, we will visit the Temple of the Tooth but thereafter you can explore the town at will. Dinne and overnight at the hotel.
Day 5: Kandy - Nuwara Eliya
This morning you have an option: catch a train from Kandy to Nanu Oya (close to Nuwara Eliya, deeper into the hills) and enjoy one of the world’s most beautiful railway journeys (approx. 5 hours) or dash to Nuwara Eliya in the tour vehicle (approx. 3 hours).
Nuwara Eliya - a holiday hill-country retreat much loved by Britain’s early day settlers and tea planters, who enjoyed its rolling hills and conifer forests and cool climate.
Check-in to the St. Andrew’s Hotel, a splendid old colonial-style hotel that was formerly a British governor’s mansion. During the afternoon relax. Dinner and comfortable sleep.
Day 6: Horton Plains
We rise early to travel to Horton Plains, an undulating 2000m high plateau 28km south of Nuwara Eliya. The grassy plains, which are interspersed with small patches of forest, are home to leopards, sambur deer, bear monkeys and a rich array of birds, including some endemic species. The most dramatic feature of the national park is “World’s End” where the plateau comes to an abrupt end and drops nearly a 1000m straight. The best way to explore the park is on foot. It’s a round trip of about 9.5km that takes approximately three hours. We aim to start as early as possible though because by late morning a thick mist will have descended to blank out the magnificent views. Return to the hotel.
Day 7: Nuwara Eliya - Kitulgala
We start our journey out of the hills. The descent is spectacular, along windy roads that cut through mist-cloaked forests. We have to traverse a remote pass and then descend again, either through bumpy tea estate trails or along a tarmac road, before arriving in Hatton.
In Kitulgala, a riverside town surrounded by lush jungle that has two claims to fame: being the location for the Oscar-winning epic Bridge on the River Kwai and the main white-water rafting centre in Sri Lanka. Indeed, the last few km’s of the journey can be finished with an optional rafting trip. The trip will take approx 1.30hrs and is suitable for first time rafters (grade 2/3 rapids depending upon the time of year and weather). When you eventually arrive in Kitulgala you will check into Plantation Hotel.
Day 8: Kitulgala - Negombo
Start the day with a gentle walk through the jungle before the beginning of a rafting journey down the Kelani River. Late afternoon drive to up to Negombo.
Dinner and overnight at Browns Beach Hotel.
Day 9,10 & 11: Negombo
Time to rest and relax after the journey under the tropical sun. We will transfer you to the airport in good time.
