Wild About Wilpattu

Thursday. Upon arrival at Colombo Airport, you'll be met and transferred to our hotel in Negombo. The remainder of the day is free to relax and settle in.

Negombo - Wilpattu. After breakfast at the hotel, we depart for Wilpattu via Puttalam. This afternoon, enjoy a safari in Wilpattu National Park by jeep. The park’s most distinctive feature is its collection of “willus” — natural, sand-rimmed water basins that fill with rainwater. Covering 131,693 hectares and ranging from sea level to 152 metres in elevation, Wilpattu is the largest and one of the oldest national parks in Sri Lanka. Nearly 60 of these willus and tanks are spread across the park.

Wilpattu is also renowned for its leopard population (Panthera pardus kotiya), making it one of the top national parks in the world for spotting these elusive big cats, although the exact number of leopards remains unknown.

After your safari, return to the hotel for the night at leisure.

Wilpattu – Anuradhapura. This morning, enjoy breakfast at the hotel before we depart for Anuradhapura. Upon arrival, check in and then set out on a sightseeing tour of the city, the first capital of ancient Sri Lanka and one of the island’s most significant archaeological centres, home to two UNESCO World Heritage Sites.

This afternoon’s highlights include the Sri Maha Bodhi, the world’s oldest historically documented tree; the Brazen Palace with its 1,600 stone columns; and the revered Ruwanweliseya stupa. You’ll also visit the Samadhi Buddha statue, Isurumuniya Rock Temple with its famous “Lovers” carving, the Kuttam Pokuna twin ponds, and Thuparama Dagoba, the oldest stupa in the country.

Anuradhapura - Dambulla - Polonnaruwa - Dambulla. Bidding farewell to Anuradhapura this morning we drive inland to Dambulla, stopping en route at a fruit and vegetable market in Naramwela Town. Dambulla Rock Temple is an incredible ancient complex of caves which date back to the 1st Century BC. The five caves contain over 150 images of Buddha including an impressive 14 metre carved statue.

After exploring this ancient site, we continue to Polonnaruwa. This fascinating 11th century city is home to many interesting ruins and famous monuments including the Royal Palace and the Gal Vihara. Polonnaruwa was once the capital and is also the second most ancient city in Sri Lanka. It is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site. This evening we return to Dambulla for an evening at leisure.

Dambulla - Sigiriya - Kandy. This morning we explore Sigiriya and the famous ‘Lion Rock’ fortress. Built over 1500 years ago, this beautiful citadel stands 200 meters high in the middle of verdant jungle and was an important stronghold of the 70 hectare fortified town. It can be viewed from miles around and is definitely one of Sri Lanka’s most iconic and famous sites. You’ll be able to view the world famous paintings of the Heavenly Maidens which stand in a sheltered pocket of the rock approached by a spiral stairway.

From Sigiriya we take a local hand tractor ride and short canoe trip to the village of Kayanwala. Here, at Kayanwala Village we take part in a cookery demonstration in a mud brick home of a local woman and enjoy a freshly prepared lunch of curry, dahl, spiced rice, pickle and more. En route to Kandy we stop off a spice garden in Matale, to see the different herbs and spices, which Sri Lanka is famous for. You will be introduced to different spices and shown how some of these spices are grown and processed.

This morning we take a sightseeing tour of Kandy - the last capital of the Sri Lankan kings. Our first stop will be the Temple of the Tooth Relic. Legend has it that one of Buddha's teeth was taken from him as he lay on his funeral pyre. It was then smuggled into Sri Lanka in 313AD. It now attracts daily pilgrims who come bearing lotus flowers and frangipani. After driving around Kandy Lake - built by the last Sinhala king, we visit the local bazaar and a gem museum, we then enjoy a Tuk Tuk ride up into the surrounding hills.

This afternoon, we stop at a working tea factory at Geragama. Geragama Tea Factory is located in close proximity to the city of Kandy and was established in the year 1903, manufacturing 'Low Grown' and 'Long Leaf' tea. This evening, we watch a cultural performance of traditional Sri Lankan music and dance.

Kandy - Nuwara Eliya. This morning offers free time before transferring to the railway station for our scenic train trip. Passing kilometre upon kilometre of verdant tea plantations that hug the winding mountain passes, we'll see waterfalls, suspension bridges and tea pickers on our journey up to Nuwara Eliya - Sri Lanka’s most popular hill resort. Nuwara Eliya is also the heart of Sri Lanka’s tea country producing a significant share of the world’s best tea.

This afternoon we take a beautiful drive through Nuwara Eliya - an area known locally as 'Little England'.

Nuwara Eliya - Udawalawe National Park. Today we head south to Embilipitiya, our base for exploring Udawalawe National Park. This national park is probably one of the best places to spot the famous Sri Lankan Elephant, the biggest of all the Asian Elephants. It is thought that there are around 400 elephants here. The park is also home to the elusive leopard, the Sri Lankan sloth bear and varies types of deer. We take an afternoon game drive here before returning to our hotel for the night.

Udawalawe National Park - Colombo. This morning we visit the Gem Mine and Museum at Ratnapura. Sri Lanka is famous for its gem industry and is home to 40 out of the 85 types of gems in the world.

Arrival Colombo and commence a city tour, seeing the Fort area in the north of the city famous for its government buildings and interesting shops. We'll see the stunning Gangarama Temple and take a stroll along Galle Face Green, a popular spot for kite flying and games of cricket.

Saturday. Today offers free time for you to independently explore the city, before your included departure transfer to the airport.