Family Holidays

Highlights

• Visit to an Elephant Orphanage
• Cave temple with 150 Buddha statues dating back to 1^st century
• Climb the Sigiriya Rock Fortress
• Visit to medieval capital of Sri Lanka
• Botanical Garden and Orchid House
• Temple of lord Buddha’s Tooth
• Ceylon Tea plantation and a factory visit
• Train through the hills
• Private jeep safari

Itinerary

Day 1: GAMPAHA

Upon arrival you will meet your chauffer guide and transferred to Gampaha, a rural village close to Airport, rest of the afternoon at leisure.

Day 2: GAMPAHA > SIGIRIYA

Today your tour begin with an epic journey through the island’s rural villages take you to the ancient capital Cultural Triangle to visit some of the county’s fascinating sites. En-route you will stop at Millennium Elephant Foundation where you can walk and wash an elephant, or optional visit Pinnawela Elephant Orphanage the home to the largest group of orphaned elephants in the world. The sight of herds of elephants splashing and playing in a river has charmed countless visitors.

Check in at the hotel and rest of the day at leisure or explore the surrounding

Day 3: SIGIIRYA AND LOCAL VILLAGE TOUR

After an early breakfast head to the Sigirya and climb this amazing rock fortress, the ancient rock fortress and palace of Sigiriya is one of the seven World Heritage Sites of Sri Lanka. The fortress was used as a rock shelter mountain monastery, with caves prepared and donated by devotees to the Buddhist Sangha.

Afternoon experience the “Village Tour” like the locals, you will be taken on a Bullock Cart through the local village including a short trek on a paddy field before sitting under a mud hut for a mouth-watering delicious Sri Lankan authentic meal.

Day 4: POLONNARUWA RUINS

Today after a leisure breakfast you will be taken to the medieval capital of Sri Lanka Polonnaruwa and explore the ruins of this royal capital of Sri Lanka. The 3 huge rock-cut images of Buddha are the highlights and one of the world’s great artistic treasures.

Return back to the hotel for overnight stay, on the way to the hotel if you are lucky you will see wild elephants roaming around the main road. Rest of the day at leisure

Day 5: SIGIRIYA > KANDY

After breakfast proceed to Kandy, en-route explore the beautiful and decorative ancient Golden Cave temples at Dambulla which consist more than 150 statues and about 1500 paintings in 5 separate caves in a gigantic boulder.

On the way to Kandy stop at a Sri Lankan’s spice & herbal garden for an educational tour of how Sri Lankan’s spicing things up.  On reaching Kandy check in at the hotel, in the late evening your driver will take you to the temple where a sacred tooth relic of the Lord Buddha is enshrined. We strongly recommend you to participate in the evening pooja for a magical experience.

Day 6: ACTIVITIES IN KANDY

Today you will discover Kandy with a city tour including a walk around the lake, bazaars of Kandy and the royal family’s botanical garden and the orchid house. After lunch at a local restaurant you are free to explore Kandy at your own pace or take a dip in the hotels swimming pool or take a boat ride on the Mahaweli River.

Day 7: KANDY > HAPUTHALE BY TRAIN

After breakfast your driver will drop you at the Kandy station, head out of Kandy by train through the tea covered hills and mountains into the nations tea-growing highlands of Haputhale. This train journey considered as one of the lovely trips in the world hence getting a seat is a difficult task but most of tourists enjoy this trip as locals in the 2nd or the 3rd class carriage. Your driver will pick you from the Haputhale station and take you to your hotel. Haputhale is the home to Ceylon Tea, a hill country retreat where the British colonialists could immerse in their pastimes such as fox hunting, deer hunting, elephant hunting, polo, golf and cricket.

Day 8: ACTIVITIES IN HAPUTHALE

Today you will explore in and around Haputhale with a visit to the second tallest waterfalls in Sri Lanka “Diyaluma”, Lipton’s seat view point where one can see the cloud forest and beyond. Also visit the Adisham bungalow, a colonial British bungalow built by large granite stone blocks.

Day 9: HAPUTHALE > UDAWALAWE

After breakfast travel to Udawalawe, a small town popular for its wildlife. Late afternoon you can go on a private jeep safari to Udawalawe National Park to observe wild elephants in herds, raptors, crocodiles, peacock and variety of birdlife. This national park is popular for wild elephants numbering over 150 individuals.

Day’s 10 – 13: UDAWALAWE > BENTOTA

Today morning you can visit the Elephant Transit Home at Uda Walawa a rehabitation centre, a hospital, a healing centre for baby elephants and on completion you will be driven to the coastal area for the rest of your holiday.

You can add any number of beach nights you want, alternatively we added 4 nights on the beach after the island wide tour of Sri Lanka to make a 2 weeks holiday in Sri Lanka.

Day 14: DEPARTURE

Today you will be dropped at the airport for your return journey