Itinerary
- Intro
Introduction
- Day 1
Colombo
Colombo- Meals
- Dinner (Rooftop dinner with Travel Director and Small Group. Menu thoughtfully crafted from seasonal, locally sourced ingredients, offering a taste of the island's rich culinary traditions.)
- Accommodation
- Hotel (Cinnamon Lakeside, Colombo)
Included Activities
- Rooftop dinner with Travel Director and Small Group featuring locally sourced seasonal dishes
- Day 2
Colombo
Colombo- Accommodation
- Hotel (Cinnamon Lakeside, Colombo)
Included Activities
- Tuk-tuk ride through Colombo's colonial-era buildings and neighbourhoods
- Visit to Pettah Market
- Visit to Red Mosque
- Visit to Wolvendaal Church (18th-century Dutch-built church)
- Visit to Gangaramaya Temple
- Visit to Hotel Nippon and try well-known mutton roll
Landmarks Pettah Market Red Mosque Wolvendaal Church Gangaramaya Temple - Day 3
Divulapitiya - Dambulla
Divulapitiya - Dambulla- Meals
- Lunch (Farm-to-Table lunch in Hiriwadunna prepared with seasonal ingredients sourced straight from the fields, featuring authentic Sri Lankan dishes, served in the open air with stories of sustainable farming practices and rural traditions.)
- Accommodation
- Hotel (Jetwing Lake, Dambulla)
Included Activities
- Visit to Divulapitiya weaving community and craft traditions (lacquerware, batik, Dumbara mat weaving, drum making, brass work, pottery)
- Walk through village fields with traditional farming in Hiriwadunna
- Farm-to-Table lunch prepared with seasonal ingredients served in open air
- Visit to village artisans shaping clay pots by hand
- Visit to Ibbankatuwa Megalithic Tombs
- Visit to Dambulla Cave Temple
Landmarks Ibbankatuwa Megalithic Tombs Dambulla Cave Temple - Day 4
Anuradhapura
Anuradhapura- Accommodation
- Hotel (Jetwing Lake, Dambulla)
Included Activities
- Visit to Anuradhapura UNESCO World Heritage Site
- Explore stupas, monastic sites and reservoirs of ancient capital
- Visit to Isurumuniya Temple and observe monk leading blessing ceremony
- Visit to Ruwanwelisaya Dagoba
- Visit to Jaya Sri Maha Bodhi sacred fig tree
- Visit to Thuparamaya
- Visit to Abhayagiri Monastery remains
- Meet artisans in nearby village known for traditional clay pot making
Optional Activities
- Optional Experience: Game drive to Minneriya National Park to see Asian elephants across open plains and around the reservoir
Landmarks Ruwanwelisaya Dagoba Jaya Sri Maha Bodhi Isurumuniya Temple Thuparamaya Abhayagiri Monastery Minneriya National Park - Day 5
Sigiriya - Polonnaruwa
Sigiriya - Polonnaruwa- Meals
- Dinner (Flame-grilled dinner featuring fragrant spices and fresh local ingredients, a relaxed and flavourful dining experience reflecting Sri Lanka's culinary heritage)
- Accommodation
- Hotel (Jetwing Lake, Dambulla)
Included Activities
- Choice: Climb UNESCO-listed Sigiriya Rock Fortress (ancient rock fortress built in 5th century, includes frescoes, Mirror Wall and royal citadel remains) OR visit nearby botanical garden designed in tradition of Sri Lanka's ancient royal gardens
- Explore Polonnaruwa UNESCO World Heritage Site with Travel Director (medieval capital flourishing between 11th-13th centuries, includes stupas, temple complexes, Royal Palace and advanced irrigation system)
- Flame-grilled dinner at hotel
Landmarks Sigiriya Rock Fortress Ella Gap - Day 6
Dambulla - Kandy
Dambulla - Kandy- Meals
- Lunch (Traditional cooking lesson in Madakumbura Village family home using regional ingredients and time-honoured methods, then sit down to enjoy the lunch prepared with hosts)
- Accommodation
- Hotel (Cinnamon Citadel Kandy)
Included Activities
- Visit to Dambulla Cave Temple (rock-cut chambers filled with Buddha statues and painted ceilings, UNESCO-listed, dating to 3rd century BCE)
- Explore Sri Lanka's herbs and spices in Matale (learning their use in local cooking, indigenous medicine and Ayurveda)
- Tuk-tuk ride to Madakumbura Village in Knuckles Mountain Range buffer zone
- Traditional cooking lesson in local family home
- Lunch prepared during cooking lesson with family hosts
Landmarks Dambulla Cave Temple Knuckles Mountain Range - Day 7
Kandy
Kandy- Accommodation
- Hotel (Cinnamon Citadel Kandy)
Included Activities
- Explore Kandy's Royal Botanical Gardens (palm avenues, tropical plants and landscaped collections reflecting Sri Lanka's flora)
- Visit to Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic (join daily puja ceremony and step inside inner chamber where casket housing Sri Lanka's most sacred Buddhist relic is briefly revealed)
- Kandyan Cultural Show (traditional drumming, dance and ceremonial performance with fire-breathers and acrobats)
Optional Activities
- Optional Experience: Join Local Expert to explore Kandy's eateries and heritage buildings
- Optional Experience: Mahaweli River cruise past riverside communities
Landmarks Royal Botanical Gardens, Kandy Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic Mahaweli River - Day 8
Nuwara Eliya
Nuwara Eliya- Meals
- Brunch (Traditional high tea in the elegant surroundings of the Grand Hotel, a colonial-era landmark in Sri Lanka's hill country. Delicate finger sandwiches, freshly baked scones and handcrafted pastries served alongside a selection of fine teas, overlooking beautifully manicured gardens with the tranquil charm of Nuwara Eliya's misty highlands.)
- Accommodation
- Hotel (Grand, Nuwara Eliya)
Included Activities
- Visit to tea estate and factory
- Hands-on tea picking experience in the fields (or observe plant maintenance outside harvest season)
- Freshly prepared tea cup in the landscape where it is grown
- Explore Nuwara Eliya with Travel Director
- Visit to Gregory Lake (artificial reservoir built in 1873)
- Visit to Nuwara Eliya Post Office (Tudor-style building from 1894, one of country's oldest functioning post offices)
- Traditional high tea at the Grand Hotel
Landmarks Gregory Lake Nuwara Eliya Post Office - Day 9
Nuwara Eliya to Ella
Nuwara Eliya to Ella- Meals
- Lunch (Lunch at Ella Gap)
- Accommodation
- Hotel (Jetwing Yala)
Included Activities
- Train journey from Nuwara Eliya to Ella through central highlands
- Pause at Ella Gap for lunch with views of highlands opening towards southern plains
Landmarks Ella Gap - Day 10
Yala National Park
Yala National Park- Accommodation
- Hotel (Jetwing Yala)
Included Activities
- Morning game drive through Yala National Park with expert ranger
- Evening game drive through Yala National Park with expert ranger
- Guided nature walk through hotel surroundings exploring vibrant birdlife (kingfishers, bee-eaters, herons in wetlands)
Landmarks Yala National Park - Day 11
Yala to Galle
Yala to Galle- Accommodation
- Hotel (Jetwing Lighthouse, Galle)
Included Activities
- Travel along Sri Lanka's southern coastline
- Stop in Weligama to meet stilt fishermen working from wooden poles in shallows (practice developed during World War II)
- Explore Galle Fort UNESCO World Heritage Site (Portuguese and Dutch architecture, 16th century)
- Walk through cobbled streets of Galle Fort with Travel Director
- Visit former District Judge's house
- Explore museums in Galle Fort
- Visit temples in Galle Fort
- Visit long-standing mosque in Galle Fort
- Visit Galle Lighthouse (standing since 1939)
Landmarks Weligama Galle Fort Galle Lighthouse - Day 12
Galle
Galle- Meals
- Dinner (Dinner at hotel with Travel Director and fellow travellers)
- Accommodation
- Hotel (Jetwing Lighthouse, Galle)
Included Activities
- Dinner at hotel with Travel Director and fellow travellers
Optional Activities
- Optional Experience: Early morning whale-watching cruise to search for blue whales and dolphins off southern coast
- Optional Experience: Visit cinnamon estate to learn about cultivation of this prized spice
- Optional Experience: Afternoon boat trip across Koggala Lake with mangrove-lined shores and small islands revealing wildlife and local heritage
Landmarks Koggala Lake - Day 13
Galle to Colombo
Galle to ColomboIncluded Activities
- Visit to sea turtle conservation centre (MAKE TRAVEL MATTER® Experience) - learn about conservation efforts protecting endangered turtle species, depending on season witness hatchlings being released into ocean
Landmarks Kosgoda Sea Turtle Conservation Centre
