Sri Lanka Tour - 8 Days | Nepal Guide

01 / THE EXPERIENCE

Discover the journey

Sri Lanka Few places have as many Unesco World Heritage Sites (eight) packed into such a small area. Sri Lanka's 2000-plus years of culture can be discovered at ancient sites where legendary temples boast beautiful details. Kandy:Kandy is located at the center of Sri Lanka and is generally recognized as the island nation's cultural capital, and was declared a world heritage site by UNESCO in 1988. It is Sri Lanka's second largest city located in the mountainous center of the island. A cooler climate and smaller size make it much more pleasant and accessible than Colombo.The city has a compact downtown area surrounded by a beautiful tropical rain forest hill country on all sides with exotic animals such as monkeys running around in the wild. The downtown area is really crowded and polluted by day, and filled with some of the world's most aggressive touts by night, but it is also a major shopping destination where all kinds of goods imaginable can be purchased at surprisingly low prices. There are also numerous bakeries, offering delicious local treats all over downtown. Overall Kandy is a great place to experience Sri Lankan culture and cuisine surrounded by a beautiful natural environment.Kandy is renowned for the great Kandy Esala Perahera, held over 10 days leading up to the Nikini poya (full moon) at the end of the month of Esala (July/August), but it has enough attractions to justify a visit at any time of year. Some of the Hill Country’s nicest boutique hotels nestle in the hills surrounding Kandy, and the city is a good base for exploring the underrated terrain of the nearby Knuckles Range. Nuwara Eliya:Nuwara Eliya is a city in the Hill Country of Sri Lanka. Its temperate climate gives the city a very different feel from other parts of the country and, along with the colonial architecture, has earned it the name 'Little England'. While most British visitors struggle to recognise modern England in Nuwara Eliya, the toy-town ambience does have a rose-tinted English country village feel to it, though it comes with a disorienting surrealist edge. Three-wheelers whiz past red telephone boxes. Water buffalo daubed in iridescent dye for the Tamil Thai Pongal festival mingle outside a pink, brick Victorian post office. A well-tended golf course morphs seamlessly into a rolling carpet of tea plantations. The dusty and bustling centre of town is a thoroughly Sri Lankan tangle, but scratch the surface a little to reveal colonial bungalows, well-tended hedgerows and pretty rose gardens. Bentota:Bentota is a tourist attraction, with a local airport (Bentota River Airport) and a handful of world-class hotels. It is a destination for watersoprts. Bentota also delivers an ancient art of healing called Ayurveda. Bentota is famous for its toddy production, an alcoholic beverage made out of coconut nectar. It also has a turtle hatchery, located on Induruwa beach.Protected from noisy Galle Rd by the sluggish sweep of the Bentota Ganga, the ribbon of golden sand that makes up Bentota beach is a glorious holiday sun-and-fun playground. While it’s primarily dominated by big package hotels, it also has a number of smaller places catering to independent travellers. Colombo:Colombo (Sinhala: ????, Tamil: ????????) is the largest city and the financial and commercial capital of Sri Lanka.Colombo is a huge, sprawling city, which can be visited any time of year due to its tropical climate. The heat is often excruciating, and traffic and pollution intense. These combined and without careful planning Colombo can easily become a nightmarish experience for an average traveler. To avoid this, do not carry heavy luggage, do not plan to walk any significant distances and take measures to deal with the heat and/or rain, such as bringing ice water, sunglasses, plastic slippers, sunblock, umbrella etc.

02 / WHY GO

The memorable moments

Highlights

03 / YOUR ROUTE

Journey at a glance

Day 1: AIRPORT- COLOMBO — Arrive in Sri Lanka. You will be met by our representatives of Lucky Holidays and transferred to Colombo. Colombo is the largest city and commercial capital of Sri Lanka. Located on the west coast, it is a busy and vibrant city with a mixture of modern and colonial impressions. Colombo has wildly varying architecture that span centuries and depict various styles. Many colonial buildings influenced by the Portuguese, Dutch and British exist alongside structures built in Buddhist, Hindu, Islamic, Indian and Contemporary architectural styles. No other place is this more evident in the heart of the city the Fort area. Colombo also boasts many shopping malls and department stores that offer brand name clothing at highly discounted prices. Therefore, it has become an important shopping destination among tourists. City Tour: While on your city tour in Colombo you may visit famous places including Galle Face Green, the Viharamahadevi Park, National Museum, Twin World Trade Center towers, Old Parliament Building, Fort district, Independence Hall at Independence Square, and prominent Buddhist, Hindu, Islam and Christian places of worship. (Entrance fees to sites not included). For shopping, you may visit Odel, House of Fashion, Beverly Street, Majestic City, Noritake, etc.Overnight stay at Hotel Day 2: COLOMBO –ANURADHAPURA — Enjoy a delicious breakfast at Hotel. Anuradhapura is one of the ancient capitals of Sri Lanka, famous for its well-preserved ruins of a ncient Lankan civilization. The city, now a UNESCO World Heritage Site, lies on the banks of the historic Malvathu River. From the 4th century BC, it was the capital of Sri Lanka until the beginning of the 11th century AD. During this period it remained one of the most stable and durable centers of political power and urban life in South Asia. The ancient city, considered sacred to the Buddhist world, is today surrounded by monasteries covering an area of over sixteen square miles (40 km²). Anuradhapura is also significant in Hindu legend as the fabled capital of the Asura King Ravana in the Ramayana. City tour: You will be able to explore the tallest brick built stupas of the ancient world. Ruwanwelisaya, Abhayagiri and JetawanaDagabas constituted the central edifices of the monasteries, Mahavihara, AbayagiriVihara and Jetavanarama respectively. Sri Mahabodhi the sacred tree shrine of the Mahaviharaya, planted in the 3rd Century BC still remains its vitality and receives veneration of the Buddhist world all year around. Visit the ThuparamaDagaba, the historical Stupa built by King Devanampiyatissa. It has been converted in to a circular Chaitya Shrine ( Vatadage). Visit the Twin Ponds and the Isurumuniya. (Entrance fees to sites not included) Overnight stay at Hotel Day 3: ANURADHAPURA- MIHINTALA –SIGIRIYA — Enjoy a delicious breakfast at Hotel Dambulla is one of the ancient cities of Sri Lanka. The city also boasts to have the largest rose quartz mountain range in South Asia, and the Iron wood forest. Ibbankatuwa prehistoric burial site near Dambulla cave temple complexes is the latest archaeological site found in Dambulla. Dambulla along with nearby Sigiriya and Habarana form a cluster of tourist area within it. City tour: Your city tour will commence with the visit to one of the wonders of the ancient world -the Sigiriya Rock Fortress. It is also a UNESCO world Heritage site. Sigiriya Rock was once an ancient Castle used both as a palace and a fortress and was created by the great King Kasyapa. The magnificent rock fortress of Sigiriya is visible for miles from all directions and dominates the surrounding plain. The Sigiriya Complex consists of the central rock, which arises abruptly 200 meters above the surrounding plain with the two rectangular precincts on the east and the west. The rock is surrounded by two wide moats, where crocodiles were introduced in ancient times and three ramparts. The moats and walls that surround the lower palace are still exquisitely beautiful. Your next destination will be the Dambulla Cave Temples. It is the largest and best-preserved cave temple compound in Sri Lanka. There are above 80 chronicle caves around this location. The most prominent allures are advanced over 5 caves, which contain statues and paintings. These paintings and statues are depicted to Lord Buddha and his life. There are a total of 153 Buddha statues, 3 statues of Sri Lankan kings and 4 statues of gods and goddesses. (Entrance fees to sites not included). Additional tours wildlife tours can be added to the tour. Costs will be extra. Overnight stay at Hotel Day 4: SIGIRIYA –POLONARUWA –SIGIRIYA — Enjoy a delicious breakfast at Hotel Polonnaruwa, which became the capital of Sri Lanka following the decline of Anuradhapura, was to witness the Sinhalese Buddhist civilization reaching to its greater heights. The vast irrigation network with reservoirs that look like natural in-land seas provided opportunities for sustained epic scales in rice cultivation, during the reign of king Parakramabahu the Great (1153-1186 A.D). At this time, Sri Lanka became known as the Granary of the Orient. As if the ancient kingdom of Anuradhapura (437BC-845AD), didn't quench your thirst for other side of the world, here we are in Polonnaruwa, the second capital (846 AD-1302 AD) of Sri Lanka, which in its prime was protected by 6 km of strong encircling walls. Strategically it commanded all the crossings over the longest & largest river of the island, River Mahaweli. Polonnaruwa's extensive & well-preserved ruins offer a fascinating snapshot of ancient Sri Lanka, including some of the finest monuments. City Tour: While on your city tour you will visit many Ruins of royal castles and Buddhist temples: Royal Palace Group, The Quadrangle, the PolonnaruwaVatadage, (circular relic house), Shiva Devale (Hindu temple), The AlahanaPirivena, RankotVihara, Lankatilake, KiriVihara, Gal Vihara, PotugalVihara. (Entrance fees to sites not included). Overnight stay at Hotel Day 5: SIGIRIYA –KANDY — Enjoy a delicious breakfast at Hotel Your next visit will be to the Peradeniya Botanical Gardens which is a paradise for nature lovers. This beautiful flower Eden is restored with over 300 different varieties of orchids, other spices, medicinal plants and Palm trees. Every year more than 1.2 million people are enchanted by the beauty of these 147 acre flower gardens. The real evidence of the richness will be affirmed by your visit to the Gem Museum. Sri Lanka produces the finest quality of gems in the world. Semi-precious gems, the sapphires of Sri Lanka, which are very exclusive and comes in shades of blue, red, green, white etc. In the evening you will witness a traditional cultural dance show. (Entrance fees to sites not included) Overnight stay at Hotel Day 6: KANDY - BENTOTA — Enjoy a delicious breakfast at Hotel NuwaraEliya (City of Lights), blessed with salubrious climate, breathtaking views of valleys, meadows, mountains and greenery; Surrounded by hills and tea plantations, the town of NuwaraEliya enjoys spring-like weather throughout the year. It is also known as “Little England”, which was the favorite hill station of the British who tried to create NuwaraEliya into a typical English Village. The old brick Post office, country house like hill club with its hunting pictures, trophies and strict formal dinner attire; the 18 hole golf course, horse race course, etc., all remind you of “England”. City tour: During the city tour in NuwaraEliya you will visit the main attractions of the town which include the golf course, trout streams, Victoria Park, and boating or fishing on Lake Gregory. You can also visit a working tea factory where the slow-growing tea bushes of this highland region produce some of the world's finest Orange Pekoe tea. You can also add SeethaEliya and Haggala Gardens. SeethaEliya is a temple which was mentioned in the famous epic Ramayana. Haggala is a temperate hill-country garden where languid low-country lotus and water lily float in their serene loveliness. (Entrance fees to sites not included) Overnight stay at Hotel Day 7: BENTOTA — Enjoy a delicious breakfast at Hotel Bentota is the city of the Golden Beaches. You will be able to relax and feel the spirit of the sea and the warmth of the soft sand. The day is divided in between swimming in the water and bathing in the sun. Bentota provides the perfect turf for unfurled vacation at the beach. While enjoying the sun, sea and sand the water sports lovers can enroll themselves in various water sports bringing in the unique pleasure of this locale. City tour: On your city tour you will enjoy a boat ride along the Madhu River. It is a scenic tour relaxing and interesting while passing many islets forested with mangroves and experience the natural rhythms as well. If you are looking for more exclusive experience visit the turtle hatchery too. The Turtle Hatchery is the prime turtle nesting site which was open by the Wild life Protection Society in 1981. Visitors can see huge tanks filled with new born turtle hatchlings. After being fed, the baby turtles are taken to the sea and released when they are 2-4 days old, usually during the safer hours of darkness. (Entrance fees to sites not included) Overnight stay at Hotel Day 8: BENTOTA – AIRPORT — After Breakfast you will be transferred to Airport for your departure flight back to Nepal

YOUR DAY-BY-DAY ROUTE

Day-by-day itinerary

Day 1AIRPORT- COLOMBO — Arrive in Sri Lanka. You will be met by our representatives of Lucky Holidays and transferred to Colombo.+