CULTURAL SRI LANKA

On arrival to our beautiful isle you will be assisted by DestinAsia Airport Representative who will introduce you to your chauffeur. You’ll be transferred to Habarana – a location of spectacular sceneries, where you’ll be checked in at the hotel. You may spend the rest of the evening at leisure. Overnight in hotel.

DAY 02            Habarana – Polonnaruwa – Habarana                                    Drive : Approximately 1 Hour (43 km)

Fuelled by a hearty breakfast the day begins by exploring one of the best kept ruins of ancient Ceylon – the UNESCO World Heritage City of Polonnaruwa. This was the Capital of Sri Lanka from the 11th to 13th century, which was a well-planned medieval city defended by enclosing walls, graced by palaces, shrines, monasteries, pavilions, parks, ponds and irrigation lakes. Polonnaruwa is strewn with ruins in a resplendent state of preservation.

The ‘Gal Vihara’ which consists of statues of the recumbent, standing and seated Buddha have been cut from a single granite wall and rank among the true masterpieces of Sri Lankan Art. Overnight in hotel.

DAY 03         Habarana – Dambulla – Sigiriya – Kandy                                  Drive : Approximately 4 Hours (145km)

Day three begins by heading towards the city of Dambulla to explore the famous Golden Rock cave temple, which is one of the eight UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Sri Lanka.

Being a sacred pilgrimage site for 22 centuries, this cave monastery is a vast isolated rock mass with its five caverns recorded as the largest best preserved cave-temple complex in Sri Lanka.

The Buddhist mural paintings (covering an area of 2,100 sq. meters) are of particular importance as are the 157 statues including a 47 foot long statue of the recumbent Buddha.

The next in line would be Sri Lanka’s famous fallen kingdom – Sigiriya The Rock Fortress. Climb the 5th Century “Fortress in the Sky”, built by King Kassapa. The fortress was a Royal Citadel for more than 18 years. The lion rock (A UNESCO WORLD HERITAGE SITE) is a citadel of unusual beauty, rising 200 metres from the scrub jungle. The base of the rock is ringed by a moat and rampart and the extensive gardens are a glorious splendour pumped by advance plumbing techniques that baffles the historians to this day. The majestic Lion’s Paw picturesquely guards the stairway of the palace on the summit. See the famous frescoes of the “Heavenly maidens” of Sigiriya in a sheltered pocket of the rock and the 10 foot high Mirror Wall.

The day would continue on to the bustling hill capital of Kandy. En route you will visit the spice garden in Matale. You will be checked in at the hotel, and relax in the wonderful ambience of city of Kandy. In the Evening you will visit the sacred Temple of the Tooth Relic, and later enjoy the Kandyan Cultural show at the Kandyan Arts & Cultural Centre. The show features the graceful and rhythmic dancers and drummers culminating in an impressive fire walking display. Overnight in hotel.

DAY 04                      Kandy – Pinnawela – Nuwara Eliya                               Drive : Approximately 6 Hours (180km)

Day 04 begins with a visit to the Pinnawala Elephant Orphanage. This project was initiated by the Government of Sri Lanka to take care of baby elephants that are lost or abandoned in the wild. Now it has become one of the hottest tourist destinations in the isle, where anyone can witness the innocence of the second largest land animal without a fear. While you are here, you will be offered the rare opportunity to observe the feeding of the elephants. Bath time is enjoyed by all elephants, young and old alike and it is a good time to closely observe their tightly knit family structure, which is also a marvellous photo opportunity. Daily feeding times – 9.15 am, 1.15 pm, and 5.00 pm. bathing times 10.00 am, 2.00 pm, and 4.00 pm.

On completion, we will be leaving for Nuwara Eliya, En route visit the Peradeniya Botanical Gardens, where a rare collection of tropical exotic and indigenous flora including the famous Orchid House could be viewed.

Nuwara Eliya is a beautiful town, set in the heart of hill country and situated 1890 meters above sea level. It is where the British succeeded in creating an English countryside with charming homes inspired by Georgian to Queen Anne. Overnight in hotel.

DAY 05                        Nuwara Eliya – Kitugala – Colombo                                      Drive : Approximately 5 Hours (194km)

After breakfast we will be leaving for Kitulgala – a small town perched on the hills that slope down to the flowing waters of the Kelani River. The main attractions include white water rafting, trekking and the Kelani Forest Reserve, renowned as a bird watching location.

On completion we will be leaving for City of Colombo. Once you are checked in at the hotel you may spend the rest of the evening in leisure or drive around the city of Colombo, where the colonial remnants creatively fuses with the modern architecture. Overnight in hotel.

DAY 06                        Departure for onward destination                                   Drive : Approximately 1 Hours (35 km)

Now that you are at the end of your journey with us, after breakfast your chauffeur will comfortably take you to the international airport in time for your departure flight.

We hope your adventure with us was enjoyable and wish you a safe and pleasant flight home!

** Imp: all our program’s are 100% tailor made and can be modified as per the requirements.