Escape to Haven (08D 07N)

"I want to go somewhere far far away"

Description

Travel the island through its scenic country side and cultural triangle and finally to the golden sandy beaches. This 8 days itinerary will take you to the places that Sri Lanka really want to offer its travelers. We start from the north central country side called Dambulla and you can visit nearby parks which famous for largest elephant gatherings.

Then to the heart of cultural triangle and most sacred place to Sri Lanka Buddhist Kandy. Then of course country’s famous tea plantations and to the calm beaches on south west coast. We finish the tour in Colombo.Choose all the hotels outside of the cities which will give you nice relaxing time. Tour and hotels can be customized as per your requirement. Best travel time would be November to March and with adding’s east coast other months.

Activities Covered

Dambulla Cave Temple
Lion Rock Sigiriya
Game Drive in Kaudulla National Park
Ayurvedic Treatments and Spa
Tooth Of Relic Temple
Arthur's Seat - Kandy View Point
Royal Botanical Garden
Tea Plantation and Tea Tasting Tour
Nuwara Eliya City Tour (Gregory Lake/Victoria Park)
Ramboda/Puna Ella/Devon/St. Clair's Waterfalls
Madu River Boat safari
Sea Turtle Conservation Center
Colombo City and Street Food Tour

Locations Covered

Travel Route

itinerary

DAY 01 & 02 | TRANSFER TO DAMBULLA/HABARANA - DAMBULLA CAVE TEMPLE - CLIMB THE SIGIRIYA ROCK - SAFARI IN KAUDULLA NATIONAL PARK - AYURVEDIC TREATMENTS IN HABARANA.

Ayubowan !! Welcome to Sri Lanka. You will be met by representatives of Real Lanka at the airport and transferred to Dambulla/Habarana.
On the way to Habarana Visit the Cave Temple in Dambulla.
Next day morning climb the Sigiriya lion rock and evening safari at Kaudulla National Park.
Optional Spa Treatments in Habarana
Dinner and overnight stay in Habarana/Dambulla hotel for two nights.

Dambulla Cave/Golden Temple: Rangiri Dambulla Cave Temple is a living Buddhist site that is focused on a series of five cave shrines. There is a large rock that thousands of years ago was carved out by hand to create a large type of “cave”. Within this cave, there are five separate rooms, each with its own temple which you get to explore while visiting. Inside the caves, the ceilings had been painted with intricate images of the Lord Buddha and Bodhisattvas, as well as various gods and goddesses following the contours of the rock.

Sigiriya Lion Rock: One of the most important historical places in Sri Lanka and a UNESCO World Heritage site, the Sigiriya Lion Rock is a magnificent fortress and temple complex atop a high volcanic plateau. Locally also called the eighth wonder of the world, this stunning site features high on the list of places to visit in Dambulla and Sigiriya. The main entrance is shaped like a huge stone lion, whose feet survive till date. The palace complex, which also served as a monastery for many years, is surrounded by beautiful landscaped gardens and unique water & boulder gardens. Sigiriyas western wall is adorned with beautiful frescoes.

Minneriya National Park: The Minneriya National Park is in the Northern Province of Sri Lanka, 30 minutes away from Sigiriya. The national park is famous for its herds of elephants migrating for food, water and shelter, and forming a ‘gathering’ that can be witnessed by the visitors. The dry season is the best time to visit this place, as the majestic elephants migrate to the Minneriya Tank for water. Apart from elephants, the national park is also home to several mammals, birds, reptiles, and different kinds of plant species. Minneriya National Park comes under the dry zone, meaning, it receives less rainfall compared to
the other areas in the country.The main attraction of this national park is the annual ‘Gathering’ of herds of elephants. During the dry season, these humongous creatures migrate from warmer to colder lands in search of water. This period is when visitors can book a safari and witness this grand event. Many species of birds and animals that are local to Sri Lanka are seen here.

DAY 03 | TRANSFER TO KANDY - TOOTH OF RELIC TEMPLE - ARTUR'S SEAT VIEW POINT - KANDY TRADITIONAL DANCE SHOW

After the Breakfast transfer to the Kandy.
On route visit to Kandy Tooth of Relic Temple.
Sunset at the Kandy Arthur’s seat View point.
Witness the Kandy traditional Dance show.
Dinner and overnight stay in Kandy hotel.

Kandy: The cultural capital of Sri Lanka, a world heritage site sits pretty in a valley surrounded by rings of mountains. Right in the heart of the city center of Kandy is the man-made lake called Kiri Muhuda (Sinhala: the sea of milk), the one and only decorative lake in Sri Lanka. Kandy is most famous for the Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic (Sri Dalada Maligawa). This beautiful city is gifted with scores of attractions that include Royal Botanical Gardens, Kandy Lake, Bahirawakanda temple for spiritual seekers, Udawattekele Sanctuary, Ceylon Tea Museum – a paradise for tea lovers, Wales Park – for a peaceful walk and many more.

Tooth of Relic Temple: Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic is a must when you are in Kandy. The most revered site in Sri Lanka, it is locally known as the Sri Dalada Maligawa and is a place of worship established in the 16th century AD. Situated adjacent to the royal palace complex of the former Kingdom of Kandy, the shrine overlooks the vast expanse of the Kandy Lake.Preserving the Relic of Buddha in this haven of refuge, it was declared that whoever houses and protects it is automatically given the power to rule the country. The artefact serves as a significant symbol of Sinhalese identity and pride. Everyday thousands of white-clad pilgrims make their way to this hallowed space, bearing lotus blossoms and frangipani for their offerings and prayers, known as pujas. While the tooth stays hidden within a gold casket, visitors and devotees always visit the Temple during puja just to have a look at the well protected inner shrine where it is kept.

Annually, during the Esala Perahera procession, the Relic casket gets paraded through the streets atop a male elephant. The 10-day festival is one of the largest Buddhist festivals in the world and the most significant in Sri Lanka.The Temple is best visited in the morning or the evening when the ceremonial offerings and prayers are given. It is essential that you are dressed appropriately, clothes must cover your legs and shoulders and, before entering the holy Temple your shoes must be removed.

Arthur’s Seat – Arthur’s Seat is a popular lookout point southwest of Kandy, just past the Royal Palace Park.It is located on Rajapihilla Mawatha at 550 m (1,800 ft) above sea level. It provides a panoramic view across Kandy Lake, Sri Dalada Maligawa, the Royal Palace of Kandy and the city Centre.According to local folklore there was a bungalow owned by a Mr. Arthur, a British tea planter, situated above the lookout, who used to view Kandy by standing on a stone seat under a tree in front of his bungalow.The Kandy Municipal Council estimated in 2015, 1,500 tourists per day visit the location during the peak season (November to May), with 500 tourists per day in the off season.
In early 2016 the Council undertook the construction of the new viewing platform at the location. The City’s Heritage Committee lodged protests against what it considered was an unsightly structure, which had resulted in the original stone seat being destroyed. The new viewing platform is a 35 m (115 ft) by 5 m (16 ft) concrete deck with a symbolical seat made out of the original rock slab.

DAY 04 | PROCEED TO NUWARA ELIYA - ROYAL BOTANICAL GARDEN - TEA PLANTATION AND TEA TASTING TOUR - NUWARA ELIYA CITY TOUR (GREGORY LAKE AND VICTORIA PARK)

After the Breakfast proceed to Nuwara Eliya.
On route visit to Royal Botanical Garden in Peradeniya.
Ramboda and Puna Ella view point.
Tea tasting and Tea Plantation tour in Nuwara Eliya.
Nuwara eliya City tour including (Gregory lake and Victoria park)
Dinner and overnight stay in Nuwara Eliya hotel.

Royal Botanical Garden: Situated in Kandy’s suburb of Peradeniya, the spectacular Peradeniya Botanical Garden dates to 1371. Once enjoyed for pleasure by a Kandyan queen, this spectacular garden is enclosed on three sides by a large bend in the Mahaweli River. A Kandyan prince’s residence during the 18th Century, in the early 1800s the leafy green tangle became one of the greatest Botanical Gardens in the British Empire. For a short spell during the Second World War, it was used as the Allied Forces Headquarters for the Asian region.

The gardens display over 4 000 different species of plants, regarded amongst the most superior in Asia. The highlight is the spectacular Orchid collection and a mighty avenue of palm trees. In addition to a plethora of flowering plants, there is also an extensive collection of medicinal plants and spices which can be spotted on your meander across the gardens. Encompassing over 60 hectares of sublimely designed lawns, pavilions and plant houses, the extraordinary array of Sri Lankan, Asian and international flora is a fragrant, colorful view on the eye. Gorgeous avenues lead on to sections exploding in bursts of tropical color and vast lawns dotted with enormous trees.

Tea plantation in Sri lanka: With contribution of billion dollars per year to Sri Lankan economy, Ceylon tea industry employs 1.5 million Sri Lankans directly and/or indirectly. Tea was introduced in Sri Lanka in 1867 by a young Scotsman James Taylor. Ceylon tea holds great reputation of being the best tea in the world and holds 4th place as the largest tea producer to the world. You can taste the original Ceylon fresh tea and opportunity to see the tea process at work; how the green tea leaves end up in drinkable tea through various steps of withering (drying), rolling, fermentation, oxidizing, drying again, followed by sorting and bulk packing.

Nuwara Eliya: Nicknamed as “Little England” it is one of coldest city in the country. All around Nuwara Eliya you will see evidence of the British influence including red telephone boxes and well-tendered hedgerows. The town’s high altitude affords visitors breath-taking vistas over the valleys, grasslands and mountains. Many tourists come through the town on their way to hike up incredible peaks such as Adam’s Peak. You will also see lush vegetation and impressive waterfalls. Nuwara Eliya is also one of the biggest tea plantations areas on the island.

DAY 05 & 06 | TRANSFER TO BENTOTA - DEVON AND ST.CLAIR'S WATERFALLS - RELAX AT BEACH - MADU RIVER BOAT SAFARI - SEA TURTLE CONSERVATION CENTER.

After the Breakfast transfer to the Bentota.
Sunset at the West coast Beach and relax at the hotel.
Next day Boat safari at the Madu River and Sea Turtle Conservation Center.
Dinner and overnight stay in Bentota hotel.

Madu River safari: relaxing trip with plenty of interesting things to see. You will pass dozens of tiny islands forested with mangroves, and you will view old temples and watch the locals cultivating cinnamon. Madu Ganga is Sri Lanka’s second largest wetland and it consists of 64 islands including two main islands with to 215 families living in them. This wetland spreads over 900 hectares of area and most of it covered with water.

Water sports in Bentota: Enjoy the newest water sports activities such as Fly fish, Jetski, Wake board, Water ski, Knee board and more we also offer inflatable rides such as the Donut ride, Banana ride, Sofa ride and more.

The Sea Turtle Conservation Project is a sanctuary and rehabilitation centre aimed at protecting sea turtles that visit the shores of the island. Sea turtles have been listed as endangered species due to the constant threat they face, on sea and on land. The sanctuary facilitates a large hatchery, where sea turtle eggs are collected from nesting grounds and safely kept in their protected grounds, away from predators; both animal and human. In addition, adult turtles who have been injured or sick, are taken in and rehabilitated before being released back into the mighty blue ocean. Take a trip down to the Sea Turtle Conservation Project for a chance to learn about these exotic species and how you can help save them.

DAY 07 & 08 | TRANSFER TO COLOMBO - COLOMBO CITY AND STREET FOOD TOUR - DEPARTURE.

After the Breakfast transfer to the Colombo.
Colombo City tour and Dinner at outside Restaurant.
Overnight stay and Breakfast in Colombo hotel.
Departure to Airport. Have a safe Flight !

Colombo busiest/largest and most famous city in the Sri lanka. And its commercial hub to country. Since its occupied by people comes from every culture and religions, so its best place to discover them. This 24 hour busy city with its people gives you the best impression about the country. And don’t forget to see the legacy of Portuguese/Dutch and British around Colombo.

Inclusions

7 nights' accommodation at the hotels with breakfast and dinner. Last night dinner served at outside restaurants.
Arrival and the departure assistance at the airport and transportation by A/C vehicle on private basis with passenger insurance.
Service of the English speaking chauffeur guide.
Free sim card with data/water bottles/wi-fi
All government taxes are included for above all