Itinerary

Day 1

You leave Colombo and the coast early in the morning and drive along a busy
highway into the interior of the island, past paddy fields, palm groves and
coconut plantations. In Pinnewela you visit the elephant orphanage, where
about seventy elephants are well looked after, mostly young animals that
have been found throughout the country sick and abandoned by their herd
and brought to Pinnewela. If you are lucky, you can watch the feeding
or the daily bath in the river of the jumbos. After this visit the road begins
to ascend gradually. You stop for a short visit of a tea factory where you
will learn in details, how the green tea leaves are treated to become high-
quality Ceylon Tea. After this stop you will enjoys a beautiful panoramic
view of the central highland with its hills and mountains.

At noon you reach, the old royal city of Kandy, situated at 500 m, beautifully
nestled between green hills. At its very centre lies a small artificial lake and
the palace of the last Singhalese king which has become a temple and the
holiest shrine in Sri Lanka, where the tooth relic of Lord Buddha is highly
venerated. Check-in at the Hotel Suisse.

In the late afternoon short city tour of Kandy with visit to a lapidary. In
the evening you'll pay a visit to the temple of the holy tooth. After the
temple visit you have the opportunity to attend a dance performance,
where you will see the famous Kandyan dances, as well as up-country
and devil dances. Dinner and overnight at the Hotel Suisse.

Day 2

In the morning after breakfast visit of the world famous Botanical
Garden Peradeniya. The park dates back to 1371 under the reign of
king Vikrama Bahu III when he held court here. The English put the
cornerstone of the present garden in 1821. During the Second World
War the garden served as headquarters of Earl Mountbatten, the
supreme commander of the allied forces in Southeast Asia who became
later the last Viceroy of India. You will find in the garden a very large
variety of orchids, spice trees, palms, bushes, as well as tropical plants
and flowers of all type.

You will leave now the central hill county, proceeding to the north.
Along the road you will see paddy fields, coconut groves, rubber
and spice gardens and plantations. You will stop at one of the spice
gardens there you can see a lot of trees, bushes and plants cropping
spices. Later in Dambulla you will ascend for a visit of the most impressive
of all the many cave temples in Sri Lanka. The Raj Maha Vihara temple
complex consists of five separate caverns with numerous statues of the
Buddha and Hindu deities. The ceilings of the caves are fully illustrated
with paintings mostly from the many lives of the Buddha. The history of
the caves dates back to the 1st Century BC when this place served as
refuge to the king Valagam Bahu being driven out of Anuradhapura by
invading armies from South India. After the king returned to his capital,
the caves became a Buddhist sanctuary.
After this visit the driver takes you to your hotel where you will arrive in
the evening. Dinner and overnight at the Hotel Sigiriya, Sigiriya.

Day 3

After breakfast the first visit will be to the Sigiriya rock. This impressive
monolith which rises 200 m out of the jungle has been transformed in the
5th Century by king Kassapa into a fortress and became his capital as he
feared for his life. On top of the rock was the kings palace "The Heaven-
Castle", what remains today are only foundation walls of this once magnifi-
cent building and the many fortifications. What remains to be seen and is
worth the difficult climb are the phenomenal frescoes of the Sigiriya Maidens.
No one knows whom the seductive beauties, painted in brilliant colours on
the rock walls, represent. One can think of them as heaven dwelling nymphs
from a realm of radiant light.
After this visit, the driver will take you back to your hotel.

In the afternoon you drive to Polonnaruwa for the visit of the well preserved
remains of the city which has been the capital of the Singhalese kings from the
11th to the 13th Century. You see the excavations: Temples, dagobas, the
royal palace, the royal library. The most famous Singhalese king Parakrama Bahu
the Great (1153-1186) has built in the environs of Polonnaruwa an impressive
irrigation system with many artificial tanks interconnected with irrigation channels.
The reservoir near Polonnaruwa has been until recently, when the large dams
were built in the mountains, the largest and most beautiful artificial lake. After
the visit you return to your hotel for dinner and overnight.

Day 4

After breakfast you leave to Anuradhapura in order to visit a selection of the
most remarkable sights. As per written records Anuradhapura has been made
royal capital by the king Panduk Anhaya in 380 BC. It remained residence and
royal capital for 119 successive Singhalese kings till the year 1000 AC when
it was abandoned and the capital moved to Polonnaruwa. You will see some
of the most famous as well as the tallest dagoba of Sri Lanka, remains from
palaces, temples, monasteries, ceremonial baths and the temple of the holy
Bo-tree. This tree was grown from a sapling of the very tree under which
more than 2500 years ago the Buddha found enlightenment.
After the visit of Anuradhapura you leave for Colombo airport, on the way
you pass paddy fields, coconut plantations and huge areas with rubber trees
and plantations. You will reach Colombo in the evening.

Extra Information

Extras -

The prices include half board (American breakfast & dinner), transport in air-conditioned car or micro bus with experienced English speaking driver/guide from Colombo and again back to Colombo via airport, inclusive of entrance fees for the excursions and visits mentioned in the programme.