NATURE AND WILDLIFE TOUR IN SRI LANKA 10 DAYS 9 NIGHTS TOUR

ITINERARY OF

10 DAYS 9 NIGHTS TOUR

DAY 01 : AIRPORT / NEGOMBO

Picking up from the Airport and dropping to the Negombo Hotel.

Visit Negombo Fish Market: Each day, fishers take their oruvas (outrigger canoes) and go out in search of the fish for which Negombo is famous. They’re a fine sight as they sweep home into the lagoon after a fishing trip.

Muthurajawela Marsh Boat Tour: Muthurajawela is the largest saline coastal peat bog in Sri Lanka. The Marsh together with the Negombo Lagoon form an integrated coastal wetland eco-system with marsh lagoon complex itself estimated to have originated around the year 5000 BC. The northern section of the marsh covering an area of 1,777ha was declared a sanctuary in July 1996 under the fauna & flora protection ordinance. The marsh is a major local and tourist attraction, primarily used for sightseeing and boating tours, and the area also supports local agriculture and forestry. Visitors to the region are guided through the sanctuary areas by the staff of the Muthurajawela Marsh Centre to avoid serious harm to the marsh ecosystem.

Evening leisure at the Beach.

DAY 02 : DAMBULLA

On the way Dambulla Cave Temple (World Heritage Site by UNESCO). Evening Ayurvedic Traditional SPA.

Night Stay at hotel.

DAY 03 : SIGIRIYA / MINNERIYA ELEPHANT SAFARI

Sigiriya: or Sinhagiri (Lion Rock) is an ancient rock fortress located in the northern Matale District near the town of Dambulla in the Central Province, Sri Lanka. The name refers to a site of historical and archaeological significance that is dominated by a massive column of rock nearly 200 metres (660 ft) high. According to the ancient Sri Lankan chronicle the Culavamsa, this site was selected by King Kasyapa (477 – 495 CE) for his new capital. He built his palace on the top of this rock and decorated its sides with colourful frescoes. On a small plateau about halfway up the side of this rock he built a gateway in the form of an enormous lion. The name of this place is derived from this structure —Sīhāgiri, the Lion Rock. The capital and the royal palace was abandoned after the king’s death. It was used as a Buddhist monastery until the 14th century. 1700 Steps. Overall Visit hours : 2-3hrs. Entrance Ticket : USD 30 per person (Equivalent to Local Currency –)

After Sigiriya we are proceeding to Village Tour Activity at Dambulla : Included Bullock Cart Ride / Barge Ride / Village House Local Cooking demonstration and activities / Tropical SL Traditional Lunch with the Village People/Back to the starting point by a TukTuk. (11am to 2pm).

Minneriya National Park gives the opportunity to see herds of Elephants throughout the year. May to October is the best period to visit Minneriya National Park in view of the famous Gathering of the wild elephants. It is the largest known meeting place of Asian Elephants in the world. During this period herds up to 300 elephants are seen at the 8,890-hectare park within a few square kilometers of the Minneriya Reservoir. In August and September each year during the dry season, wild elephants from the surrounding wilderness in search of food and water, makes their way to the shores of the Minneriya Reservoir adjoining the Minneriya National Park. Huge herd of elephants, sometimes numbering up to 300, converge together within a few square kilometers of the lake. (2.30-6pm)

DAY 04 : MATALE / KANDY

Visiting & Activities: On the Way Spice Garden & Muthu Mariamman Hindu Temple / Temple of Tooth Relic.

Temple of Tooth Relic: According to legend, the tooth was taken from the Buddha as he lay on his funeral pyre. It was smuggled to Sri Lanka in 313 AD, hidden in the hair of Princess Hemamali who fled the Hindu armies besieging her father’s kingdom in India. It immediately became an object of great reverence and was enshrined in a series of nested jeweled reliquaries. The tooth was brought out for special occasions and paraded on the backs of elephants, which are sacred to the Buddha. where it survived numerous attempts to capture and destroy it. When the capital was moved to Kandy, the tooth was taken to the new city and placed in temples built to honor it. The temple was originally built under Kandyan kings between 1687 and 1707, but later severely damaged during the 18th-century colonial wars against the Portugese and Dutch. After the wars, the original wooden structures were restored in stone.

Evening Stay at the Hotel.

DAY 05 : KANDY

Visiting& Activities: Royal Botanical Garden / World Famous Sri Lanka Blue Sapphire Gem Mines & Stores / Sri Lankan Traditional Cultural Dancing Show / Sri Lankan Handicraft Factory and Store.

Royal Botanical Garden: As Sri Lanka’s largest garden an elegant and spacious 147-acres (60-hectares) plenty of time is needed to stroll Peradeniya’s imposing Avenue of Royal Palms. There are some 4,000 different species of plants at Peradeniya Gardens. The 10,000 or so trees, which are the stars, are mature, lofty giants, many of them tropical timber trees. Highlights of the collection include the Giant Bamboo of Burma, capable of growing to 40 meters height (130 feet) with a 25-centimetre (10-inch) stem diameter. And it can grow by a rapid 30 centimeters a day (12 inches).The gardens showcase all of Sri Lanka’s flora and representative species from around the tropical world. Luminaries as varied as Queen Elizabeth II , Marshal Tito and Yuri Gugarin have planted trees to mark their visits to the garden.

Lunch Sri Lankan Cuisine in Kandy. Then visit the Art and Craft wood carving Factory and Store.

5 pm going for the Sri Lankan Traditional Cultural Dancing Show (Complimentary). After the Show go to the View point in Kandy and Walk Around the Kandy Lake.

Night Stay in the Hotel.

DAY 06 : TRAIN RIDE TO NUWARA ELIYA

Visitings& Activities: Nanuoya Up Country Train Journey / Rawana / Seetha Amman / Nuwara Eliya City Tour

Nuwara Eliya is a city in the hill country of the Central Province, Sri Lanka. Its name means “city on the plain or “city of light”. The town’s attractions include the golf course, trout streams, Victoria Park, and boating or fishing on Lake Gregory. Victoria Park is an attractive and well-used oasis.

Seetha Amman: This colourful Hindu temple, 7km southeast of Nuwara Eliya, is said to mark the spot where Sita was held captive by the demon king Rawana, and where she prayed daily for Rama to come and rescue her. On the rock face across the stream are circular depressions said to be the footprints of Rawana’s elephant.

DAY 07 : HORTON PLAINS

Visiting &Activities: Horton Plain Hike/ Tea Fields and Tea Factories

Early in the Morning Horton Plain Hike.

DAY 08 : YALA NATIONAL PARK

Evening Yala National Park Safari.

Night Stay at Hotel.

DAY 09 : TANGALLE

Beach Stay.

DAY 10 : AIRPORT

Proceeding to the Airport by the Highway Express.