Enjoy your Holidays in East Coast Sri Lanka
OVERVIEW
This is the ideal package to visit and explore Sri Lanka’s eastern coast with your family in the summer season. Trincomalee is a famous ancient harbour, also known for its magnificent beach area that attracts many visitors from May-October.
Trincomalee is well known for its natural hot springs and in-season dolphin watching, and you can even visit Pigeon Island by boat, now a national park. You can really kick back on this family holiday, exploring Sri Lanka with your loved ones, in a great mix of leisure and activity throughout the trip.
Duration
This is one of the best Sri Lanka holiday deals, designed for 11 nights/12 days. As we always cater to our valuable clients, simply request a custom tour to meet your needs. Our schedule is your schedule!
TOUR PLAN
In the afternoon, take the city tour of Colombo.
Take a city tour of Colombo. Like many commercial capitals in developing countries, this city is rapidly changing. The swift development of skyscrapers arose from where old buildings once stood. Yet in some parts, the Old World charm is retained. For example, there is a 100-year-old clock tower and several British colonial buildings. Other places of interest are the Pettah Bazaar where one can enjoy bargain shopping; a Hindu and a Buddhist temple; residential areas where you find stately homes, and the Bandaranaike Memorial International Conference Hall (BMICH), an outright gift to Sri Lanka from the People’s Republic of China.
Overnight stay at the hotel in Colombo.
Check in to the hotel and relax.
In the evening visit Mihinthale.
Mihintale is regarded as the cradle of Buddhism in Sri Lanka. The mountain peak is home to many shrines and rock dwellings. The grand stairway (1,840 steps made out of granite slabs 4.5 metres wide) leads to the summit and its panoramic view of the surrounding countryside.
Overnight stay at the hotel in Anuradhapura.
Anuradhapura is one of main ancient kingdoms in Sri Lanka which dates back to the 5th century BC Visit all the ruins of the kingdom and sites of special interest, including the sacred Sri Maha Bodiya and Isurumuniya Temples. This sacred city was established around a cutting from the ‘Tree of Enlightenment’, the Buddha’s fig tree, brought there in the 3rd century BC by Sanghamitta, the Buddhist founder of Bikhhuni Sangha (Order of Nuns). Anuradhapura was a Ceylonese political and religious capital that flourished for 1,300 years and abandoned after an invasion in 993 AD. Hidden away in dense jungle for many years, the splendid site, with its palaces, monasteries and monuments, is now accessible once again.
Proceed to Trincomalee and check in to the hotel.
Overnight stay at the hotel in Trincomalee.
Seasonal value added from VERAV: Take an excursion on a dolphin-watching tour.
Excursion to visit Pigeon Island by boat (Optional)
Pigeon Island is a great place for diving, snorkelling and sunbathing.
Overnight stay at the hotel in Trincomalee
After a hotel breakfast, spend the day at your leisure.
Enjoy your day on the beach with your loved ones.
Overnight stay at the hotel in Trincomalee
After a hotel breakfast, transfer to visit Polonnaruwa.
Visit Polonnaruwa, a World Heritage Site and the second capital of Sri Lanka built in the 11th and 12th centuries AD. Here you can see the ruins of the Royal Palace, the Gal Viharaya with four splendid statues of the Buddha in ‘Upright’, ‘Sedentary’, and ‘Recumbent’ postures carved out of rock; the Audience Hall, the Lotus Bath, the statue of King Parakramabahu, and the Parakrama Samudraya—a lake built by King Parakramabahu the Great. There are also famous places of worship such as the Shiva Temple, the Lankathilaka, the Watadage, the Galpotha, the Kiri Vehera, and the remains of a former Temple of the Tooth Relic.
On your way back to the hotel, witness a wood carving shop where you’ll find all the types of timber and hardwood available in Sri Lanka and all the creative furniture made by master craftspeople.
Proceed to Habrana and Check in to the hotel and relax.
Overnight stay at the hotel in Habarana
After a hotel breakfast, transfer to visit Sigiriya Rock Fortress.
Climb the 5th-century Sigiriya Rock Fortress, a World Heritage Site, built by King Kashyapa (477-495 AD). The ‘Lion Rock’ is a citadel of unusual beauty rising 200 metres from the scrub jungle. The rock was the innermost stronghold of the 70 hectare fortified town. A moat, rampart, and extensive gardens including the renowned water gardens ring the base of the rock. A spiral stairway takes you to the world-renowned frescoes of the ‘Heavenly Maidens’ of Sigiriya resting in a sheltered pocket of the rock. These frescoes are painted in earth pigments on plaster.
In the afternoon, go on a Safari of the Minneriya National Park by jeep. The extent of the Minneriya National Park is about 8,889 hectares. Wetlands in this national park have international importance, nurturing plenty of animal and plant species. Wild elephants, various amphibians, local and immigrant bird species are in this arid zone park. You and your partner will find about 160 species of birds, 9 amphibians, 25 reptile species, 26 fish species, and more than 78 butterfly species in this area. There are bamboo trees, which are rare in other parks, and elephants roam freely. The jeep offers a closer look, which is a significant feature of this tour.
Overnight stay at the hotel in Habarana
After a hotel breakfast, transfer to Kandy. En route, visit the Dambulla Rock Temple.
Dambulla Rock Temple
A World Heritage Site, Dambulla Rock Temple was built by King Walagambahu in the 1st century BC. It is also the most impressive of Sri Lanka’s cave temples. The five-cave complex has over 2000 sq. metres of painted walls and ceilings, the largest area of paintings found in the world. It contains over 150 images of the Buddha of which the largest is the colossal figure of the Buddha carved out of rock and spanning 14 metres.
Proceed to Kandy. On the way to Kandy visit a spice garden in Matale.
Arrive in Kandy and do city tour.
Kandy
Kandy was the last capital of the Sri Lankan kings which is another World Heritage Site; Kandy was the last capital of the Sri Lankan kings, its name conjuring visions of splendour and magnificence. Many of the legends, traditions, and folklore are still lovingly kept alive. Drive around the Kandy Lake built in 1798 by the last Sinhala king, Sri Wickrama Rajasinghe. Visit the bazaar, arts & crafts centre, a gem museum, with an active lapidary at work.
In the evening, visit the Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic and afterwards witness the cultural show.
Overnight stay at the hotel in Kandy
After a hotel breakfast, transfer to visit Pinnawala Elephant Orphanage.
The Pinnawala Elephant Orphanage, Est. 1975, started with seven orphans. Today some of these orphans enjoy the fortune of seeing their grandchildren born in the same location. The original objective of establishing the orphanage inclined more towards tourism, but it soon became a conservation and educational centre. With the help of local and foreign elephant experts, Pinnawala started a scientific breeding programme for elephants.
The free movement of the herd enhances mating. The nearby river played a dominant role in this regard, and in 1984, the first baby of Pinnawala was born.
The success story of Pinnawala has drawn global scientific attention. A considerable number of books and research articles on Pinnawala have been published in several languages. Ongoing professional documentation takes place year round.
In the afternoon visit the Peradeniya Royal Botanical Gardens.
This botanical garden was first built as a pleasure garden by a Sinhala king and was expanded by the British. The landscape sits at nearly 60 hectares and offers an amazing variety of trees, plants, and flowers.
Overnight stay at the hotel in Kandy.
After a hotel breakfast, transfer to Nuwara Eliya.
En route, visit a tea plantation and tea factory.
Because of its invigorating mountain climate and scenery, Nuwara Eliya is Sri Lanka’s most popular hill resort. It is also the heart of Sri Lanka’s tea country, producing a significant share of the world’s best tea. At 2.5-km high, see Sri Lanka’s highest mountain, Pidurutalagala. Nuwara Eliya also has one of the finest 18-hole golf courses in South Asia.
Overnight stay at the hotel in Nuwara Eliya
After a hotel breakfast, transfer to Negombo.
En route, visit Kitulgala.
The Kelani River (the broadest river in Sri Lanka) flowing through Kitulgala was the main location where the Oscar-winning movie “The Bridge on the River Kwai” was filmed. On the hill above this town, a prehistoric cave was recently discovered containing large piles of shells from an unknown civilization.
Enjoy a session of white water rafting (optional).
Proceed to Negombo and check in to the hotel.
Overnight stay at the hotel in Negombo
After a hotel breakfast, proceed to the airport for your departure flight home.
