Over a week’s holiday with this enthralling multicenter tour package that takes you trekking to the Sigiriya Fortress and the cave temples of Dambulla and Polonnaruwa, strolling along the Royal Botanical Gardens in Peradeniya, a stopover at an elephant orphanage and the Udawalawe National Park and a glimpse of Galle before heading off to Negombo for an overnight stay.
Enjoy four days of fun in the sun as you reach Maldives from Negombo for an amazing holiday filled with white sand and pristine beaches for a perfect time in paradise. Maldives holidays come complete with chic hotels, serene spas, world-class facilities, and oceans of possibilities waiting to be discovered with some amazing snorkelling and diving.
These tailor-made Sri Lanka Maldives tour packages await travellers who are seeking soft, laidback adventure and total relaxation in paradise.
In the afternoon,take a city tour of Colombo.
In the afternoon, 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 a hotel in Colombo.
Check in to the hotel and relax.
In the evening visit Sigiriya Rock Fortress.
Climb the 5th-century Sigiriya Rock Fortress which is 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 ethereal water gardens ring the base of the rock. Sheltered in a pocket of rock, the world-renowned frescoes of the ‘Heavenly Maidens’ of Sigiriya can be approached by a spiral stairway. These frescoes are painted in earth pigments on plaster.
Overnight stay at a hotel in Sigiriya.
Village Lunch and Trekking at Hiriwadunna.
Take an old style ride on a bullock cart; enjoy a nature walk through a scrub jungle; wade through a local stream with low hanging branches; cross a lake in an ‘oruwa’, the traditional mode of water transport; spend time with a farmer harvesting crops, and taste authentic village cuisine prepared by the framer’s family with freshly picked produce and local herbs cooked in clay pots over an open hearth.
Visitors to Habarana experience Sri Lanka’s arid zone and village life in the region through a trek to the Hiriwadunna hamlet,showcasing the ecological setting of the area and providing a glimpse of authentic village life. An excellent way to absorb culture is to be present as thevillagers go about their daily chores; it also throws light on traditional methods of farming and life in a farming community such as the tree house where the farmer spends his nights to protect his crops from elephants and other nocturnal marauders.
Afterwards, 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.
Overnight stay at a hotel in Sigiriya.
Dambulla Cave Temple
Dambulla Cave Temple is a World Heritage Sitebuilt by King Walagambahu in the 1st century B.C. . It is also the most impressive of Sri Lanka’s cave temples. The five-cavecomplex has over 2000 sq. metres of painted walls and ceilings and is 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,spanning 14 metres long.
Thereafter, visit a spice garden in Matale.
Continue the journey to Kandy and take a tour of the city.
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 a hotel in Kandy.
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 a hotel in Kandy.
En route, visit a tea plantation and a tea factory.
Because of its invigorating mountain climate and scenery, Nuwara Eliyais 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. NuwaraEliya also has one of the finest 18-hole golf courses in South Asia.
Overnight stay at a hotel in Nuwara Eliya.
Sri Lanka’s Udawalawe National Park is renowned for its outstanding scenic beauty and wealth of faunal species, particularly mammals and birds. It is a famous tourist attraction throughout the year for its unique fauna and flora. The park is situated in the arid zone and its conditions and physical features are characterized by an annual dry season coinciding with the southwest monsoon. The predominant ecosystem of the park is the forest area with scattered grasslands and thorny shrubs.
There are herds of elephants,and populations of sambar, spotted deer, barking deer, wild boar, and water buffalo are gradually re-establishing themselves.
Overnight stay at a hotel in Udawalawe.
En route, visit Galle.
Galle was once the chief port of Sri Lanka. It is still well known for its hand-made lace. You can also visit the World Heritage Site, Galle Fort (spanning 36 hectares),originally built by the Portuguese and later extended by the Dutch in 1663.
We proceed to Negombo and checkin to the hotel.
Overnight stay at a hotel in Negombo.
Breakfast at the hotel and proceed to the airport for the departure flight to Maldives.
Overnight stay at hotel in Maldives.
Breakfast at the hotel and threedaysspent at your leisure.
Overnight stay at a hotel in Maldives.
Breakfast at the hotel and transfer to the Male Airport for your departure flight home.