Colombo Trip Overview
Explore Sri Lanka with this fascinating eight days round trip starting in the capital, Colombo, and taking an inland loop that covers all the main Historic, Cultural and Natural Attractions of this magical Island. Discover a world of Lush Landscapes, Picturesque Lakeside Cities, Historic Temples and Ancient Citadels. Breathe in the fragrances of Sri Lanka at Herb and Spice Gardens along with the best Cooking Experience. Enjoy the Lush Green Tea Plantations spreaded through the hill county along with taking the World’s Number 01 Scenic Train Ride.
Additional Info
Duration: 8 days
Starts: Colombo, Sri Lanka
Trip Category: Cultural & Theme Tours >> Cultural Tours
Explore Colombo Promoted Experiences
What to Expect When Visiting Colombo, Western Province, Sri Lanka
Explore Sri Lanka with this fascinating eight days round trip starting in the capital, Colombo, and taking an inland loop that covers all the main Historic, Cultural and Natural Attractions of this magical Island. Discover a world of Lush Landscapes, Picturesque Lakeside Cities, Historic Temples and Ancient Citadels. Breathe in the fragrances of Sri Lanka at Herb and Spice Gardens along with the best Cooking Experience. Enjoy the Lush Green Tea Plantations spreaded through the hill county along with taking the World’s Number 01 Scenic Train Ride.
Itinerary
Day 1: WELCOME TO THE PEARL OF INDIAN OCEAN!
Pass By: Negombo Beach, Negombo Sri Lanka
Welcome to the pearl of indian ocean !
Meet & Greet your Professional Guide at Bandaranayake International Airport (CMB), who will load your luggage into a private air conditioned vehicle as you ride through the tree lined and sunbaked streets of Negombo to your first hotel. Today is your day, explore the canals, the lagoons or get your base tan on the beach, for in the evening we meet as a group and hit the town for your welcome dinner and drinks.
Meals included:
• Dinner: Welcome Dinner
Accommodation included: Overnight stay at Negombo
Standard Hotel = Beacon Beach or similar
Day 2: ADVENTURE BEGINS !
Stop At: Dambulla Royal Cave Temple, Kandy – Jaffna Highway, Dambulla 21100 Sri Lanka
Fill up on a delicious breakfast in the hotel before we hop on a private bus to start our journey to Sigiriya. On the way we will stop off to explore the magnificent Dambulla Caves, history and religion bounce off every painted wall and stone Buddha statue, leaving you with an unrivalled sense of spirituality. Then we’ll continue on to check into our stunning hotel in Sigiriya, the jewel of the Cultural Triangle.
Duration: 1 hour
Stop At: Pidurangala Rock, Pidurangala,Sigiriya, Sigiriya 21120 Sri Lanka
We will finish our epic day with a sunset climb to the quiet Buddhist monastery of Pidurangala, to get an open and unobstructed shot of what it is we’ll be climbing in the morning!
Duration: 2 hours
Meals included:
• Breakfast
Accommodation included: Overnight stay at Sigiriya
Standard Hotel = Asna Nature Resort & Spa or similar
Day 3: SIGIRIYA
Stop At: Sigiriya The Ancient Rock Fortress, Sigiriya 21120 Sri Lanka
An early wake up time today as we put on our hiking shoes, grab our camera and head out to climb the incredible Sigiriya Rock. Protruding produly out of the earth, ruins of a grand palace provide evidence all around the grounds of a once violent and noble Sri Lankan history. View the ancient wall paintings, the sanskript marked mirror wall and the huge stone lion paws guarding the ascent to the summit. The views from the top are unrivalled as you travel through time examining the ruins.
Duration: 2 hours
Stop At: Minneriya National Park, Maradankadawala-Habarana-Thirukkondaiadimadu Highway, 50150 Sri Lanka
This afternoon you have the option to go on an extra safari in Minneriya national park, where elephants patrol the land (please note, this safari is included during whale watching off season). To fill those hungry bellies, we stop by a local family for lunch who will prepare a traditional feast for us before taking a well-deserved rest on a lounger in the afternoon sun.
Duration: 3 hours
Stop At: Sigiriya Craft Village, Kimbissa, Sigiriya Sri Lanka
You also have an opportunity to take a Village Tour in the evening,
Experience the best Sri Lankan Culture and learn about how ancient people spent their life inside the village by riding a tuk tuk, going on a bullock cart ride, tasting the traditional sri Lankan food by getting the hands on experience of making your own, riding a catamaran in a lake and more.
Duration: 2 hours
Meals included:
• Breakfast
Accommodation included: Overnight stay at Sigiriya
Standard Hotel = Asna Nature Resort & Spa or similar
Day 4: CULTURAL TRIANGLE !
Stop At: Matale Herbal and Spice Garden, No 25 Koholangwela Madawala Ulpatha, Matale 21000 Sri Lanka
Today we say goodbye to Sigiriya and embark on our travels to Central towards Sri Lanka’s second largest city, Kandy. We will stop at a spice garden on the way to learn about where our favourite spices come from and have a cooking class where we’ll learn the secret to a perfect Sri Lankan curry! Here, our local chef will teach you how to make dhal and chicken curry as well as fried cashew coconut sambal and poppadoms.
Duration: 2 hours
Stop At: Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic, Sri Dalada Veediya, Kandy 20000 Sri Lanka
Then we’ll continue our drive to Kandy, check in to our next accommodation and take in the sights and sounds of this bustling city visiting the Temple Of Sacred Tooth,
This is a religious shrine which is said to house the tooth of Buddha himself.
Duration: 1 hour
Stop At: Kandy Lake Club – Cultural Dance Show, 7 Sangamitta Mawatha, Kandy 20000 Sri Lanka
Experience the Cultural Dance Show in the evening where you can see the beautiful fire dance and learn the true colours of Sri Lankan Culture.
Duration: 1 hour
Meals included:
• Breakfast
Accommodation included: Overnight stay at Kandy
Dorm/Hostel = Clock Inn Kandy or similar
Day 5: SCENIC TRAIN RIDE YES !
Stop At: Kandy Railway Station, William Gopallawa Mawatha, Kandy, Sri Lanka
Eat your breakfast overlooking the hills of Kandy before we head into Kandy Railway Station,
A trip to Sri Lanka is not complete without experiencing life on the train and the journey from Kandy to Nanu Oya is dubbed as the best journey in the world. 180 degree views of tea plantations, waterfalls, lakes and local villages pass on by as your train traverses the tracks cut into the mountainside. Try the sweet milk tea on board, converse with friendly locals and take pictures to make you the envy of all your friends back home.
Sit back and enjoy the Scenic drive through Misty Mountains & Lush Green Tea Plantations while your Coach arrive and wait for you at Nanu Oya Railway Station,
Duration: 3 hours
Stop At: Pedro Tea Factory, Nuwara Eliya Sri Lanka
The hills are ablaze with small green tea plants which Sri Lanka is famous for. We stop by a functioning tea factory to learn how the tea is processed and ends up in your cup at home, whilst actually learning how 7 different types of tea are made all from the same plant!
Duration: 30 minutes
Meals included:
• Breakfast
Accommodation included: Overnight stay at Nuwara Eliya
Standard Hotel = Galway Forest Lodge or similar
Day 6: PREPARE TO GET WILD !
Stop At: Nuwara Eliya, Nuwara Eliya, Central Province
Explore Little England by visiting the Gregory Lake, Strawberry Farm and more
Duration: 2 hours
Stop At: Udawalawe National Park Sri Lanka
Continue our way down South and check into our epic campsite, just 45 minutes away from the stunning Uda Walawe National Park! Our hosts will greet us with welcome drinks and a delicious Sri Lankan buffet lunch. After we’ve eaten we jump into jeeps and go on safari, searching the wilderness for herds of elephants, buffalo, crocodiles, monkeys, eagles, hawks, peacocks, mongoose and if you’re lucky, leopards. Truly a once in a lifetime experience, your day in the national park will be a tough one to beat. After driving round the park, we’ll head back to camp where our hosts will have a BBQ dinner waiting for us, the best way to end an amazing day.
Duration: 4 hours
Meals included:
• Breakfast
• Dinner
Accommodation included: Overnight stay at Udawalawe
Camping = Athgira Riverside Camping or similar
Day 7: BEACH VIBES !
Stop At: Udawalawe National Park, Udawalawe National Park
Take the morning to chill out by our campsite pool and just enjoy your surroundings – monkeys, elephants and peacocks roam the fields around the campsite, so be sure to be on the lookout.
Duration: 2 hours
Pass By: Mirissa, Mirissa, Southern Province
After breakfast we’ll drive to the South West Coast, arriving at the stunning beach side town of Mirissa. A place where the world class waves hit the sand, where turtles inhabit the water, and where the beer is ice cold. After the hill country, this is exactly what you need.
Meals included:
• Breakfast
Accommodation included: Overnight stay at Mirissa
Standard Hotel = Hotel J or similar
Day 8: TIME TO SAY GOOD BYE!
Stop At: Mirissa, Mirissa, Southern Province
Today we wake up early and head to the beautiful golden sand beach. We jump on board one of the best boats in the area to view the largest animals in the world. Watch as blue whales, jump, swim and dive around you and be blown away by their size. Sit back and enjoy the delicious breakfast served at the Cruise while the Blue Whales, Killer Whales, Sharks & Dolphins play around.
Duration: 3 hours
Stop At: Galle, Galle, Galle District, Southern Province
We’ll drive down to Colombo enroute via the stunning Galle Fort, a city encased in walls, where Dutch, Portugese and British Colonial buildings still stand proud. The cobbled streets lead to the sea, where crazy Sri Lankan locals swan dive into the ocean.
Duration: 1 hour
Pass By: Bandaranaike International Airport, Canada Friendship Rd, කටුනායක 11450, Sri Lanka
Time to say our final goodbyes with the friends you have just made over the course of an incredible 12 days. For some of you, this means continuing your holiday on the phenomenal beaches of the Maldives with our add on package, for others, its either back home or to continue your travels. Whatever your next destination may be, we hope we have educated you on a country that provides so much, that possess incredible variation in exploration and we hope we have inspired you to explore more.
Meals included:
• Breakfast
No accommodation included on this day.
