Colombo Trip Overview
This brings out the essence of nature, history, culture, and wildlife all mixed up into a 10-day long tour. You have enough time to explore the ancient ruins as well as to taste the satisfying authentic food of Sri Lanka.
Additional Info
Duration: 10 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
This brings out the essence of nature, history, culture, and wildlife all mixed up into a 10-day long tour. You have enough time to explore the ancient ruins as well as to taste the satisfying authentic food of Sri Lanka.
Itinerary
Day 1: Day 1
Stop At: Wilpattu National Park, Wilpattu National Park, North Western Province
Welcome to Sri Lanka – your Sri Lanka explores adventure starts today!
Upon arrival at the Bandaranaike International Airport, you will be met and greeted by a CeyScape representative or your chauffeur guide.
(The above itinerary schedule may change depending on the time of your arrival flight)
Duration: 8 hours
Meals included:
• Lunch
• Dinner
Accommodation included: Leopard Trails, Wilpattu or Similar
Day 2: Day 2
Stop At: Wilpattu National Park, Wilpattu National Park, North Western Province
Wake early morning and get ready for your morning game drive.
Wilpattu is approximately 1,908 sq. km. in extent. It has a dense jungle cover, which makes it a more exciting park where animals must be tracked. There are numerous delightful little lakes – known as villus – and the leopard and sloth bear are the specialty rather than elephants.
Learn to cook like a local during your one-on-one cooking lesson with locally trained chefs and kitchen assistants and you may even part with a few of their delectable secrets.
Sri Lankan food is currently trending in foodie capitals across the globe such as London, New York, and Melbourne. Aspiring chefs or lovers of exotic cuisine can learn how to prepare their favorite local Sri Lankan dishes – from selecting and preparing ingredients to cooking and presenting a meal.
Duration: 8 hours
Meals included:
• Breakfast
• Lunch
• Dinner
Accommodation included: Leopard Trails, Wilpattu or Similar
Day 3: Day 3
Stop At: Anuradhapura, Anuradhapura, North Central Province
For over 1000 years Sinhalese Kings with occasional South Indian interlopers ruled from the great city of Anuradhapura. It is the most extensive and important of the Sri Lankan ancient cities. Anuradhapura was found in the 4th century BC and is famous for its Dagabas (Temples), Reservoirs, and beautifully landscaped gardens, the ruins of which remain to this day.
The sacred Bo Tree (the world’s oldest tree on record) “Jayasri Maha Bodhi” and the “Ruwanwali Seya” Temples are two of Sri Lanka’s most sacred places found in Anuradhapura. In addition to this there are many other historical and religious sites found in Anuradhapura.
Duration: 8 hours
Meals included:
• Breakfast
• Lunch
• Dinner
Accommodation included: Sigiriya King’s Resort or Similar
Day 4: Day 4
Stop At: Polonnaruwa, Polonnaruwa, North Central Province
Polonnaruwa which is situated 218 km from Colombo is yet another well-planned medieval city defended by enclosed walls and graced by palaces, shrines, monasteries, pavilions, parks, ponds, and irrigation lakes that bears witness to a glorious past.
A dominant feature of the city is the vast irrigation lake of 5940 acres aptly named “Parakrama Samudraya” or the sea of Parakrama after its royal builder King Parakramabahu depicted an example of the advanced engineering and construction skills prevalent during the ancient times. This gigantic reservoir was built to collect rainwater, which did not permit a drop of water to go waste.
Duration: 8 hours
No meals included on this day.
No accommodation included on this day.
Day 5: Day 5
Stop At: Sigiriya, Sigiriya, Central Province
The spectacular Rock Fortress of Sigiriya, 19Km Northeast of Dambulla is one of Sri Lanka’s major attractions. The Rock was the Fortress of the “King Kashyapa” who murdered his father and stole the throne from his elder brother who was the rightful heir to the throne. Kashyapa built his fortress in this 182-meter-high rock to protect himself from his enemies. The ruins were discovered in 1907 by British Explorer John Still.
Today Sigiriya is famous for its ‘Mirror Wall’, which consists of poems and paragraphs carved by visitors to the rock many years ago and for its magnificent frescoes of shapely be-jeweled maidens, vibrant colors, and the water garden like the Ajantha frescoes of India. Sigiriya is in fact, the best-preserved city center in Asia from the first millennium and has been named as a UNESCO world heritage site and 08th Wonder of the World.
Duration: 8 hours
Meals included:
• Breakfast
• Lunch
• Dinner
Accommodation included: Sigiriya King’s Resort or Similar
Day 6: Day 6
Stop At: Kandy, Kandy, Kandy District, Central Province
Kandy – (the Sacred City of Kandy) – is a city located in the center of Sri Lanka. It lies amid hills of rare vegetal species. The Kandy Valley crosses an area of tropical plantations. Kandy is also particularly famed for the great Kandy Esala Perahera (a Pageant of Elephants and Dancers), which is over ten days in the month of Esala (August) having many attractions to justify.
Upon arrival in Kandy, you will visit the Temple of the Tooth Relic.
The Temple of the Tooth, the palace complex, and the holy city of Kandy are associated with the history of the dissemination of one of the most important religions of humanity, Buddhism. The Temple of Kandy is the product of the last peregrination of the relic of the tooth of Lord Buddha and the testimony of a cult which continues to be practiced today. Kandy has now grown out to encompass Peradeniya, home to the Botanical Gardens.
Duration: 8 hours
Meals included:
• Breakfast
• Lunch
• Dinner
Accommodation included: The Hermitage or Similar
Day 7: Day 7
Stop At: Nuwara Eliya, Nuwara Eliya, Central Province
Onboard one of the most scenic train rides in Sri Lanka you will head to the town also known as the “City of Lights” and “Little England”. Nuwara Eliya was the favorite hill station of the British who tried to create Nuwara Eliya into a typical English Village. The old brick Post office, country house like hill club, with its hunting pictures, mounted hunting trophies and fish, and its strict formal dinner attire; the 18-hole golf course, racecourse, etc., all remind you of ‘England’. Blessed a with salubrious climate, breathtaking views of valleys, meadows, mountains, and greenery;
Note: The Kandy/Nuwara Eliya train sector is also used as a mode of public transportation by the locals. Due to this reason, getting our hands on a reserved seat especially during the peak period can be difficult despite making an early reservation. In the instance of tickets being sold out you will be transferred to Nuwara Eliya by road.
Duration: 8 hours
Meals included:
• Breakfast
• Lunch
• Dinner
Accommodation included: Oliphant Boutique Villa or Similar
Day 8: Day 8
Stop At: Nuwara Eliya, Nuwara Eliya, Central Province
Whilst travelling thorough Sri Lankas hill country why not stop off at a working Sri Lanka tea factory and see how the green leaves of the fields become that steaming cup that so many of us love. You can follow the leaves from the moment the tea-pluckers bring in their baskets. From here the leaves are withered, fermented, dried, and sorted. In many factories, much of the heavy machinery still dates to the British period.
Visiting a Sri Lanka tea factory enables you to see, smell, taste and touch the tea at every stage of the production process and get an understanding of why certain teas taste as they do. Most tours will end in a tasting session of the different varieties grown at the plantation. Let the refreshing aroma of a steaming cup of Ceylon Tea revive you amidst verdant gardens where perfumed breezes ceaselessly blow. Enjoy delicious delicacies and indulge in a high tea experience that you will never forget.
Duration: 8 hours
Meals included:
• Breakfast
• Lunch
• Dinner
Accommodation included: Oliphant Boutique Villa or Similar
Day 9: Day 9
Stop At: Mirissa, Mirissa, Southern Province
Today, after breakfast we bid farewell to little England and head south via Ella.
Ella is a small town in Sri Lanka governed by an Urban Council. It is approximately 200 kilometers (120 mi) east of Colombo and is situated at an elevation of 1,041 meters (3,415 ft) above sea level. The area has a rich biodiversity, dense with numerous varieties of flora and fauna. Ella is surrounded by hills covered with cloud forests and tea plantations. The town has a cooler climate than the surrounding lowlands, due to its elevation. The Ella Gap allows views across the southern plains of Sri Lanka. On a sunny morning, you can even see the glow from the lighthouses along the southern coast.
Duration: 8 hours
Meals included:
• Breakfast
• Lunch
• Dinner
Accommodation included: Lantern Boutique Hotel or Similar
Day 10: Day 10
Stop At: Mirissa, Mirissa, Southern Province
Full day on leisure to relax the final day in the paradise island.
Mirissa is a small town on the south coast of Sri Lanka, located in the Matara District of the Southern Province. It is approximately 150 kilometers south of Colombo and is situated at an elevation of 4 meters above sea level. Mirissa’s beach and nightlife make it a popular tourist destination
Duration: 8 hours
Meals included:
• Breakfast
• Dinner
Accommodation included: Lantern Boutique Hotel or Similar
