Journeys: Discover Sri Lanka
11 days, Colombo to Marawila
Itinerary
Day 1Colombo
Arrive at any time. Arrival transfer included.
Arrive at any time and enjoy your day. Please meet your CEO in the hotel lobby at 6:15PM for the welcome meeting.
Arrival Transfer
You will be met at the airport and transferred to the hotel to start your adventure.
Your Welcome Moment: Welcome Moment - Meet Your CEO and Group
Your opportunity to meet your CEO and fellow travellers, and learn more about your tour. Opt to join the group for a local meal afterwards. Don't forget to see the notice in the lobby (or ask reception) for the official time and place to meet up with the group.
Day 2Colombo/Nuwara Eliya
Discover Colombo on a city tour including the Fort and Pettah areas. Travel through scenic mountains to the tea-producing town of Nuwara Eliya, stopping in Kitulgala en route. Opt for a rafting excursion on the Kelani River.
City Tour
Enjoy a tour of the city, including the Fort area, the historic Pettah district, and the cinnamon gardens.
Private Vehicle
Settle in and scan the scenery from the convenience of a private vehicle.
Optional Activities - Day 2 HideShow
Kelani River Rafting
20USD per personEmbark on an exciting whitewater rafting excursion on the Kelani River.
Meals included:
BreakfastDay 3Nuwara Eliya
Enjoy a picnic breakfast and hike in Horton Plains National Park. Head back to Nuwara Eliya and indulge in high tea at the historic Grand Hotel. This evening, embark on a tuk-tuk ride and visit the town centre and market.
Horton Plains Trek
Get close to nature and stunning scenery on this Horton Plains Trek. Hike 9km (6 mi) into the Horton Plains and walk through the clouds to discover a majestic drop that provides amazing views over the plains into the sea.
High Tea at the Grand Hotel
Step back in time and enjoy high tea at the historic Grand Hotel. Enjoy a lovely setting with Elizabethan-era architecture and beautiful gardens. The building was the former mansion of Sir Edward Barnes who was the Governor of Sri Lanka during 1830-1850.
Nuwara Eliya Tuk-tuk Tour
Enjoy an evening tuk-tuk ride through the centre of town. Get out and explore the market and surrounds.
Private Vehicle
There is a 1 hour drive each way to Horton Plains.
Meals included:
BreakfastDay 4Nuwara Eliya/Madulkele
Travel to Kandy, stopping at a Ceylon tea plantation en route to learn about the production process. Enjoy a tour around the city and lake, with a guided visit to the Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic. Afterwards, head to the eco lodge for the night, located on a tea estate.
Private Vehicle
Settle in and scan the scenery from the convenience of a private vehicle.
Tea Plantation Visit
The town of Nuwara Eliya produces the finest Orange Pekoe Ceylon tea, and is inhabited mainly by tea planters and plantation workers. Pay a visit to one of the factories to learn all about tea production.
Kandy Orientation Walk
Walk through the city and around Kandy Lake to get a better feel for the place.
Temple of the Sacred Tooth Tour
Enjoy a tour of the Temple of the Tooth, which houses an important relic – a tooth of Lord Buddha kept in a well-preserved golden casket. Learn about the importance of this site from local guides.
Private Vehicle
Settle in and scan the scenery from the convenience of a private vehicle.
Meals included:
Breakfast | DinnerDay 5Madulkele
Set out for a hiking excursion in the Knuckles mountain range, following trails through lush forest past villages and tea plantations. Later, take in a lecture and demonstration on Ayurveda by an expert local practitioner. Enjoy another night at the lodge.
If you are not interested in hiking, feel free to stay at the hotel and relax this morning.
Knuckles Mountain Range Trek
Embark on a trek in the Knuckles mountain range – named for five peaks which resemble the knuckles of a clenched fist. Hike through the woods on one of the exciting nature trails and you may come across tea plantations, farmers, waterfalls, and small villages. Enjoy the pristine beauty of the area, free of roads for motorized vehicles.
Your Journeys Highlight Moment: Understanding Ayurveda
Enjoy a lecture on ayurveda by a local practitioner. The talk includes history and a demonstration of traditional herbs used in the practice, as well as a discussion of the differences in using a holistic approach vs. modern medicine. We also are shown how herbs and spices can cure simple ailments, from headaches to fever and how these ancient methodologies of preparing medicine were pioneered.
Meals included:
Breakfast | DinnerDay 6Madulkele/Dambulla
Pay a morning visit to a spice garden in Matale before arriving at the archaeological site of Nalanda Gedige – home to a unique fusion of Hindu and Buddhist architecture and imagery. Continue on to the impressive Dambulla Cave Temple and admire ancient Buddhist murals and statues.
Private Vehicle
Settle in and scan the scenery from the convenience of a private vehicle.
Spice Garden Excursion
Visit a spice garden and marvel at the various spices used as natural medicines and as condiments in food.
Nalanda Gedige Visit
Discover combined Buddhist and Hindu architecture on this visit to Nalanda Gedige, a small and less-visited ancient site. Some of the designs are clearly Hindu, yet no Hindu gods are depicted. Also see some erotic, but eroded, Tantric Buddhist carvings, reminiscent of the famous Khajuraho Temple in India.
Dambulla Cave Temple Visit
Visit the ancient Dambulla cave temples at one of the most well-preserved temple and cave sites in Sri Lanka. See Buddhist mural paintings that line the walls of the seventh-century caves as well as a collection of hundreds of statues of Buddha in different poses.
Meals included:
BreakfastDay 7Dambulla
Visit the CIC Hingurakgoda farm and learn how this “seed-to-shelf” business is bringing together modern and traditional agricultural practices. Purchase local ingredients and head to a small farmhouse for lunch. Get to know the family and help prepare the meal, while getting an inside look at traditional Sri Lankan cuisine. After lunch, head to Sigiriya (Lion) rock fortress and climb the steps to the top of this captivating site to discover UNESCO-listed ruins and take in stellar views.
Sigiriya Rock Fortress Visit
Be mesmerized by this rock fortress, which captivates every visitor with its well-laid out gardens, caves, monasteries, and palaces adorned with beautiful wall motifs. Start at the water gardens and climb more than 1,200 steps to reach the top. Pass caves with frescoes and boulders to find the ruins of a palace on the flat surface of the old volcanic magma rock. The rock rests 370m (1,213 ft) above sea level with a shear drop on all sides.
Your Journeys Highlight Moment: Farm Visit and Local Lunch
Visit the CIC Hingurakgoda farm, part of a seed-to-shelf agri-business that works with over 20,000 rural farmers in Sri Lanka, in an effort to improve farmers' income and quality of life, as well as the standards of food quality and production. The seed farm works toward implementing modern agricultural technology and enhanced mechanization while still protecting the traditional knowledge of farmers. Here we will learn about various farming processes including irrigation, livestock (buffalo), and milk and curd production. After, we purchase some vegetables and buy fish from local fisherman and visit one of the smaller farmhouses. Here we assist the farming family with making our lunch, learning about traditional rural Sri Lankan cuisine.
Private Vehicle
Settle in and scan the scenery from the convenience of a private vehicle.
Meals included:
Breakfast | LunchDay 8Dambulla/Anuradhapura
Travel north to Wilpattu National Park, known for its leopard population. Explore the park by jeep and meet with a knowledgeable forest ranger to learn about conservation efforts and the issues of human encroachment on wildlife reserves. Continue to Anuradhapura for the night.
Private Vehicle
Settle in and scan the scenery from the convenience of a private vehicle.
Your Journeys Highlight Moment: Wilpattu Safari and Conservation Talk
Explore Wilpattu, one of the largest and oldest National Parks in Sri Lanka, renowned for its leopard population. Explore the park by jeep with a local expert to observe the local flora and fauna, but be on the lookout for the parks most famed resident, the leopard. Also discuss wildlife conservation in the area and the conflicts of human encroachment on wildlife reserves.
Private Vehicle
Settle in and scan the scenery from the convenience of a private vehicle.
Meals included:
BreakfastDay 9Anuradhapura/Marawila
Explore the sacred city of Anuradhapura – a UNESCO World Heritage site – and discover ancient Buddhist monasteries. Later, travel south to coastal Marawila.
Anuradhapura Excursion
Tour the ruins and monasteries of Sri Lanka's first capital. A symbol of Sinhalese power, this is the nation's most extensive and important ancient city.
Private Vehicle
Settle in and scan the scenery from the convenience of a private vehicle.
Free Time
Settle in at the hotel and enjoy free time to relax on the beach.
Meals included:
Breakfast | DinnerDay 10Marawila
Enjoy a relaxing day at the beach.
Free Time
Opt to explore or relax on the coast.
Meals included:
Breakfast | DinnerDay 11Marawila
Depart at any time.
Hotel check out is at 12:00pm. Your CEO can assist you with arranging an easy transfer to Colombo or the International airport.
Departure Day
Not ready to leave? Your CEO can help with travel arrangements to extend your adventure.