Highlights of Sri Lanka 6 Days

Wilpattu National Park Take a jeep safari to search for leopards, elephants and sambar deer
Sigiriya View the colourfully painted frescos on the climb up to King Kasyapa’s ancient sky fortress set on the top of Lion’s Rock, a UNESCO World Heritage Site
Dambulla Explore the incredible painted cave temple and share a meal with a local family
Kandy Option to explore the Temple of the Tooth
Unawatuna Relax on the pristine beaches of the West Coast or take an optional whale-watching excursion
Starting in Negombo and ending in Colombo, the “Highlights Of Sri Lanka” tour is a guided active and outdoor trip that takes 6 days. You will travel through Bentota, Colombo, Kandy and 3 other destinations in Sri Lanka. “Highlights Of Sri Lanka” is a private tour which includes accommodation, transport, meals and others.

This week-long exploration of Sri Lanka packs in a wealth of highlights across this beautiful island. Discover sprawling ancient capitals, giant Buddhist statues, intricate temples, national parks teeming with wildlife and white sand tropical beaches. Wilpattu National Park – Take a jeep safari to search for leopards, elephants and sambar deer Sigiriya – Climb the UNESCO Heritage Site of Lion’s Rock for stunning views of the surrounding plains Dambulla – Explore the incredible painted cave temple filled with Buddha statues and share a meal with a local family

Day 1 Join the trip in Negombo
Arrive in Negombo, the famous coastal town famous for its fishing industry and golden sands. This relaxing beach resort is a short distance from Sri Lanka’s capital city and is the perfect place to spot locals bringing in the day’s catch and watch the sunset.

For those arriving on time, our Leader plans to meet you in the hotel reception at 6 pm for the welcome meeting and for those that wish, there is the chance to go out for dinner. There are no other activities planned today, so you are free to arrive in Negombo at any time. If you would like to receive a complimentary airport transfer today, you’ll need to arrive at Colombo’s Bandaranaike International Airport (CMB), which is 40 minutes’ drive from our hotel. Should you miss the welcome meeting, your Leader will inform you of any essential information as soon as you catch up.

If your flight arrives earlier in the day there is the option to head to the beach or make use of the hotel facilities which feature a swimming pool and gardens overlooking the Indian Ocean.

Day 2 Wilpattu National Park
Leaving Negombo we travel north following the coastal road via the small towns of Chilaw and Putalam before reaching the entrance to Wilpattu National Park. Here we will leave our bus and change to jeeps for an afternoon safari through the park hoping to spot Sri Lanka’s most elusive resident, the leopard. Despite Wilpattu National Park’s location in Sri Lanka’s dry zone, it boasts nearly 60 lakes and is renowned for leopard, elephant and sambar deer spottings. We choose to visit this park, rather than Yala National Park further south because we believe it offers our customers a better experience. The same animals can be seen here as in Yala and despite being busy in places it is overall less crowded, making our visit more enjoyable and responsible. It is also worth noting that wildlife is unpredictable, so sightings cannot be guaranteed. Leaving the park, we drive to nearby Anuradhapura, where we will spend the night.

Day 3 Mihintale
We start this morning with a visit to the mountain peak of Mihintale. It is believed that this was the site of a momentous meeting between the monk Mahinda and King Devanampiyatissa, introducing Buddhism to the country. Exploring Mihintale involves climbing a flight of 1,840 shallow stone steps leading to the summit of Missaka Mountain. There are excellent views from the top looking back to Anuradhapura.

After the exertions, we swap our bus for a bullock cart and make our way slowly through a small village on the outskirts of Habarana. Reaching the lake we change seats again and use dugout canoe-style boats – adapted with seats for a more comfortable ride! – to cross the short distance across the lake to Hiriwaduna Village where we are met by the villagers and treated to a traditional Sri Lankan lunch. Here we will enjoy various different curries and fluffy rice and after our meal and spending time in the village, we make our way to Sigiriya, stopping on the way to visit Dambulla, where a great series of caves has been turned into temples dating from the 1st century BC. This World Heritage Site still attracts scores of worshippers. We will visit five separate caves, which contain a large number of Buddha images and sculptures of Hindu Gods.

Day 4 Sigiriya – Kandy
An early start this morning as we plan to climb Sigiriya Rock ahead of the crowds and whilst it is cool. The ruins of this 5th-century ‘sky Fortress\ are one of Sri Lanka’s major attractions, a stupendous sight to behold and a feat of consummate engineering skill. Built in just seven years as a fortified palace to protect the reign of merciless King Kassapa, who had assassinated his father and deposed his brother, it is seen as one of the world’s best-preserved examples of ancient urban planning. Unfortunately for the king, despite its impregnable reputation, he was defeated here by his brother after a reign of just 18 years. A switchback series of steps and steel stairways ascend to the top. Halfway up, tucked beneath a sheltering overhang of rock, are the famous frescoes – the Sigiriya Damsels, their colours still glowing. Before our final ascent to the summit, we pass between a set of enormous lion paws carved out of the rock – all that remains of an ancient gateway that gave Sigiriya, the \ Lion Rock\, its name. Once at the 200-meter summit, magnificent views of the surrounding jungle and countryside can be enjoyed. This afternoon, a two-hour drive takes us to Kandy. On arrival, the time is free to explore this historic town. Perhaps visit the Temple of the Tooth, situated on the shore of the lake or take a short tuk-tuk ride out to the Peradeniya Botanical Gardens which alongside beautiful displays of Sri Lanka’s finest flowers is home to thousands of flying foxes.

Day 5 Kandy – Bentota
Leaving Kandy behind we stop at a tea factory to learn about the processes involved in Sri Lanka’s largest export. Originally a tea bush was brought from China in 1842 to be planted at the Peradeniya Botanical Gardens, it was 25 years later that James Taylor established Sri Lanka’s first tea plantation, the Loolecondera Estate in Kandy. Nowadays, more than one million people in Sri Lanka are employed by the tea industry. The tea factory we visit is a small and intimate one and therefore does not include seeing the process of picking the tea leaves but we do see the process of drying and grinding the leaves and we sample some of the blends before leaving tea country. Making our way back to the coast our destination is Bentota on the southwest coast. The shallow waters and long, pristine beaches make it perfect for a spot of relaxation.

Day 6 Departure
Departing Bentota this morning we drive along the coastal road back to Colombo’s Bandaranaike International Airport (CMB) where we will arrive at about 10 am and this is where our trip ends.

WHAT’S INCLUDED
6 Breakfasts, 1 Lunch
3 Star Hotels

WHAT’S EXCLUDED
Any international flights to Negombo and from Colombo are not included in this price. We always recommend that you arrive 1 day before your tour starting date.
Travel insurance is not included in this Highlights of the Sri Lanka tour. Travel insurance is mandatory to buy. We recommend purchasing it from World Nomads.