10 Days Perfect Sri Lankan Getaway

After breakfast you will proceed to Udawatta Kele, known as a birder’s paradise with its plethora of bird species and its easy accessibility. You will be able to see species including the Layard’s parakeet, yellow-fronted barbet, or even the crimson-backed golden back.

In the evening there are more history and culture highlights which await you. Visit the Temple of Tooth Relic (Sri Dalada Maligawa), which is the most sacred site for Buddhists the world over, as this is where the most important object in the Buddhist world, a tooth fragment recovered from the funeral pyre of the Buddha, is located. The relic itself is kept in a golden casket amidst heavy security in the Inner Chamber of the temple. The temple complex is adorned with paintings and sculptures depicting the life of the Buddha and a museum documenting its history.

Kandy also offers the opportunity to see a few traditional Kandyan dances at one of several cultural performance centres. These shows generally last about an hour in non-air-conditioned venues. A team of dancers accompanied by drummers, all attired in colorful costumes, will give you a spectacular display of Kandyan dancing embracing both grace and speed, unique to the Hill Country.

Dinner and overnight stay at Hotel in Kandy

Enjoy a beautiful train journey to Nanu Oya, (availability of train tickets is highly applicable to change) the closest point to Nuwara Eliya, the heart of Sri Lanka’s Tea Country, named ‘Little England’ by the British. For the next few hours, your journey will take past the most beautiful parts of the Sri Lankan Hill Country. At several points, you will get a view of the majestic Adam’s Peak. Passing Hatton, you will enter the Poolbank Tunnel. This 562-meter-long tunnel is the longest tunnel on this journey and it curves in the middle so that one end of the tunnel cannot be seen from the other end. As you emerge out of this tunnel, you will notice a contrasting change in the surrounding environment: you are in the area of the best tea in the country – perhaps in the world. Sri Lanka is one of the biggest and best tea producers.

Tea is an integral part of the culture since it goes hand in hand with hospitality and every household offers tea to guests every time without exception. Take the opportunity before checking in to your hotel to visit a tea plantation and a tea factory to see first-hand how tea is processed from raw leaves to the final product. Your overnight stay will be arranged at a hotel in Nuwara Eliya.

Dinner and overnight stay at Hotel in Nuwara Eliya

After breakfast it’s time to have a wonderful nature walk in Horton Plains National Park, which is something special. Considered one of the world’s best nature reserves, it is an area of serene beauty and is known to have very high biodiversity. The sambar deer, spotted deer, giant squirrels, wild boar, and the rare Horton Plains slender loris, a small primate endemic to the national park, call this park home. The grasslands are interspersed with montane forest, giving it a unique position among Sri Lanka’s national parks. For the sake of the conservation of the national park and its many inhabitants, vehicles are strictly prohibited in the area, and the only way you can see this amazing national park is a guided nature walk. Unmissable sights in Horton Plains are Baker’s Falls, the Chimney Pool and World’s End – a 3700 ft (1130m) sheer drop providing fantastic views of the area below. Your overnight stay will arrange at the same hotel in Nuwara Eliya.

Dinner and overnight stay at Hotel in Nuwara Eliya

Leave Nuwara Eliya after breakfast and head to Kithulgala, famously known as the location used for the acclaimed film ‘The Bridge on the River Kwai’ made in 1957. After checking in to the hotel you can stay relaxed until the evening. Enjoy an evening nature walk in Makandawa Rain Forest which spans over 192 hectares. Makandawa Forest Reserve is one of the oldest forest reserves in the country. This area has very unique biodiversity and with rare and endemic birds such as the black eagle, the trogon, Sri Lanka orange-billed babbler, chestnut-backed owlet, the blue magpie and the red-faced malkoha it’s a must for bird enthusiasts! Overnight stay at a hotel in Kitulgala.

Dinner and overnight stay at Hotel in Kitulgala

After breakfast, you will be transferred from Kitulgala to Udawalawe National Park, one of the best places in Sri Lanka to see wild elephants. It is not uncommon to see a whole herd of elephants at a watering hole during your visit. An afternoon/evening safari tour will let you see elephants and many other animals, such as water buffalos, water monitor lizards, saltwater crocodiles, deer, monkeys, and even the occasional leopard. The park is also ideal for bird enthusiasts as it is home to several hundreds of bird species.

Dinner and overnight stay at Hotel in Udawalawe

After breakfast, you will be transferred from Udawalawe National Park to Yala National Park. Experience an evening safari in Yala National Park, which is the most visited and second-largest national park in Sri Lanka. Made up of five areas – known as blocks – of which two are now open to the public, the park is situated in the south-eastern dry zone of Sri Lanka and is famously known as the best place in the world to see leopards in the wild. Wildlife Tours Sri Lanka promises you the best leopard safari experience, as our experienced naturalists and guides will take you to the areas known for leopard activity. Leopards are nocturnal so the best chance of seeing one in the wild is at dawn or dusk. This experience gives you an evening safari, enabling you to see leopards as they come out of their daytime slumber. Leopards may be the star attraction at Yala, but elephants, sloth bears, deer, jackals, wild boar, and a few hundred varieties of birds, can be found throughout the national park.

Dinner and overnight stay at Hotel in Yala

You will be transferred from Yala to Unawatuna/Galle for a relaxing beach stay on the best beaches in southern Sri Lanka. From the afternoon to the evening hours, enjoy a relaxing time at one of the best beaches in the world. The calm waters of Unawatuna Bay and Thalpe offer you a chance to catch some sun, go for a long walk on a beautiful beach, or just dive in the still waters and enjoy diving and snorkeling. Your overnight stay will be arranged in a hotel near to the beach.

Dinner and overnight stay at Hotel in Unawatuna or Galle

Full day of leisure on the beach. You are free to have a walk along main attractions in Galle include the 17th century Dutch Fort; a World Heritage Site with a culture and style all of its own. Rustic houses and shops in the Dutch colonial style still exist within the Fort’s walls. Galle city itself is a bustling metropolis, and due to its location on the coast, is a major hub for fishing, transport, and culture in Sri Lanka.

The last leg of this busy safari is designed to be a relaxing experience on one of the most pristine beaches in the world. It will help you revitalize your body and soul, and the fresh seafood is an experience to be indulged in wholeheartedly.

Dinner and overnight stay at Hotel in Unawatuna or Galle

You will transfer from Galle or Unawatuna to the Bandaranaike International Airport in Colombo for your departing flight.