Active Cultural Holiday & Adventure in Sri Lanka 12 days

Day 1 Airport - Negombo

Meet and Greet at the Airport

Negombo City Tour

Negombo is located approximately 37 km north of the commercial capital of Colombo in Sri Lanka, at the mouth of the Negombo Lagoon. It is the major beach resort in the West Coast. The wide sandy beaches and the safe sea are the main attractions of Negombo and it is perfectly located within 7 km from the Bandaranaike International Airport in Katunayake.

Visit Negombo Beach area.

Overnight at the Paradise Beach Hotel or similar.

Day 2 Negombo - Anuradhapura

Breakfast at the hotel.

Proceed to Anuradhapura cultural city.

Anuradhapura is one of the ancient capitals of Sri Lanka, famous for its well-preserved ruins of ancient Lankan civilization. The city, now a UNESCO World Heritage Site, lies 205 km north of the current capital Colombo in Sri Lanka's North Central Province, on the banks of the historic Malvathu Oya. From the 4th century BC, it was the capital of Sri Lanka until the beginning of the 11th century AD. During this period it remained one of the most stable and durable centers of political power and urban life in South Asia.

The ancient city, considered sacred to the Buddhist world, is today surrounded by monasteries covering an area of over sixteen square miles (40 km²). Protohistoric Iron Age: although according to historical records the city was founded in the 5th century BC, the archaeological data put the date as far back as the 10th century BC.

Overnight at the Rajarata Hotel or similar.

Day 3 Anuradhapura - Wilpattu National Park

Breakfast at the hotel.

Journey to Wilpattu Forest & Jeep Safari.

Wilpattu National Park (Willu-pattu; Land of Lakes) is a park located on the island of Sri Lanka. The unique feature of this park is the existence of "Willus" (natural lakes) - natural, sand-rimmed water basins or depressions that fill with rainwater. Located in the Northwest coast lowland dry zone of Sri Lanka. The park is located 30 km west Anuradhapura and located 26 km north of Puttalam (approximately 180 km north of Colombo). The park is 1,317 square kilometers (131, 693 hectares) and ranges from 0 to 152 meters above sea level. Nearly sixty lakes (Willu) and tanks are found spread throughout Wilpattu. Wilpattu is the largest and one of the oldest National Parks in Sri Lanka. It is among the top national parks world-renowned for its leopard (Panthera pardus kotiya) population. A remote camera survey was conducted in Wilpattu from July to October 2015 by the Wilderness & Wildlife Conservation Trust.

Overnight at Rajarata Hotel or similar.

Day 4 Anuradhapura - Polonnaruwa - Sigiriya

Breakfast at the hotel.

Proceed Sigiriya via Habarana.

7.93333 safari & elephant watching of the most spectacular natural scenes you will ever see! The elephant watching is a sight to behold. During the dry season (July to September) water supplies reduce drastically in this region. To cope with this, the elephants congregate around the Minneriya reservoir where grasses are rich and fertile. The elephants come from areas beyond the reservoir and at times herds with numbers as large as 300 - 400 can be seen.

Ancient city of Polonnaruwa.

Polonnaruwa is the main town of Polonnaruwa District in North Central Province, Sri Lanka. Kaduruwela area is the Polonnaruwa New Town and the other part of Polonnaruwa remains as the royal ancient city of the Kingdom of Polonnaruwa. The second most ancient of Sri Lankans kingdoms, Polonnaruwa was first declared the capital city by King Vijayabahu I, who defeated Chola invaders in 1070 to reunite the country once more under a local leader.

Proceed to Sigiriya.

Overnight at Nice Place Dambulla or similar hotel.

Day 5 Sigiriya​

Breakfast at the hotel.

Trekking Lions Rock.

Sigiriya (Lion's rock) is an ancient rock fortress and palace ruin situated in the central Matale District of Sri Lanka, surrounded by the remains of an extensive network of gardens, reservoirs, and other structures. A popular tourist destination, Sigiriya is also renowned for its ancient paintings (frescos) which are reminiscent of the Ajanta Caves of India. Sigiriya was built during the reign of King Kassapa I (AD 477 - 495), and it is one of the seven World Heritage Sites of Sri Lanka. Sigiriya may have been inhabited through prehistoric times. It was used as a rock-shelter mountain monastery from about the 5th century BC, with caves prepared and donated by devotees to the Buddhist Sangha. The garden and palace were built by King Kasyapa. Following King Kasyapa's death, it was again a monastery complex up to about the 14th century, after which it was abandoned. The Sigiri inscriptions were deciphered by the archaeologist Senarath Paranavithana in his renowned two-volume work, publishedby Oxford, Sigiri Graffiti.

Overnight at Nice Place Dambulla or similar hotel.

Day 6 Sigiriya - Kandy - Mahiyanganaya

Breakfast at the hotel.

Proceed Mahiyanganaya via Kandy.

The cultural epicentre and the hill capital of the island, Kandy is Sri Lanka’s second city and home to the Temple of the Tooth - the country’s most important religious shrine, and the traditional pageant the Esala Perahera. Although modernity and urban sprawl has changed the face of this once quaint hill station, it still carries a regal atmosphere with graceful Kandyan style architecture mingling with colonial buildings set around a tranquil lake surrounded by green hills. The kingdom of Kandy was the last stronghold of the Sinhalese.

Proceed Mahiyanganaya.

Overnight at Mapagala or similar hotel.

Day 7 Mahiyanganaya

Breakfast at the hotel.

Mahiyanganaya is a town situated close to the Mahaweli River in Badulla District, Uva Province of Sri Lanka. It is said that Gautama Buddha visited Mahiyanganaya on the full moon Poya day of January in order to settle a dispute arose between Yakkas and Nagas (two tribes then inhabited this area) and this was his first ever visit to Sri Lanka. Then the Buddha preached Dhamma to Sumana Saman, a leader in this area, to whom the Buddha gave a handful of his hair relic so that people could worship. After that Sumana Saman (now the god Sumana Saman) built a golden chethiya in which the sacred hair relic was deposited. Later or about seven chethiyas were built over the original golden chethiya from time to time.

Wadda's watching in Mahiyangana.

Overnight at the Hotel Mapahala or similar hotel.

Day 8 Mahiyanganaya - Ella

Breakfast at the hotel.

Proceed to Ella.

One of the hill country’s most appealing destinations best known for some of the finest views in Sri Lanka, Ella is a small town of a pleasant climate surrounded by idyllic green hills. The main attraction of Ella is the breathtaking view from the ‘Ella Gap’ - looking out between the towering bulk of Ella Rock on the right and through a gap in the hills to the plains far, far below. While the village itself may not offer much in the way of attractions the locality certainly makes up for it.

Overnight at Tea Tree resort similar hotel.

Day 9 Ella

Breakfast at the hotel.

Bicycle riding in Ella.

Visit Little Adam's Peak.

From the main strip in Ella, you can walk about 1.5km to the start of the trail. The trailhead is right next to Ella Flower Garden Resort. We park our car in front of the resort/restaurant and hit the trail. The map below shows you the location of Little Adam’s Peak (also known as Mini Adam’s Peak) but you can also see where the trail hits the main road (the Flower Garden). An alternative entrance is also located at 98 acres resort and marked by a white Buddha. We went for sunset and only needed about an hour to reach the summit and we were super slow with all of our photos. Coming back down after sunset, we were the last to exit and it was quite dark. Worth it though!

Overnight at Tea Tree resort similar hotel.

Day 10 Ella - Bentota

Breakfast at the hotel.

Proceed to Bentota. Check in to the hotel.

Relax & enjoy the evening on the beach.

Overnight at Villa @ 69 or similar hotel.

Day 11 Bentota

Breakfast at the hotel.

Madu River boat safari.

Boat excursion is the best way to navigate and enjoy what's on offer at Madu Ganaga, a stretch of lake with almost placid water dotted with many islets. You can visit an island with a Buddhist monastery, where the friendly young monks will show you a 150-year-old book made of palm leaves and how they cook on cinnamon wood on an open fire.

Relax and enjoy the evening on the beach

Overnight at Villa @ 69 or similar hotel.

Day 12 Bentota - Colombo - Airport

Breakfast at the hotel.

Proceed to Colombo.

City tour of Colombo commencing with a visit to the Fort and the Pettah commercial hub with offices and shopping areas located amidst oldest colonial hotel GOH. It has a fantastic view of the Colombo harbor, lighthouse with clock tower (older than Big Ben in London) close to the president’s house and old parliament. Afterwards, proceed through the main street passing the old Dutch Museum, belfry and old City Hall which houses puppets of earlier governors of Sri Lanka.

Stop will be made at the Old Dutch hospital with shops and restaurants facing Sri Lanka’s twin tower buildings. Continue to the old race course with a maze of buildings with colonial architecture, restaurants and shopping arcade passing through Colombo City Hall (mini replica of the White House in Washington, DC).

Shopping in Colombo.

Thereafter proceed to airport with lingering memories of your trip to Sri Lanka.