Wild Life Tour: Welcome to My World
Elephants, Turtles, Monkeys, Dolphins, Buffalos, Peacocks, Dogs, Deer, you name it, Sri Lanka's got it! 🐘🐢🐒🐬🐃🦚🐕🦌
This particular elephant was rescued from transporting logs for 25 years.
In the elephant sanctuary, I learnt that elephants can live over 100 years in the wild.
This is an asian elephant which have a dip in the skull compared to African elephants. These grow up to 3,000-5,000kg.
DID YOU KNOW:
- Elephants only have 4 teeth (although huge molars) and are vegetarian.
- They have smaller ears compared to African elephants.
- Only 5% of Sri Lankan Asian elephants has tusks, which means they are not poached, allowing 6,000 to exist in the wild.
- It is illegal to hunt elephants (sacred animal), dolphins, turtles and other wildlife in Sri Lanka
- Many well road trained street dogs
Booked through Tour Radar who offer bespoke destination packages.
Day 1 ~ AIRPORT OR HOTEL PICK-UP / WELCOME TO SRI LANKA!
AYUBOWAN! Welcome to Sri Lanka, the land like no other, and 8 days of explorations with a local expert giving you the opportunity to touch the historical and cultural cities, the lush green tea estates & waterfalls in the hill country, the best wildlife & exciting soft adventures, the beautiful golden sandy and remote beaches.
DAY PLAN:
Upon arrival at Colombo CMB airport, you will meet your tour leader and you will be transferred to your hotel (we can pick you up from any hotel in Colombo or Negombo as well). The first destination will be Negombo coastal town, which has long been known as the most popular beach in Sri Lanka, famous for its golden sandy beach, food and fun.
For day one, we haven’t planned any activity, thus you are free to arrive in Sri Lanka at any time. If your flight arrives early in the day, we'll arrange you a Negombo city tour.
Evening, you may have a walk along the seashore while enjoying the beautiful sunset and the pleasant evening atmosphere of the beachside.
Overnight stay in a seafront hotel at Negombo.
Day 2 ~ CULTURAL VILLAGE TOUR / SIGIRIYA ROCK FORTRESS After enjoying a delicious breakfast with a hot cup of Sri Lankan tea or a coffee, you will take a wonderful journey across the stunning Sri Lankan countryside towards Dambulla city, which is the central point of the cultural triangle on the island.
DAY PLAN:
En-route to Dambulla, you'll visit the Millennium Elephant Foundation. Take the opportunity to feed them and give them a bath at the nearby river.
Upon arrival at Dambulla, You'll engage with a wonderful cultural village tour while exploring the beautiful countryside. It is a great opportunity to get close to a unique local culture & life style of Sri Lankan people. It will start with a Tuk-tuk ride, one of the most famous transportation systems in Sri Lanka. While on the tour you will also enjoy a canoeing boat ride across the lake and a cart ride before reaching the farmer’s house where you will experience the typical Sri Lankan countryside hospitality.
Evening, you will visit the famous Sigiriya Rock Fortress (UNESCO WORLD HERITAGE SITE), since it is the best time to witness and capture the sunset. King Kasyapa (477 – 495 BC) built his palace on the top of this rock and decorated its sides with colourful frescoes.
Overnight stay in a nature-friendly resort at Sigiriya/Dambulla.
Day 3 ~ GOLDEN CAVE TEMPLE / HISTORIC KANDY / CULTURAL SHOW
In the morning, proceed towards Kandy, the capital of the last Sinhalese kingdom. It's set on a plateau surrounded by mountains, which are home to tea plantations and bio-diverse rainforests. Kandy is also famous for its sacred Buddhist sites, including the Temple of the Tooth Relic.
DAY PLAN:
Early morning, join with the Pidurangala Rock hike to witness and take pictures of the sunrise (optional activity).
After breakfast, visit the Royal Cave Temple and the Golden Buddha Statue (UNESCO WORLD HERITAGE SITE). Dambulla has the largest and best-preserved cave temple complex in Sri Lanka. The rock towers 160 meters over the surrounding plains and houses 5 cave temples with some of the most unique and significant historical drawings.
Afternoon, visit the temple of tooth relic (UNESCO WORLD HERITAGE SITE) and Kandy view point.
Evening, you’ll explore on your own walking around Kandy's city centre before engaging with a cultural dance show which is inspired by Sri Lankan arts, traditional dance and cultural heritage.
Overnight stay in a modern mount view hotel at Kandy.
Day 4 ~ HILL COUNTRY TEA PLANTATIONS AND WATERFALLS
After breakfast, you’ll enjoy a wonderful journey through the lush green tea plantations and the waterfalls towards Sri Lanka's tea region of Nuwara Eliya. It is often referred to as “Little England” because many of the buildings in this city retain from the British colonial period, such as the Queen's Cottage, the General's House, the Grand Hotel, the Hill Club, and the Town Post Office.
DAY PLAN:
Morning, visit Museum; get to know more about the World-renowned and most prestigious Sri Lankan gems and jewelry and how they have been made using traditional techniques.
Thereafter, visit the Peradeniya Royal Garden, which is known as one of the best botanical gardens in Asia.
En route to Nuwara Eliya, while driving through the cold misty hills, stop at a tea plantation. You'll observe the rich tradition of processing the prestigious brand of Ceylon tea kept alive up to date. Make sure to end your factory visit in style over a perfectly blended cup of tea.
Afternoon, you will enjoy walking through Nuwara Eliya city center and the fruit and vegetable market.
Overnight stay in a mount view hotel at Nuwara Eliya.
Day 5 ~ TRAIN JOURNEY INTO THE MOUNTAINS / UDAWALAWE SAFARI
DAY PLAN:
In the morning, you will enjoy a spectacular train journey from Nanu-Oya station to Ella village (Train tickets included, will be arranged at the station). It is known as one of the most picturesque hill country train journeys in the world. * This train can be up to 4 hours late with no indication
Explore the village, Ella is everyone’s favourite hill country village due to the fact that it’s a wonderful nature-friendly location. Ravana waterfall and Nine Arch Bridge are the most popular sightseeing attractions in Ella.
Afterwards, continue your journey towards Udawalawe National Park, the largest and most stunning national park in Sri Lanka. Enjoy a 4x4 jeep ride searching for monkeys hanging on trees or whispering through the bushes, crocodiles patrolling the river or wild elephants drinking water at the river under the evening sunset.
Overnight stay in a safari lodge at Udawalwe.
Day 6 ~ IT'S TIME FOR THE BEACH / WATER SPORTS
After a fantastic journey through the coconut palms, mountains and waterfalls, you will finally arrive at the world-famous beachside of Sri Lanka. Galle is a delightful sandy beach with some authentic seafood restaurants and pubs are opening up to visitors. It's a magnificent place characterized by white sands and coconut palms growing right from the edge of the sea as if in imitation of a postcard of a perfect tropical beach. Also, it is one of the best places in the world to spot blue whales. Please note that whale watching is a SEASONAL activity.
DAY PLAN:
Upon arrival at your hotel, you may grab a towel to relax on the beach while enjoying a cocktail or a chill beer under the shade of a palm tree.
Optional activities, Jet Ski, Banana & Tube Boating, Diving, Snorkeling, Surfing, Fishing & Deep sea fishing are few among the popular list.
Overnight stay in a cozy seafront hotel at Galle
Day 7 ~ WHALE WATCHING / GALLE FORT / TURTLE HATCHERY Today, you'll continue your journey along the beautiful south coast towards Galle, a city well known for its Fort (UNESCO WORLD HERITAGE SITE). It is the intersection where classic Dutch and British architecture meets a tropical setting, creating a vivid atmosphere in beauty.
DAY PLAN:
Early morning, hit back to the beautiful golden sandy beach and jump into a boat for an amazing ride on the sea to capture the Blue Whales and Dolphins (seasonal activity)
Thereafter, head back to your hotel and relax on the beach or by the pool.
Afternoon, visit Galle Fort, walk through the streets listening to the creaks of wooden saloon doors and observe how European architecture mingles with South Asian traditions nowadays flooding cultural enthusiasts on a global scale.
Afterwards, you’ll visit a turtle hatchery centre where baby turtles learn to take their first swim and injured adults are rehabilitated back into the wild.
FACTS: Only 2% of turtles eggs in the wild make it to the sea due to predators