"Explorer! Secrets of Lanka III"
Detailed
ItineraryMet on arrival from your flight or picked up from Colombo hotel. Leave for Wadduwa, where you could spend the rest of the relaxing on the beach. Dinner and overnight will be at a beach resort.
Today you will travel through the country side to reach Kalawana/ Ratnapura, which will be your base to visit the Sinharaja Rain Forest.
Overnight will be spent at a hotel in the area.
Visit the Sinharaja Man and Biosphere reserve. This is the last remaining virgin rainforest, and it was declared a world heritage site in 1988. Return to the hotel for dinner and overnight.
Although Sri Lanka tea country is famously associated with the central and Uva provinces; you will be surprised to note that tea is grown in the south as well. Drive through the seldom traveled lowland Southern tea country to the south coast.
Arrive at Unawatuna where you will stay at a hotel in Unawatuna or Galle.
You could relax today or visit the Dutch Fort at Galle. Occupied by the Portuguese, followed by the Dutch and later the British.
The Dutch Fort contains spacious houses & the first Protestant church in Sri Lanka.
It is an interesting place to wander about. Galle is also famous for its traditional lace making.
Overnight will be at at a hotel in Unawatuna or Galle.
Visit the remote 211-meter rock temple of Mulkirigala.
The route is quite attractive winding through coconut groves and valleys with rice paddies. You ascend via numerous steps to a series of natural caves which were inhabited by monks as early as the first century BCE.
Special structures, recently built, now protect seven caves located at different levels. All have wall paintings and contain numerous sculptures of the Buddha.
The works of art are not as old as the monastery, but were continually changed and updated to reflect the trends on the various periods throughout history.
Dinner and overnight will be at a hotel in Tangalle.
Leave for Yala National Park after breakfast at your resort. The afternoon 4WD
safari of Yala National Park will be quite an interesting experience.
This is the best park in the island for viewing mammals. Yala is the most visited park, which has large open grassy plains where game could be watched at ease, and numerous water holes along the tracks, which are of easy access.
Elephant, Spotted & barking Deer, Sambar, Gray Langur, Toque Monkey, Jackal, Water Monitor, Marsh & Estuarine Crocodile etc could be seen quite easily. Leopard & Sloth Bear are not as common but could be spotted with some luck!
Proceed to Kataragama, where you will spend the night in a hotel.
Kataragama, along with Adam’s Peak is one of the most important religious sites in Sri Lanka. It is a holy place for Buddhists, and Hindus. A Mosque too stands on this ground.
Across the Menik Ganga lies the large building complex containing sites of these major religions. There is a belief that King Dutugemunu built a shrine to the Kataragama Deviyo (resident god) in the 2nd century BCE, and the Buddhist Kiri vehera dagoba dates back to the 1st Century BCE.
The fire walking ceremony is something most visitors look forward to.
Dinner and overnight will be at a hotel in Kataragama.
Today you will get the opportunity to visit the southern sites of histrionically interest.
You will visit Maligawila & Dambegoda.
The colossal standing Buddha at Maligawila near Okkampitiya towers 34ft. and is l0ft. in width. Dating from around the 7th century A.D., the Maligawila image, carved from crystalline limestone, is part of an ancient complex of terraces, gateways and a pillared council chamber, surrounded by jungle.
In close proximity at Dambegoda is another striking colossus, 25 ft. in height, of Avalokiteswara, a future Buddha.
Proceed to Wellawaya, from where you will visit the Buduruwagala statue.
Buduruwagala means Buddha (Budu), images (ruva) of stone (gala). The figures are thought to date from around 10th century AD. Carved in high relief on a cliff-face in thick jungle, the central Buddha figure of 51 ft. is flanked by Bodhisatva (future Buddha) figures and the Goddess Tara.
Leave to Ella for dinner and overnight.
You would be at leisure or free to try out some adventure activities at the resort. After lunch leave on a nature trail on Meedeniya path.
This 5 Km walk through jungle and paddy fields leads to Meedeniya, a self-sufficient village in the jungle, accessible only by bullock cart. Return to hotel for dinner and overnight.
Today you head towards the cool mountains of the central highlands. Once you arrive at picturesque valley, you are free to walk in the tea country.
Overnight will be at cottage/ hotel in the area..
Today you could take a relaxing walk of 4 Km from Loinorn to Bogawa. The vehicle will pick you up at Bogawa and bring you back to the North Cove. If you are staying in Hatton, our guide will help organize a trek in one of the many plantations in the area.
Leave Loinorn/ Hatton for Kitulgala for some flat-water rafting, this morning.
The rafting, will cover about 3 Km and of about one hour’s duration.
Alternately you could visit the Beli Lena caves. This is a famous cave where the 12,000 year old skeletal remains of the Balangoda Man ‘Homo sapiens Balangodensis’ were found. Also found here are the waste parts of the food consumed by them.
Over night will be at a hotel in the area.
You will be taken to either a Colombo hotel or the Airport today. Full board – Includes accommodation, breakfast, lunch & dinner.
