Must See Sri Lanka

Our guide will pick you up from the Colombo airport, where our tour program will begin. On the way to the Elephant Orphanage in Pinnawala, we will see lowland plantations of tea, rubber, coconuts, rice and pineapples. Near Nittambuwa you can stop at one of the stalls offering the most delicious fruit on the island in season. The first attraction of the program will be a visit to Rambukkana / Pinnawala, an elephant orphanage where currently no more than 90 children are raised. Elephants cannot be released into nature reserves on the island because they would most likely die of starvation or could become a threat to the inhabitants, as elephants that are familiar with the presence of humans will always cling to them. During your visit to Pinnawala, you can (optionally) feed an adult elephant fruit (usually to a pregnant female elephant). This is an opportunity to take interesting photos, while pieces of fruit are placed directly into the mouth of the giant mammal, gently placed on its pink tongue. The mammal is clearly delighted with this system of obtaining food, because in natural conditions it has to travel many kilometers every day in search of pastures. One individual is able to devour 200 kg of green matter, fruits, trees and vegetables every day. Eating takes up 80% of his life. In Pinnawala, we will see the elephants crossing to a watering hole, the nearby Ma Oya stream. The elephants take a daily bath and the young ones have fun while bathing, engaging in many funny arguments and often fighting with their trunks or elephant wrestling. There is also a free range for elephants in Pinnawala, where the only border between humans and giants are stone boulders. There are no more than 90 individuals of Elephas maximus maximus of different ages and sexes in Pinnawala. The center plays an important role in research on these largest land mammals on Earth. Overnight in Sigiriya / Habarana / Dambulla.

After breakfast, we will go to Sigirya , a rock monolith over 200 meters high, on the top of which in the 5th century AD King Kassiapa built a fortress and at the foot of it a clever defense system with wonderful gardens, swimming pools, beauty salons full of fragrances and artificial streams or fountains cooling the tropical climate in royal gardens. You have to cover approximately 170 vertical meters, mainly along stairs, paths and inclined planes. The rock, inhabited for millennia by Buddhist monks, became a fortress in the 5th century AD as well as the pleasure gardens of a Sri Lankan king who liked concubines with prominent breasts. Together with the preserved and still well-functioning hydraulic system, as well as spa and massage salons, swimming pools, fountains, artificial streams, cascade gardens and ponds, it is now one of the undocumented wonders of the world. From the top of the mountain there is a view of the nearby jungle, rice fields, fountain gardens and swimming pools that we passed earlier, and you can see a giant statue of Buddha in mudra – come to me, don’t be afraid. Along the way, we pass caves with the remains of wall paintings reflecting the king’s taste in concubines, and from a specially built platform leading to a small cave via a spiral staircase from the London Underground, we can see artistic reflections of the bodies and faces of Kassyapa’s concubines during the reign of King Kassyapa. The lion’s platform, which was once defended by the open mouth of the colossal lion built there (now only its paws and claws remain), opens the entrance to the very top. The ascent and descent will take approximately 2.5-3 hours, but people who are afraid of heights may have problems reaching the very top.

After lunch, we will go by ladder carts to a local village near Habarana / Sigiriya, where we will be able to observe the everyday life of the people in the provinces of Ceylon. We will see huts built of clay, cow dung and sticks, farmers’ gardens and farmyards, illegal ” chena ” plantations built using the ” burn and slash ” method, and pulpits from which farmers scare away wild animals, including elephants at night. We will see how the Sri Lankans make roofs from palm leaves, clean rice husks, we will try local infusions and flatbreads from the locals’ home kitchen , and we will go on a short catamaran cruise on the reservoir that supplies rice fields and other agricultural fields. We will end our tour of the province with a ride in a tuk tuk or a two-wheeled tractor .

At around half past four in the afternoon, a jeep safari around the national park will begin. Minneria National Park was established in 1992 to protect the world’s largest herd of Asian elephants. Minneria was recognized as one of the most beautiful parks in the world by the American station CNN in 2014. A jeep trip around this park is a real pleasure and a great treat for those who like to photograph wildlife. Elephant herds number up to 400 animals.

In the park, apart from elephants, we usually see water buffalos, Indian sambars (moose), deer, hares, wild pigs, saltwater and marsh crocodiles, waterfowl, monitor lizards, jackals and others.

On this day we will visit the Rangiri Golden Temple in Dambulla . There are two parts there – a modern one, built at the end of the 20th century, with a gigantic statue of Buddha in the darmachakra mudra and installations imitating Buddha’s disciples, an artificial rock, a Buddhist museum and other shrines. The monk who manages this strange product of Buddhist architectural thought also runs a radio station, a newspaper publishing house, a television station, a foundation and a Buddhist university. However, the modern part of Dambulla is not our goal. We will go to a small hill where, in caves divided into five caves, there is a Buddhist temple founded by King Wlagambahu in the 1st century BC. There are 150 Buddha statues and several other statuettes of Sri Lankan kings and nobles from various eras, as well as statues of Hindu gods and numerous bodhisattva statuettes. .

Ayurveda – local medicine.

On the way, we will stop at Ayurvedic gardens to learn something about Ayurveda, a unique medical system still used today in India and Sri Lanka.

Ayurveda came to Sri Lanka from India and is now a science recorded in Ayurvedic scriptures. In parallel with the Ayurvedic medicine system, a trend of folk medicine was created in Sri Lanka. Both of them are intertwined in everyday practice, often solving problems that cannot be solved from the point of view of conventional medicine. A visit to Ayurvedic gardens will allow you to observe the multitude of flora available in Sri Lanka and the ways in which it is used for treatment. During a walk through the gardens, you will be able to see how pepper, coffee, cinnamon, cardamom, cocoa, turmeric, vanilla, nutmeg, etc. grow. You will be able to learn how individual plants affect our body and try a demonstration arm or leg massage using Siddartha oil.

On the way to Kandy, you can see various plantations of trees such as mahogany, teak, rosewood, ebony, etc.

In Matale, if possible, we will visit an extremely colorful temple created as a result of curing the smallpox epidemic in the former Sri Mutumariaman Kovil transit camp for plantation workers from India .

In Kandy, we will walk through the streets of Kandy on the way to the YMBA on Upper Lake Drive, where we will be able to watch an approximately hour-long folk dance show and a demonstration of fire walking, fire swallowing and fire smearing. 13 different dances from the regions of Sri Lanka will be presented, including peacock dance, rice cleaning, acrobatics, juggling, ritual dances, Kandyan dance.

A holy city for the Buddhist inhabitants of Sri Lanka where the Temple of the Buddha’s Tooth Relic is located. In Kandy we will visit the Temple of the Buddha’s Tooth – Sri Dalada Maligawa . The temple, built in the 16th century, is currently protected by a golden roof donated by the Japanese in the 1990s. Depending on the time, we will be able to participate in active gift rituals called “pudzia” or visit the facility in peace, see the mummified elephant Raja, which carried the Buddha’s Tooth during religious processions that are still held in Kandy today, called Esala Perahera. During our visit to Kandy, we will also visit the temples of Hindu gods and goddesses located in the immediate vicinity of the Temple of the Buddha’s Tooth Relic. We will see the temples of the goddess Pattini, the god Natta and Gamidar . You will be able to observe everyday religious activities in this temple complex, the most popular among Buddhist followers on the island. Dalada Maligawa is the most important Buddhist temple on the island, built at the end of the 17th century, and is a pilgrimage center for followers of Buddhism from Sri Lanka as well as from other countries where the Teravada Buddhist doctrine is known. The multitude of temples built around the one containing the Buddha’s Tooth relic is noteworthy, as there are several Christian churches and a mosque nearby.

Shopping.

In Kandy, it is worth looking for sapphires, rubies and other gemstones. There are numerous grinding and jewelry workshops here that process stones purchased from the stone mines in Rathnapura. In Kandy, you can also visit factories producing batiks – fabrics dyed using the waxing method. Carving workshops and outlets selling branded clothing from Sri Lankan sewing factories at favorable prices are also included in the tour program.

From Kandy we will go to Nuwara Ellia , a mountainous region of the island, considered the most beautiful region of Sri Lanka. Along the way, we will stop at tea plantations and numerous waterfalls , including one of the largest in Sri Lanka – Ramboda Falls . We will try to find Tamil women – tea fox pickers on tea plantations, we will visit a tea factory (visit and taste unblended BOP tea), waterfalls, Hindu temples, Victorian architecture, visit to the town of Nuwara Elliya, the famous Baal Bazaar where you can buy branded products at surprisingly low prices sweatshirts, T-shirts, coats, Grand Hotel, golf course, Hill Club, horse racing track, Gregory””s Lake. We will be at an altitude of approximately 1,800 meters above sea level. Sometimes it can be cold, so you should take warmer things with you just in case. Dinner and overnight at a hotel in Nuwara Elliya.

That day we will travel to Ella by train. The route stretches through the most picturesque regions of Sri Lanka, passing through countless tunnels, valleys and mountains. During the approximately 3.5-hour train ride among tea plantations, we will see majestic waterfalls and railway bridges dating back to the times of the British in Ceylon.

Ella is a resort town where many of Sri Lanka’s hiking trails start. We will go to Punchi Siri Pada – Little Adam’s Peak , from which there is a breathtaking view of the Ella Valley. On the other side of the valley you can see the Ravana Waterfall . You can also go to the famous 9 Arch Bridge , a stone bridge built by the British. Ella is a tourist town that does not fit in with the rest of the provincial towns in Sri Lanka. Nightclubs, discos, street food, restaurants and bars are open here until the morning. You can try local street food or stroll through the shops and galleries open until late in the evening. This mountain resort is very popular not only due to its convenient location and climate, but also became famous thanks to the interesting architecture of bamboo buildings. There are attractions here, such as a wall, you can shoot a bow at a target, slide down a steel rope over the Ella Valley (Rawana Zip Line) or visit a swimming pool club picturesquely situated among tea plantations. For persistent hikers, Ella also offers “Secret Waterfalls” as well as several alternative hiking trails in the nearby mountains, including the Goddess Sita Trail.

After breakfast, transfer to any hotel on the East or West Coast. Depending on where the trip ends, we will be able to go to different places on the coast. There is a fabulously beautiful beach near Mirissa called Coconut Hill .

On the way, you can visit the 17th century fort in Galle (UNESCO) .

Finally, we will go to a turtle hatchery , where we will be able to see how local residents are trying to contribute to increasing the population of these marine reptiles, which are currently on the list of endangered species. In the aquariums there are small turtles ready to be released in the evening, in other pools there are older individuals of various species of sea turtles intended to be released when they reach an older age.

After visiting the turtle hatchery, we will go to the hotel and the beach.

The program of the last day depends on the place where the tour ends.