Yala + Galle + River Safari + Sea Turtles + Kataragama Two Days Excursion

We leave the hotel in the morning after breakfast. The first destination of our journey is a turtle farm, where turtles hatch. Such farms are part of the sea turtle conservation program conducted in Sri Lanka. Not only will you be able to see different species of sea and land turtles, but you will also see one-day-old turtles that have just hatched from eggs and are being prepared to be released into the ocean.

After visiting the turtle farm, along the way we will be able to see (depending on the season) collectors of todi – nectar from coconut palm flowers, which is the main semi-finished product used in the production of arrack – local alcohol as well as coconut syrup or coconut sugar. The collectors move between the palm trees on special coconut strings – a spectacular experience.

On the way to Galle, we will stop at a small port on the Madu River, from where we will start a motorboat safari on the Madu River, which has 66 islands and islets, some of which are inhabited by people. During the safari, you will be able to see the everyday, simple life of the inhabitants of the Madu Delta, who mainly engage in fishing, collecting crabs and shrimps, and fishing out river sand for the construction industry. Common sights include laughing children bathing in the shallow and warm waters of the river, women washing clothes on the shore, and fishermen preparing their boats for a cruise on the ocean.

A real attraction is the massage of the stupas combined with pilling on fish farms (additionally payable approx. 1 USD for 20 min). Carp-like creatures will clean your feet with precision from unnecessary skin. During the cruise, a visit to the cinnamon island is planned, where the cinnamon old lady and old man cultivate this one of the most popular spices in the world. We will see how cinnamon is extracted, and we will also learn how roofs are built from palm leaves in Sri Lanka. On special request – we will go to the island where there is a small Buddhist temple, where you will be able to look into the cells of the monks living there, see the farm buildings or try to play with the giant squirrels living in the temple area. Another interesting attraction of the trip will be a visit to the largest mask museum in Sri Lanka in Ambalangoda.

Masks have a special meaning in Sri Lanka – they are used in ritual dances, folk medicine and also in everyday life to scare away evil or gain the favor of good spirits. Then we will go to an active moonstone mine, where you will be able to see the conditions in which precious and semi-precious stones are extracted in Sri Lanka, see collections of minerals, observe the techniques of making jewelry and possibly buy finished products or precious and semi-precious stones themselves. From the mine we will go along a picturesque road located right on the shore of the ocean to Hikkaduwa, a popular holiday resort, once a favorite place to spend time with hippies. On the way we will stop for a moment at the Buddha statue funded by the Japanese government in memory of the Tsunami. We will also see the monument to the victims of the tsunami. From Hikkaduwa we will go to Galle, where there is a 17th century port built by the Dutch and English (it is on the UNESCO World Heritage List).

After visiting Galle, we will go to the most important Hindu temple in Katagarama to observe Hindu rituals. The temple complex consists of many churches belonging to various denominations, where pilgrims of various religions have been coming for centuries. Among the rituals of rolling on the sand, you can observe Kolam dances – with peacock feathers, during which the faithful fall into a religious trance. The temple itself is not very large, but a short distance away there is Kiri Vehera, a milky stupa – belonging to a Buddhist temple. There are also other Hindu temples, a Catholic church and a mosque in Kataragama.

Departure early in the morning before breakfast from the hotel. The hotel will prepare breakfast packages for your safari picnic. In the park we travel in 4-wheel drive cars, safari in the Yala national park (Ruhunu National Park). In Yala you can see wild elephants, wild boars, roe deer, deer, monkeys (macaques and greylangers), hares, peacocks, storks, herons, bee-eaters , eagles, kingfishers, parrots, hornbills, pythons, cobras, saltwater and mud crocodiles, slender loris, wrasses, jackals, foxes, owls, striped and terrestrial lizards, parrots, green pigeons, water buffaloes but the main attraction are leopards, which usually can be found before sunset or early in the morning. We drive around the park in an open 4-wheel drive car (usually a simple jeep) with a driver. The safari lasts approximately 3 hours and ends before noon. Return to the hotel on the beach.