Main Attractions Four Days Excursion

Departure from the hotel near Colombo after breakfast and then an approximately two-hour drive to Pinnawala, an elephant orphanage.

The first point of the program will be a visit to the elephant orphanage in Pinnawala. There will be an opportunity ( optional, approx. USD 1.5 ) to feed an adult elephant. This is an opportunity to take interesting photos, because pieces of fruit are placed directly into the mouth of the giant mammal, placed gently on its pink tongue.

During the visit, we will also see the elephants crossing to a watering hole, the nearby Ma oya stream. There, the elephants take their daily bath, and the young ones have fun while bathing, engaging in endless and amusing arguments, trunk fights, and wrestling.

The center also has a free range for elephants, where the only border between humans and giants are stone boulders.

In total, there are about 80 individuals of Elephas maximus maximus of various ages and sexes in the center. The center plays an important role in research on these largest land mammals on earth, in particular it contributes to reproduction, which later results in an increase in the number of individuals living in Sri Lanka. It is the largest center of this type on Earth. It is worth taking a closer look and assessing the daily rigor and actions of the staff rather than relying on the often contradictory opinions of Internet users.

After visiting Pinnawala we will go to Sigiriya – free time, relaxation at the hotel, dinner and overnight stay.

After breakfast we will go to visit Sigiriya (UNESCO) – a metamorphic monolith towering over a plateau, where in the 5th century King Kassjapa, an erotic maniac, set up his residence, who built a fortress for his concubines, taking into account all the women’s whims.

After the climb (approx. 2 hours there and back), there will be time for some local atmosphere – small restaurants offering Sri Lankan delicacies, small craft shops or simply relaxing in the hotel. For those interested (optional) – Ayurvedic massages, a safari in a ladder wagon drawn by draft oxen, a catamaran cruise on the lake, a visit to a local farm on illegal chena plantations with tasting the delicacies of local rural cuisine, cooking lessons, a tractor or rickshaw ride.

In the afternoon, a jeep safari in Minneria National Park. Here you can meet the world’s largest herds of Asian elephants in beautiful scenery. Minneria Park is listed on National Geographic as the place where you can see the largest concentrations of Asian elephants, Elehanus maximus maximus, in the world.

After breakfast at the hotel we will head to Kandy, the former capital of Sri Lanka.

On the way, we plan to visit the Buddhist rock temple located in the caves in Dambulla. The site is on the UNESCO World Heritage List. The golden Buddhist temple, which dates back to the 1st century AD, is our next point in the program. You will be able to see a complex of five temples located in rock caves. It is worth noting that this temple contains one of the least skillfully made Buddha statues as well as one of the most beautiful statues on the island. In total, there are 150 Buddha statues, several statues of Hindu gods, inscriptions, monkeys and a Bodhi tree.

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

Ayurveda came to Sri Lanka from India. In parallel with the Ayurvedic system of medicine, a trend of folk medicine was created in Sri Lanka. Both of them intertwine in everyday practice, often solving problems that are impossible to solve from the point of view of conventional medicine. A visit to the Ayurvedic gardens will allow you to observe the multitude of flora available in Sri Lanka, 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 massage of the arms or legs using Siddartha oil.

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

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 (UNESCO).

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.

If possible, we will try to visit the Hindu temple in the holy city of Matale – Sri Muthumuriaman. This extraordinary temple is distinguished by its soaring dome towering over the buildings of the city, and is also an important place of worship for Hindus due to the beneficial effects of the main goddess, who in the 19th century healed entire hordes of Hindus who came to work on the tea plantations.

Kandy

Kandy is a great place to shop for sapphires, rubies and other gemstones. There are plenty of gemstone makers who work with gems sourced from the Rathnapura mines.

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.

In the evening, we will see regional dance shows and demonstrations of walking on hot coals.

That day we will go to the picturesque regions of Sri Lanka, to Nuwara Ellia. We will admire wonderful waterfalls, endless tea plantations, visit a tea factory, where we will not only look at the production process of this most popular drink in the world after water, but we will also be able to taste various types of teas produced in Ceylon.

For those interested, a swim in the fresh Ramboda waterfall.

A tour of the Victorian city of Nuwara Eliya with a visit to local markets and bazaars is also planned. Nuwara Elliya is the last point of the tour.

We will go from the mountains to the south coast to a hotel on the beach.