Tap 2 – Tour Details
Day 1 Airport > Negombo / Colombo
Upon your arrival, our MayFlower Representative will be already waiting at the airport to greet you. You will be taken into hotel in Negombo / Colombo. Relax and refresh in the comforts of your hotel, to prepare exploring Sri Lanka from the next day morning. If there is spare time, chill on the Negombo beach or discover a bit the colonial architecture in Colombo.
Hotel: The Gateway Hotel Airport Garden by Taj or Club Hotel Dolphin or hotel of same grading
Day 2 Negombo / Colombo > Pinnawala Elephant Orphanage > Dambulla Cave Temple
Pinnawala Elephant Orphanage – a 25 acre coconut land established in 1975 to feed and provide care and sanctuary to orphaned or wounded elephants, up to date, it has already been the home for nearly 100 elephants. Here you will have a chance to see the feeding and bathing of elephant orphans.
To make the visit more memorable, you can buy the elephant poo paper in the shops in Elephant Orphanage
Then you will enter the country’s rich cultural triangle from Dambulla
Dambulla Cave Temple – UNESCO World Heritage Site. It is the largest and best-preserved cave temple complex in Sri Lanka. There are a total of 153 Buddha statues, 3 statues of Sri Lankan Kings & 4 statues of gods & goddesses, plus 2,100 square meters of murals spreading over 5 caves under a 150m vast overhanging rock. This temple can be dated back to 1st century BC , which Valagamba Abhaya the king of Anuradhapura Kingdom built the temple in thankful worship.
Hotel: Heritance Kandalama or other hotel of same grading
Day 3 Dambulla > Polonnaruwa > Sigiriya Lion Rock > Dambulla
To understand the more than 2500 years history of Sri Lanka, there is no better way than go to Polonnaruwa & Sigiriya Lion Rock.
The UNESCO World Heritage City of Polonnaruwa, was the 2nd capital of Sri Lanka from 11 – 13th century A.D. Visit the Palace of King Parakramabahu ; Kumara Pokuna (Royal Bath); Potgul Vehera (Library monastery)
Sigiriya Lion Rock, also called “The Palace & Fortress in the Sky”, is a 200 meter rock which was once a royal citadel. The Rock Fortress was built by King Kassapa during 477 – 495 AD after killing his father to gain his wealth. In 1982 , it was listed as UNESCO World Heritage City. The name of this place is derived from its structure, the Lion Rock. One of the best preserved examples of ancient urban planning.
Hotel: Heritance Kandalama or other hotel of same grading
Day 4 Dambulla > Batik Factory > Matale Spice Garden > Kandy (Temple of Tooth Relic)
Leaving Dambulla, we will have a glimpse of Sri Lankan traditional folk arts in a batik factory – Batik (a Javanese word which means “writing with wax”. It is a unique fabric dying craftsmanship combining originated Indonesian art with Sri Lankan own identity, methodology and design.
Earned the name of “Island of the spices”, Sri Lanka was attractive to the western nations for its spice riches throughout history. Till now spices are still an essential elements of the cuisine of Sri Lanka and the Ayurvedic Tradition. In Matale Spice Garden, you can learn, smell, taste different types of spices including the very popular ones like cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, vanilla, cardamom & black pepper in their natural state or in the form of oils or options that are used by Ayurvedic medicine.
Shortly afterwards you will reach Kandy, a spiritual city, also the last capital of the ancient king’s of Sri Lanka (UNESCO World Heritage Site), you will visit the magnificent Temple of The Tooth Relic (Sri Dalada Maligawa) – one of the most sacred places of worship in the Buddhist World. Late evening you will witness a kandyan dance performance.
Hotel: OZO Kandy or other hotel of same grading
Day 5 Kandy (Peradeniya Botanical Garden, Hemachandras Jewellers) > Nuwara Eliya (Tea Plantation)
Take a walk in Peradeniya Botanic Gardens in the morning will definitely give you a fresh start of the day. The garden was built in 1371, once a Royal Garden of Kandyan Kingdom. It is the largest botanical gardens of Sri Lanka, housing a bewildering variety of local & foreign tree & plant species. There are around ten thousand plants & trees inclusive of 4000 labeled species.
Sri Lanka has been known to the world for centuries as a land blessed with dazzling gemstones, for example the English Royal Family have adorned their icons of monarchy with gems from Sri Lanka. Sri Lanka possesses the highest density of gem deposits in the world producing over 70 varieties out of around 200 known gem varieties in the world. Go to one of the longest history gem factory, to see how the gem are minded and polished. Besides, you are also welcome to do some shopping there.
After Kandy, you will be driven thru the picturesque hill scenery to arrive Nuwara Eliya. Nuwara Eliya still retains much of its British colonial charm that earns its other name “Little England”. Nestled 2,000 meters above sea level it is one of the coldest regions of Sri Lanka with annual average temperature of 15 degrees Celsius. Relax in one of the most famous & largest tea factory - Mackwoods, have a sip of Ceylon tea, immersing yourself into the lush tea plantation, seeing the age-old tea making process.
Hotel: Jetwing St’ Adrew or other hotel of same grading
Day 6 Nuwara Eliya > Yala (Yala National Park Jeep Safari) >
This is a day to follow the wild!
A Jeep Safari in Yala park – the most visited & 2nd largest national park in Sri Lanka, plus the home of 44 varieties of mammal and 215 bird species. You will be able to see the peacocks in their finest frocks, elephants & crocodiles resting along the lake, the very famous Sri Lankan Leopards sliding like shadows through the undergrowth, as well as sambars, jackals, spotted dear to name but a few.
Hotel: Jetwing Yala or other hotel of same grading
Day 7 Yala > Koggala (Stilt Fishing) Galle (Galle Fort) > Turtle Hatchery > Bentota
Along the coastal road to Galle, you will see a mind boggling fish catching method – Stilt fishing at Koggala. It is a method of fishing unique to Sri Lankan.
Galle is the seaside town still retains a substantial atmosphere of the country’s colorful colonial past. It is a big unmissable destination in the south – a town of great exotic beauty that classic architecture melds with a dramatic tropical setting.
Galle Fort, built by the Dutch in 1663 to guard the harbor, you will explore the amazing collection of structures dating back through the centuries, it won’t make you surprised that the Fort earn the status as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Marine Turtles have been roaming the world’s oceans for about 190 million years. Today 8 species of these ancient reptiles remains, while 5 of these species regularly visit the sandy beaches of Sri Lanka to nest. Throughout the world, marine turtles are hunted and butchered, even the turtle eggs are being stolen. Turtle Hatchery were established to protect Sri Lanka’s turtle from extinction. In the Turtle Hatchery you will see and experience how the baby turtles are hatch, how the injured or disable turtles being taken care, as well as their conversation projects to monitor local sea turtle activity and conserve the local nesting sites.
Your day will be finished by settling down at Bentota, a city famed as the prime beach resort of the south & south-western coastal belts of Sri Lanka.
Hotel: Bentota Beach Hotel or other hotel of same grading
Day 8 Bentota > Madu River Boat Ride > Coastal rail journey > Colombo (City Tour)
Mangrove Forest is a complex Coastal ecosystem of mangroves and Islands, it may be the last remaining tracts of pristine mangrove forest in Sri Lanka. During the wonderful boat trip you will see some of the hundreds of species of plants and animals.
Rail journey is one of the most unforgettable experience in Sri Lanka. Take a southwestern coastal train ride to enjoy breathtaking views of the Indian Ocean.
Colombo is a cosmopolitan city yet you can still find the legacies of its colonial period still very much intact. We will show you the independence Square, Independence Memorial Hall, Colombo National Museum, Old Parliament Building, Dutch Hospital Shopping Precinct etc.
Hotel: The Gateway Hotel Airport Garden by Taj or Club Hotel Dolphin or hotel of same grading
Day 9 Colombo HK
Fly back to Hong Kong in the morning.