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14 Nights / 15 Days

The Cultural Trail

Please contact us for pricing

Highlights of the tour

Guided visits and excursions:

  • Cycling ride in Notarys’s house

  • Anuradhapura 

  • Mihintale

  • Sigiriya rock fortress

  • Minneriya National park

  • Polonnaruwa ancient city

  • Game drive in Minneriya / Kaudulla National park

  • Dambulla rock cave temple

  • The temple of tooth.

  • Train journey from Kandy to Nanuoya

  • Tea factory visit

  • Udawalawe Elephant transit home

  • Galle fort walk

 

Exclusive and unique experiences:

  • Meet Local martial art master

  • Local breakfast on top of Pidurangala

  • Tuk tuk tour in Kandy

  • Tea country walk with local guide and lunch at his house

  • Village tour in Galle

  • Kanneliya rainforest trek and lunch

  • Local toddy experience

  • Colombo city walk

Day

Overnight

Meal plan

Day 1  

Colombo

B / D

Day 2

Colombo

B / D

Day 3

Anuradhapura 

B / D

Day 4

Anuradhapura 

B / D

Day 5

Habarana

B / D

Day 6

Habarana

B / L / D

Day 7  

Kandy

B

Day 8

Kandy

B

Day 9

Nuwara Eliya

B / D

Day 10

Nuwara Eliya

B / L / D

Day 11

Galle

B

Day 12

Galle

B

Day 13

Galle

B

Day 14

Colombo

B

Day 14

Depart Colombo

B

Hong Kong / Colombo

Day 1

Flight Time TBA

Upon arrival, be met and transferred to your hotel (Pannala).

Meals: breakfast, dinner

Colombo

Day 2

After breakfast, relax by the poolside. In the evening, visit the local village by bicycle or a classic car. 

Optional: guided visit to Dambadeniya ancient kingdom, 3rd ancient capital in Sri Lanka.

 

Meals: breakfast, dinner

Colombo / Anuradhapura

Day 3

Check out from hotel and transfer to Anuradhapura by road – approx. 3.5 hours.

 

Check-in at Forest Rock garden - Anuradhapura

Late afternoon (4-7 pm), enjoy a guided visit to Anuradhapura, a UNESCO site.

 

The ruins of Anuradhapura are one of South Asia’s most evocative sights. The sprawling complex contains a rich collection of archaeological and architectural wonders: enormous dagobas (brick stupas), ancient pools and crumbling temples, built during Anuradhapura’s thousand years of rule over Sri Lanka. Today, several of the sites remain in use as holy places and temples; frequent ceremonies give Anuradhapura a vibrancy that’s a sharp contrast to the museum-like ambience at Polonnaruwa.

Meals: breakfast, dinner

Anuradhapura 

Day 4

Morning private tour to visit traditional martial art master and Sumedha (Traditional martial art master) and his team.

Angampora is a form of martial art from Sri Lanka that combines combat techniques, self-defence, sport, exercise, and meditation. A key component of angampora is the namesake angam, which incorporates hand-to-hand fighting, and illangam, involving the use of indigenous weapons such as the ethunu kaduwa, staves, knives and swords.

 

Evening guided visit to Mihintale temple.

 

Mihintale is a mountain peak near Anuradhapura in Sri Lanka. It is believed by Sri Lankans to be the site of a meeting between the Buddhist monk Mahinda and King Devanampiyatissa which inaugurated the presence of Buddhism in Sri Lanka. It is now a pilgrimage site and the site of several religious monuments and abandoned structures.

 

Meals: breakfast, dinner

Anuradhapura / Habarana

Day 5

Check out from Forest Rock Garden. Transfer to Habarana by road – approx. 1.5 hours

 

Morning: Elephant walk experience in Habarana.

Afternoon, enjoy a guided visit to Sigiriya Rock Fortress (UNESCO). Sigiriya, also known as Lion Rock, was built on top of a huge boulder in the 5th century. A palace. A rock fortress. The hidden castle of King Kasyapa. A Buddhist monastery from the 14th century. The eighth wonder of the world? Sigiriya consists of 1200 steps.

Meals: breakfast, dinner

Habarana - Polonnaruwa - Minneriya/Kaudulla National Park - Habarana

Day 6

After breakfast transfer to Polonnaruwa by road – approx. 1.5 hours

 

Morning, enjoy a guided visit to Polonnaruwa, 2nd ancient capital (UNESCO)

Polonnaruwa is the second most ancient of Sri Lanka’s kingdoms, Polonnaruwa was first declared the capital city by King Vijayabahu I, who defeated the Chola invaders in 1070 to reunite the country once more under a local leader. Today the ancient city of Polonnaruwa remains one of the best planned archaeological relic sites in the country, standing testimony to the discipline and greatness of the Kingdom’s first rulers.

 

Enjoy rice and curry lunch in a local house.

 

Game drive in Minneriya / Kaudulla National park. Watch best wild elephant gathering on the grass field in Sri Lanka. Large numbers of Sri Lankan elephants are attracted to grass fields on the edges of the reservoir during the dry season. The Minneriya tank contributes to sustain a large herd. Elephants gathered here is numbering around 150-200. Some reports account a number of elephants to as high as 700. They migrate here from Wasgamuwa National Park and benefit from food and shelter of the park's forest. Tourists visit Minneriya largely because of elephants, especially in the dry season.

Meals: breakfast, lunch, dinner

Habarana / Kandy

Day 7

Transfer to Kandy – approx. 2.5 hours

 

Morning, enjoy a guided visit to Dambulla rock cave temple (UNESCO)

It is the largest and best-preserved cave temple complex in Sri Lanka. The rock towers 160 m over the surrounding plains. There are more than 80 documented caves in the surrounding area. Major attractions are spread over five caves, which contain statues and paintings. These paintings and statues are related to Gautama Buddha and his life.

 

En-route visit a spice garden and enjoy local lunch.

 

Afternoon, enjoy a guided visit to the Temple of Tooth followed by the Kandy cultural show.

 

Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic is a Buddhist temple in the city of Kandy. It is located in the royal palace complex of the former Kingdom of Kandy, which houses the relic of the tooth of the Buddha. Since ancient times, the relic has played an important role in local politics because it is believed that whoever holds the relic holds the governance of the country. The Kandy Dance cultural show is one of the most famous evening events in this city of heritage and is a major highlight of any trip. Starting in the evening, show captivates your ears and eyes with spectacular displays of local culture and art. Covering various aspects of Sri Lanka’s traditions, expect to see drummers, fire dancers, and more in a cultural spectacle that should not be missed.

Meals: breakfast

Kandy

Day 8

Morning, explore Kandy city by specially designed Tuk tuk. Tour includes Royal botanical garden, Agriculture Park, a hidden path in Kandy etc. 

 

The Royal Botanical Garden is an absolutely fascinating place. Be ready to walk, as it takes at least 2 hours to go around and enjoy the scenery. The gardens are very well maintained. It is renowned for its collection of orchids. The garden includes more than 4000 species of plants, including orchids, spices, medicinal plants and palm trees. Attached to it is the National Herbarium of Sri Lanka. The total area of the botanical garden is 147 acres.

 

Enjoy local lunch at road side cafeteria.

 

Return to hotel and relax by the poolside.

Meals: breakfast

Kandy / Nuwara Eliya

Day 9

Check out from Villa Rosa and transfer to Kandy railway station.

 

Travel to Nuwara Eliya by train approx. 3 hours. This is one of the most scenic train rides in Asia. One fabulous way of exploring and travelling to the tea country is to jump aboard the train. The dramatic landscape of the highlands stirs the senses as you wind past lush tea plantations, majestic peaks and rushing waterfalls. The Sri Lanka Railways –. The locals are really friendly and you will often be greeted with warm smiles once you are on board. Train wobbles a little so be careful when moving around, hold on to the rails.

 

Explore Nuwara Eliya city with your guide and travel to Haputale by road.

Meals: breakfast, dinner

Nuwara Eliya

Day 10

Explore the tea country with your local guide. He will show you Little Adams peak, Ella gap, Nine arch bridge and few more hidden sites in Ella area. Trekker will arrange a special Indian meal served on a banana leaf at the end of the trek.

Visit Pottery Village. Where you can learn how villagers make their clay pots and enjoy a cup of tea with them.

 

Meals: breakfast, lunch, dinner

Nuwara Eliya / Galle

Day 11

Transfer to Galle by road - approx. 5 hours.

 

En-route visit a tea factory which includes a walk in the tea estate, watch the tea whole tea process and have a cup of tea at the end of the tea tour.

 

En-route stop at Udawalawe elephant transit home and see bottle feeding for baby elephants. 

Meals: breakfast

Galle

Day 12

AM: Village experience – Boat, cycling, local market experience and local lunch.

Verdant green paddy fields, sun-dappled mangrove river banks, villagers bathing and children playing. An abundance of wildlife and learn about the endemic species only found in Sri Lanka. Observe village communities at work, and the gentle pace of life. A kaleidoscope of colours, vibrant new tastes, and sensory experiences.

 

Visit a local market and pick vegetables with your chef. Later cooking demonstration at local house and chef will teach you about Sri Lankan spices and how that help to change the curries into the different taste. Enjoy rice and curry lunch in the Mudhouse.

 

PM: Guided walk to UNESCO Galle fort with the resident host.

The Dutch Fort - Galle - The South Coast’s major city is Galle, whose oldest landmark is the massive Portuguese and Dutch Fort which is a “World Heritage Site” in which the central city is contained. But the city may be much older. Some scholars believe it to be the “Tarshish” of the Old Testament, to which King Solomon sent his merchant's vessels, and to which Jonah fled from the Lord.

 

Today, the 90-acre Galle Fort shows no evidence of the Portuguese founders. The Dutch incorporated the Portuguese northern wall in a great rampart in 1663. A second, taller wall was built inside of it. Between the two walls, a covered passage connected the central bastion with the Fort’s two half bastions overlooking the sea.

Meals: breakfast

Galle

Day 13

AM: Kanneliya rainforest trek and local Lunch on the river

Start with a trek through the rainforest with your tracker, whose home is on the edges of the forest reserve itself. Expect to see plenty of birdlife, perhaps a few monkeys, some unique bugs and creepy crawlies, and maybe even some snakes. The rainforest provides a lush habitat for a wide range of flora and fauna. If you’re feeling adventurous you can even crawl through a cave underneath the rainforest floor!.

Finish the walk with a hearty authentic Sri Lankan lunch of rice and curry, cooked by your tracker’s wife in their nearby home and served onto a table inside one of the large lakes running through the forest. The scenery in the area is straight out of the Jungle Book. If the event of rain the lunch will be served at a nearby home overlooking the lake, with a rope swing in the garden leading on to the lake that will provide endless fun for children.

Evening at leisure by the pool / enjoy chill beer at Wijaya beach.

Meals: breakfast

Galle / Colombo

Day 14

Transfer to Colombo by road, approx. 3 hours.

 

On route stop at Local toddy making place and taste a glass of toddy.

The process of making toddy, an alcoholic beverage, begins at the top of a coconut tree, where a toddy tapper climbs to gather the sap. Toddy tappers face danger as they work, walking tightropes between trees. That danger is just one reason why fewer people than ever before are going into the work.

 

Evening explore Colombo by foot with Colombo city walk team.

A personalised city walk through the Old city of Colombo, A unforgettable experience with your host as you walk through the picturesque streets of Fort and the mayhem of Pettah. Its been almost 7 years now, since Mark Forbes - the brain-child behind Colombo City walks, started to share his love and knowledge, and enabling guests to spend an evening in beautiful colonial Colombo, submerged in the beauty within our city that just cannot be experienced whizzing through in a vehicle. Continuous research goes into the areas you will visit, and we truly believe, that we learn something new

Meals: breakfast

Colombo / Hong Kong

Day 15

Transfer to the airport by road, approx. 1 hour.​

Last-minute shopping in Colombo. We recommend Barefoot, Gallery Cafe, Odel, Paradise Road. 

Departure flight TBA

Meals: breakfast

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