SRI LANKA – Pearl of the Indian Ocean

Day 1: COLOMBO AIRPORT – KANDY Welcome to Colombo – Sri Lanka’s capital & the garden city of the East!On arrival at the Bandaranaike International Airport, you will get your first taste of warm Sri Lankan hospitality as you are picked up from Airport and transferred to Kandy. Enroute visit to the Pinnawala Elephant Orphanage. - Providing a caring home for abandoned and wounded elephants, it is a much loved destination for tourists and locals alike. Here, adults and baby elephants from around Sri Lanka thrive, and a captive breeding program is also proving to be highly successful. The feeding and bathing times are generally the ideal times to visit when you can observe these gentle giants at their best. Arrive Kandy. Relax and day free to enjoy the environs on your own. Overnight stay in Kandy

Day 2: KANDY Enjoy Breakfast at the Hotel. Later proceed on a city tour of Kandy – the last kingdom of the Sinhalese Take in the sights of Upper Lake Drive and the Market Square on the way to pay homage to one of the most sacred religious sites in Sri Lanka - The Temple of the Tooth or Dalada Maligawa is believed to house the ‘tooth relic’ of the Lord Buddha. Also visit Peradeniya Botanical Gardens. This botanical garden was first built as a pleasure garden by a Sinhala king and was expanded by the British. It is 147 acres in extent and provides an amazing variety of trees, plants and flowers. Later walk around the town will let you indulge in some souvenir hunting with intricate treasures in wood, copper, silver, brass, ebony, bronze, ceramics, lacquer work, handlooms, batiks, jewelry and reed-ware to choose from. Early evening, you will visit a traditional Kandyan Dance performance and be treated to a spectacular fire walking finale. Overnight stay in Kandy

Day 3: KANDY – NUWARA ELIYA Enjoy breakfast at the Hotel. Head ‘up country’ for the city of Nuwara Eliya – the Hill country ! Enroute visit he Ramboda waterfalls and a tea factory along the way. You will be told all about the process of manufacturing tea and also see how tea is graded. Taste a cup of pure Ceylon tea in the factory. Enjoy a city tour of Nuwara Eliya including Gregory lake, strawberry farm and old Pink post office. The old colonial outpost still referred to as ‘Little England’ Nuwara Eliya certainly lives up to its name. Perched 6200 feet above sea level, the climate too, adds to the illusion of one stepping into an old English town, where neat hedges, quaint cottages and beautiful old buildings stand as serene as they did well over a century ago. Overnight stay in Nuwara Eliya

Day 4: NUWARA ELIYA - BENTOTA After breakfast at the Hotel, head to the resort town of Bentota via Kithulgala. If you feel adventurous, the incredible experience of White Water Rafting awaits you at Kitulgala. The 5 km on the picturesque Kelani River run covers 5 major rapids and 4 minor ones. You will be in good hands with safety gear, modern rafts, and a comprehensive safety briefing given by our white water rafting instructors beforehand. Those who prefer to keep their feet dry can take it easy, relax and admire the beautiful views. Arrive Bentota – a beach resort ! Relax for the rest of the day. Overnight stay in Bentota.

Day 5: BENTOTA After breakfast at the hotel, proceed on a Bentota city tour including Turtle Hatchery at Kosgoda - a successful conservation effort established to protect Sri Lanka's turtles from extinction. Also enjoy a Madu river Boat Ride with fish therapy-The bio- diversity of the Madu River is of monumental signification when considering the wide ranges of aquatic and avian life as well as wetland dwelling amphibians, reptiles, mammals that inhabit the environs of this natural treasure. On the shore Sea birds and Wanders are often found. Including the rare Indian Heron and Vegetation along the river harbors many local species as well as winter migrants. Rest of the day is free to enjoy the various water sports activities (on your own) Overnight stay in Bentota.

Day 6: BENTOTA – COLOMBO Breakfast at the Hotel. Later transfer to Colombo. Colombo – the trade and commercial capital has long been the traditional gateway to the Orient. Sri Lanka’s largest city, it is located on the west coast and draws together all the cultures, religions and influences of foreign lands into a pot-pourri of sounds, smells and a kaleidoscope of colour. Later Proceed on a city tour of Colombo. While on your city tour in Colombo you may visit famous places including Galle Face Green, the Viharamahadevi Park, National Museum, Twin World Trade Center towers, Old Parliament Building, Fort district, Independence Hall at Independence Square, and prominent Buddhist, Hindu, Islam and Christian places of worship. For shopping you may visit Odel, House of Fashion, Beverly Street, Majestic City, Noritake, etc. A less known but amazingly true fact is that Colombo has a superb range of high quality restaurants serving food from all over the world and some of the best shopping opportunities in Asia. The main seaport of Sri Lanka is in Colombo & adjoining it, is Pettah, a local bazaar & trading area. Overnight night stay in Colombo

Day 7: COLOMBO – AIRPORT After breakfast you are escorted to the airport to board your flight back home with all the happy memories of the tropical isle; Sri Lanka once known as TAPROBANE.