After arrival at the Colombo airport, we leave to visit the elephant orphanage in Pinnawala to witness the feeding to the baby elephants. The elephant orphanage is about 2 and half hour’s drive from the airport and good chance for people to get up close and personal with the pachyderm. Pinnawala Elephant Orphanage is an orphanage and breeding ground established in 1975 for abandoned elephants in Sri Lanka. Currently its home to one of the largest elephant herds in captivity in the world with more than 85 elephants. Pinnawala was first established by Wildlife Department of Sri Lanka in 1975 on a 24 acre preserve near the town of Kegalle, halfway between Colombo, the commercial capital of Sri Lanka and Kandy. The main purpose of the orphanage is to feed and provide care and sanctuary to orphaned baby elephants that are found in the wild. In 1978, the orphanage was taken over by the Department of National Zoological Gardens, and in 1982 the breeding program was launched.

It is good idea to go and have your lunch by the river while bathing elephants. After the orphanage, the tour will proceed to Dambulla, Sigiriya or Habarana for overnight stay.

DAY 02 -

After breakfast, the tour proceeds to Sigiriya the “The Lion Mountain”. Sigiriya presents a unique concentration of fifth -century urban planning, gardening, engineering, hydraulic technology and art. In 470 AD Kashyapa, the son of a non-royal consort of the king, took over the kingdom after committing patricide. He built his magnificent palace on the top of this 200 meters high rock fearing the wrath of the crown prince Moghallana. The architectural wonder is famous for pleasure gardens, extensive moats and ramparts and especially the well-preserved rock paintings. The beautiful “Cloud damsels” can be seen half-way up the rock and the “Lion stairway” that provides access to the summit. The complex of the fortress and  the plains around the rock extends over 15 hectares. On completion proceed to Dambulla.

DAY 03 - 

Kandy is the old capital of Ceylon and the seat of the last Sinhalese Kingdom. It is a charming city with the most important Buddhist temple in the country and is set in peaceful wooded valley overlooking a vast manmade lake. Kandy’s ancient official lake sits amongst rolling hills that are covered by forests and tea plantations. There is a fantastic view from the upper lake where you can see the whole city of Kandy.

Wandering about in Kandy is a fun experience, with cross roads and interconnecting byroads – all forming and intertwined complex. Most pavements are dominated by the vendors selling garments. Lotteries, toys and variety of fancy items – making passing through look almost impossible especially during festive seasons. The main market is in the heart of the town is frequented often for its array of fresh fruits, vegetables, fish and meat stalls, sweets, cloths, fancy goods and what not ……!

Kandy is a great place to buy gemstones, sapphires of all colors, rubies, tourmalines and many precious and semiprecious stones can all be found here. Visitors are also invited to have a look around the workshops, where they will be able to see the design, cutting, polishing and setting processes.

There is a local dance performance which you will enjoy in the town in the late afternoon, which is little touristic but entertaining nonetheless.

After the show visit the Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic of Lord Buddha. (Sri Lanka Dalada Maligawa)

Ever since it was founded in the 16^th century, it has one of the most sacred relics of Buddhism – a tooth of the Buddha collected from his funeral pyre and which is now protected within the gold – roofed temple of the tooth. It was built within the Royal palace complex which houses the only surviving relic of Buddha, a tooth, which is venerated by Buddhists. The relic has played an important role in the local politics since ancient times; it’s believed that whoever holds the relic holds the governance of the country, which caused the ancient kings to protect it with great effort. Kandy was the capital of the Sinhalese kings from 1592 to 1815, fortified by the terrain of the mountains and the difficult approach. The city is a world heritage site declared by UNESCO in part due to the temple.

At the end of the day return to the hotel for overnight stay.

DAY 04 -

After breakfast checkout from the hotel to proceed to your beach stay or to airport. Enroute  to visit the Royal Botanical Garden of Peradeniya, initially a royal park in 1821 under British rule it became a botanical garden. Here exotic crops, such as coffee, tea, nutmeg, rubber and cinchona (quinine) – all of which were to become important to the country’s economy. The botanical gardens are fantastic with an excellent Orchid House, and a wide variety of plant species from all over the world. For keen gardeners, at least a morning is recommended to visit the gardens, then continue to your destination.

If you think this itinerary will suit to you or want to change or add something else or skip anything, as well as for cost of above tour please contact me by filling contact us form or fill below table contents and send to me by given email address.

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