“Welcome to Sri Lanka” at the airport by your EMH tours’ transfer team.  We then transfer you to the hotel in Negombo. This drive is approximate 20 minutes. The remainder of the day is at leisure.

Accommodation: Hotel

Meals: Meal is not included on this day.

This morning, after breakfast, we will set off to the Wilpattu National Park, one of Sri Lanka’s largest and most interesting national parks, for a private jeep safari. The drive from Negombo to the park is approximately 3 hours.

Wilpattu has a dense jungle cover and numerous water holes known as willus. Wilpattu is home to leopards and sloth bears, amongst many other creatures such as famous Sri Lanka elephants, deer, buffalo, monkeys, crocodiles, and rare birds. Here you can enjoy a park safari before driving on to Anuradhapura. The drive from Wilpattu to Anuradhapura is approximately 40 minutes.

On arrival in Anuradhapura, we will check into the hotel. The remainder of the day is at leisure.

Accommodation: Hotel

Meals: Breakfast , Dinner

After breakfast at the hotel, we’ll head out to the ancient city of Anuradhapura.

Founded in the 4th century B.C., Anuradhapura has been a UNESCO World Heritage site since 1982. It has the largest number of ancient monuments of the great Sinhala civilization which has flourished in Sri Lanka.

You will see some of the most famous as well as the tallest Dagobas of Sri Lanka, Ruwanweliseya Dagoba, built in the 2nd century BC and famous for its elephant walls and the Thuparama Dagoba, built in the 3rd century. The ‘Sri Maha Bodhi’ or the sacred Bo tree at the heart of Anuradhapura is over 2200 years old and reputed to have grown from a branch of the very tree under which “The Buddha” attained enlightenment – making it the oldest historically documented tree in the world.

We’ll return to the hotel at the end of the tour.

Accommodation: Hotel

Meals: Breakfast , Dinner

Today we journey onwards to the sparkling beach town of Trincomolee (approximately a 2-hours drive), which according to Lonely Planet “sits on one the world’s finest natural harbours”. Discover the layered history of the deep-water harbour that once attracted seafarers like Marco Polo and Ptolomy, and more recently, the British Fleet during WWII.

En-route stop at the Koneshwaram Hindu Temple, located atop a cliff inside Fort Fredrick and with magnificent views of the Indian Ocean, and the Trincomalee Harbour, a seaport in Trincomalee Bay or Koddiyar Bay, a large natural harbour situated on the northeastern coast of Sri Lanka.

Then, we’ll continue our drive to the hotel for check-in. The remainder of the day is at leisure.

Accommodation: Hotel

Meals: Breakfast , Dinner

Enjoy a delicious breakfast before spending the rest of the day at leisure or organizing a few optional activities. If you’re up bright and early, you’ll be rewarded with a glowing sunset spilling over the eastern horizon. In the morning, enjoy a heavy dose of R&R at the beach or… Head off on an optional whale watching tour (specifically for Blue Whale sightings) which takes place between May-October. Whale watching has been a popular pastime in Trincomalee since the 1980s.

Visit Kanniyai’s Hot Springs. Believed to be created by Vishnu, the hot springs see locals use small buckets to splash themselves at the tiled ponds where the water flows.

Accommodation: Hotel

Meals: Breakfast , Dinner

Today is also at leisure, so you might decide to indulge in a spot of beach-flopping today. Trincomalee’s crystal-coloured waters offer visitors ample opportunity for relaxing and unwinding in heavenly surroundings.

Accommodation: Hotel

Meals: Breakfast , Dinner

After breakfast, we will set off for Sigiriya, in the cultural triangle region, a journey of approximately 2 hours.

Upon arrival, we’ll check in the hotel. After a short relax, we’ll head out to the Minneriya national park. There, we’ll hire a safari jeep to explore the park.

Minneriya National park is one of the only places in the world to witness the largest Asian elephant Gathering known to exist on the planet. Watch as these huge animals drink, play and snack on the green, lush grasses that have been exposed by the receding water.

Unlike in other national parks, elephants can be spotted at a relatively close range. About 160 species of birds, 9 different types of amphibians, 25 reptiles, 26 fish, and more than 78 butterfly species have been found in this area. There are also rare bamboo trees not found in other national parks.

Accommodation: Hotel

Meals: Breakfast , Dinner

After breakfast at the hotel, we’ll drive to the Sigiriya Rock Fortress. This UNESCO World Heritage site is one of the most impressive sites you’ll see when you visit Sri Lanka and indeed across Southern Asia and is without a doubt, a must-do when you find yourself in the country.

When we arrive, we’ll take the opportunity to climb to the top of this striking rock with its vertical walls supporting the remnants of an ancient city constructed in the 5th century. Along the way you will see the Fountain Gardens, Boulder Gardens, the Mirror Wall, frescoes of the ladies of the king’s harem, the Lion’s Staircase and finally Sky Palace for spectacular panoramic views.

The hike up is not quite as scary as it seems from afar. There is a halfway point for you to catch your breath. The last part of the walk uphill actually has stairs so it’s fairly easy though. It takes a little over an hour to get to the top.

After that, we’ll head out to the village, where we will take a Bullock Cart Ride while enjoying sightseeing of the rural village life. Our next phase of adventure will be a Catamaran Boat Ride at the scenic lake. Finally, we’ll enjoy Traditional Lunch at a local house prepared by the village women before driving back to the hotel. The remainder of the day is at your leisure.

Accommodation: Hotel

Meals: Breakfast , Lunch, Dinner

After breakfast at the hotel , we’ll leave Sigiriya and continue our journey to the hill country capital “Kandy”.

En-route stops at the Dambulla Cave Temple, UNESCO World Heritage site. It is situated on top of a rock, and is built around a series of 5 caves. The oldest one dates from the 10th century and it is extremely well preserved. The newest is only 150 years old. There are some cute monkeys in the trees near the entrance which is great as well.

Then, continue our journey to Kandy. On arrival, we’ll check in the hotel and we’ll spend our afternoon at leisure.

In the evening, we’ll head out to the Dalada Maligawa, also known as the temple of the tooth, one of the landmark sites in the city of Kandy. It is located in the heart of Kandy town surrounded by the lake and the commercial district. The Maligawa was once the royal palace inhabited by the king and his consorts, but after the demise of the Kandyan Kingdom the palace was transformed into a Buddhist temple that holds Buddha’s tooth. The sight of flowers, fragrance of the incense and the continuous chanting of Buddhist hymns by the worshippers creates a magical impact. Rituals and stories related to the temple are amazing. Temple is fully decorated by century-old wood carvings, paintings.

Before returning to the hotel, we’ll have the opportunity to witness the Kandy cultural show and meet the traditional dancers.

Accommodation: Hotel

Meals: Breakfast , Dinner

After breakfast at the hotel, we’ll take a scenic drive to “Ramboda” village to take a Tea Plantation and Tea factory tour.

Sri Lanka’s lush green hill country is a patchwork of rolling, seemingly endless tea plantations. A visit to one of these estates is a defining experience of any trip to this magnificent country.

This tour will give you the insight into the manufacturing process as well as an opportunity to taste the different grades of hill country tea.

Then, we’ll set off to explore:

• Ramboda waterfalls
• Royal botanical garden
• Wood carving centre and
• Gem museum

We’ll return to the hotel in Kandy at the end of the tour.

Accommodation: Hotel

Meals: Breakfast , Dinner

After breakfast at the hotel, we will start our city tour of Kandy. Start with a drive up the hill to the south of the lake to a special vista point, where you can get a bird’s eye view of this remarkable city. The famous Kandy Lake was built in 1807 and forms an attractive centre-piece for the town. Return to the city centre, where we’ll start our walking tour around the famous shopping streets and to points of interest such as the central market and the historic railway station.

Then, we’ll drive to Colombo. This drive is around 4 hours. On arrival, we’ll check-in the hotel. The remainder of the day is at leisure.

Accommodation: Hotel

Meals: Breakfast

Breakfast and free time until time to go to the airport for departure flight.  Then, transfer you to the Colombo International Airport according to your flight departure time.

Meals: Breakfast