Archive for December, 2015

Day 1

Airport – Anuradhapura

Day 2

Anuradhapura sacred city

Located on the banks of a river, Anuradhapura is now a picturesque ruined city, filled with mystery and steeped in a rich Buddhist culture. Tour groups and pilgrims alike visit this city, and this diverse and versatile city caters to a locals and visitors alike. The ancient city lies adjacent to the modern, and ruined buildings, ancient temples, cobbled streets, and even crumbling fort walls are spread out and interspersed with all signs of modern life in this bustling and thriving city.

Jaffna

Overnight Stay at the Hotel

Day 3

Jaffna

Slowly but surely reemerging as a bastion of Hindu tradition, art and creative culture, Jaffna is once again welcoming visitors and looking to rise again. It’s an intriguing, unimposing and mostly untouristed place that’s a thoroughly rewarding place to invest a few days discovering Sri Lankan Tamil culture.

visit Hindu Temples, Buddhist shrines and other significant places

Day 4

Jaffna – Trincomale

Trincomalee is also famous for its multitude of Buddhist and Hindu temple ruins, and is considered to be a sacred place for Sinhalese and Tamils. The Hindu temple Koneswaram built atop Swami Rock is a must visit site. Other places to visit here include Sri Lanka’s largest remaining historic Dutch fortress and the rare hot spring wells at Kanniyai, which attract crowds throughout the year.

Relaxing @ the beach

Day 5

Trincomale  ( Vist Dutch fort , Hindu Shrines,  Hot spring wells etc ) – Habarana

Day 6

Habarana – Sigiriya rock fortress

We continue to the citadel of Sigiriya, founded over 1500 years ago, which is one of the most remarkable creations in the world. The king transformed a 200m rock into an impregnable fortress. Today the site offers the visitor a chance to see the world famous gallery of 5th century frescoes and the patricide kings palace on the summit. We climb the Sigiriya Hilltop fortress for stunning views to the forests below.

Polonnaruwa

Polonnaruwa, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, with its preserved ruins and restored ancient irrigation reservoirs is a “must visit” cultural destination of Sri Lanka Holidays. As much as the preserved cultural monuments would enlighten the tourists.

Habarana

Day 7

Habarana – Dambulla cave temple

Dambulla Rock Temple which was built by King Walagambahu in the 1st century BC. Dambulla is world heritage site and is the most impressive of Sri Lanka’s cave temples. The complex of 5 caves with over 2000 sq. meters of painted walls and ceiling is the largest area of paintings round in the world. The caves contain over 150 images of Buddha of which the largest is the colossal figure of the Buddha carved out of rock and spanning 14 meters.

Mathale Aluwiharaya temple

Kandy

Tooth relic temple, The beautiful city, surrounded by hills and valleys, rivers, lakes and cascading waterfalls, boasts of the Royal Botanical gardens at Peradeniya.

Day 8

Kandy Tooth relic temple,  Kandy city – Nuwara Eliya

Nuwara Eliya, also known as ‘Little’ England’, was the favorite hill station of the British who tried to create the resort into a typical English Village. The old brick Post office, country house like hill club, with its hunting pictures, mounted hunting trophies and fish, and it’s strict formal dinner attire; the 18 hole golf course, race course etc., evoke nostalgia of Colonial British Ceylon.

En- route to Nuwara Eliya can be sighted Ramboda water falls and Tea factory

Nuwara Eliya, also known as ‘Little’ England’, was the favorite hill station of the British who tried to create the resort into a typical English Village. The old brick Post office, country house like hill club, with its hunting pictures, mounted hunting trophies and fish, and it’s strict formal dinner attire; the 18 hole golf course, race course etc., evoke nostalgia of Colonial British Ceylon.

Day 9

Nuwara Eliya – Thissamaharama

En-route to Thissamaharama visit Sitha Amman Hindu Temple, Dowa Temple in Bandarawela, Rawana Water fall,  Buduruwagala Temple

Day 10

Thissamaharama – Yala National park

Yala National Park gives the best opportunity to witness Sri Lanka’s broad variety of wildlife: colorful painted stork in troops are seen perched at the shores of lagoon where the crocodiles too have chosen to doze off; lovely fantailed peacocks in their resplendent blues and greens parade about amidst the woods where monkeys hang, leap and chatter; in the bush jungle are the Elephants; crossing the tracks and wandering off into the thorny scrub jungle is the star attraction of the park: the leopard.

Katharagama sacred city

The sites at Kataragama includes the Kirivehera, a Buddhist Dagoba dating back to the 1st century, as well as several other Hindu and Buddhist shrines are all housed within the large Kataragama complex.

Thissamaharama

Day 11

Thissamaharama – Mirissa

En- route to Mirissa Visit Buddhist temple in Dikwella and Dondra.

Whale and dolphin watching in Mirissa is one of the most exciting water activities you can do in Sri Lanka during your holiday. Mirissa is the best place to start your whale and dolphin watching tour in Sri Lanka.
In warm Indian ocean you can see Blue whales, Bryde´s whales, Sperm whales, Fin whales, sometimes Killer whales, and Common dolphins, Bottlenose dolphins, Spinner dolphins, Risso’s dolphins and Striped dolphins. Sometimes you can see turtles and various fish species, for example Bluefin tuna and flying fish.

Day 12

Leisure at Mirissa beach

Option – Whales watching

Day 13

Mirissa – Colombo

The city is a jarring mix of old and new, with a central cluster of high-rise office blocks and hotels overshadowing red-tiled colonial-era buildings and sprawling street markets which overflow with high-piled fruit and vegetables, colourful silks and cottons, and deliciously fragrant spices. On its crowded streets stand places of worship, symbolic of Sri Lanka‘s multiethnic heritage: graceful Buddhist viharas (temples), for instance, stand close to extravagant temples encrusted with Hindu statuary, along with Muslim mosques with minarets scattered along Colombo’s streets.

En-route to Colombo visit Galle Dutch fort

The city of Galle in Sri lanka plays a major role in Sri lankan Tourism. The Dutch fort of Galle is arguably most interested among both Local and Foreign travelers. It was declared as a UNESCO world heritage site in Sri Lanka. Galle Dutch fort has a long history. This glorious fort was firstly built by Portuguese in 1588.

Turtle hatchery

Sea turtle hatchery situated in Habaraduwa, is mostly admired by nature lovers, and both local and foreign tourists. It is a non profitable organization located as well as a popular tourism attraction in Sri Lanka. Habaraduwa is 5 km from the Galle – Matara Road. In order to conserve turtles and other marine species the small hatchery was firstly started in 1986.

Option –  Madu River Boat Safari

Madu River boat trip is a wonderful way of seeing some of the hundreds of species of plants and animals – monkeys eat fruit in the trees, a water monitor lizard glides slowly through the water, and cormorants, egrets and kingfishers wait patiently on the banks, eyeing the water for prey.

Day 14

Colombo – Airport