Spirit of Adventure

This adventure journey of Sri Lanka will take you up into the foggy mountain peaks, down to the sun-kissed beaches, and through the national parks in search of elephants, starting in Negombo and concluding in Colombo. You will travel across Sri Lanka on a 12-day vacation package that will take you through the green and lush pearl of the Indian Ocean, where the aromas of spices, tea, and traditional dishes will awaken your senses. This vacation includes hotel and hostel accommodations, as well as the world’s most beautiful train journey, an experienced guide, meals, transportation, and more.

Day 1

Welcome to the pearl of the South Seas. Sri Lanka!

As soon as you arrive, one of our personnel will greet you and accompany you to your private transportation. You will be driven from Bandaranaike International Airport to your Negombo hotel to help you settle in. The first stop will be at Negombo, a coastal resort noted for its golden sands, gastronomy, and entertainment, and which has long been considered Sri Lanka’s most popular beach. Today is your day to acquire a foundation tan on the beach and pool before hitting the town for your welcome meal and cocktails in the evening.

Day 2

Today the Adventure Really Begins!

Breakfast will be given at the hotel before we board your private car for our journey to Sigiriya. We’ll make a detour along the way to explore the stunning Dambulla Caves, where history and religion vibrate from every painted wall and stone Buddha statue, leaving you with an unrivaled sense of spirituality. Then we’ll check into our magnificent hotel in Sigiriya, the crown jewel of the Cultural Triangle. We’ll finish our epic day with a twilight climb to Pidurangala, a serene Buddhist monastery, to get a good look at what we’ll be climbing in the morning!

Day 3

Sigiriya Rock

We get up early today, put on our hiking boots, grab our cameras, and go out to climb the magnificent Sigiriya Rock. Ruins of a huge palace jut prodigiously from the soil, bearing witness to a once ferocious and glorious Sri Lankan history. View the ancient wall paintings, sanskript-marked mirror wall, and massive stone lion paws guarding the top ascend. The views from the peak are unsurpassed as you travel through time observing the ruins. This afternoon, you have the option of embarking on an extra safari to Minneriya National Park, where elephants patrol the countryside (please note, this safari is included during whale watching off season). We stop for lunch with a local family, who will prepare a traditional feast for us before reclining on a lounger in the afternoon sun.

Day 4

Let's Travel South. Kandy and Cooking Class

Today we bid Sigiriya farewell and begin our trip south to Kandy, Sri Lanka’s second largest city. We’ll stop along the trip at a spice farm to learn about the origins of our beloved spices and take part in a cooking course to learn how to prepare the best Sri Lankan curry! Our chef will show you how to make dhal, chicken curry, fried cashew coconut sambal, and poppadoms. Then we’ll head to Kandy, check into our next hotel, and take a Tuk Tuk tour to see the sights and sounds of this colorful city!

Day 5

Temple of the Tooth and Train into the Mountains

Have your breakfast while viewing Kandy’s highlands before we go into town to explore the famous Temple of the Tooth. This is a sacred site where the tooth of Buddha himself is said to be housed. We then board the bus and travel over the harsh landscape of the hill area. The hills are densely forested with little green tea plants, for which Sri Lanka is famous. We visit a working tea factory to learn how tea is processed and finally ends up in your cup at home, as well as how seven different types of tea are produced from the same plant! A trip to Sri Lanka isn’t complete unless you take the train, and the journey from Nuwara Eliya to Ella has been rated the best in the world. 180-degree vistas of tea plantations, waterfalls, lakes, and tiny settlements pass by as your train traverses the lines cut into the mountainside. Try the excellent milk tea on board, interact with friendly people, and take images that will make all your friends back home envy. We’ll check into our hotel and then travel to Ella, everyone’s favorite mountain town, for dinner and drinks.

Day 6

Free Day in Ella

Today is yours to do anything you choose. Ella is home to some of the best Ayurvedic massage parlors in Sri Lanka. A thousand-year-old technique for easing aches and pains or simply as a relaxing method to unwind. Your tour guide will inform you about the many activities available in the area.

Day 7

Safari Time!

We’ll wake up early today to see the 9 Arch Bridge and Little Adam’s Peak, two of Ella’s hidden gems. Then we’ll head south to our amazing campsite, which is only 45 minutes from the stunning Udawalawe National Park! Our hosts will meet us with welcoming drinks and a delectable Sri Lankan buffet supper. After lunch, we board jeeps for a safari in search of elephants, buffalo, crocodiles, monkeys, eagles, hawks, peacocks, mongooses, and, if we’re lucky, leopards in the wild. Your day at the national park will be impossible to top as a once-in-a-lifetime experience. After driving around the park, we’ll return to camp, where our hosts will be waiting with a BBQ lunch, the ideal way to end a fantastic day.

Day 8

It's Time for the Beach!

Spend the morning resting by our camping pool and soaking in the sights – monkeys, elephants, and peacocks roam the fields around the campground, so keep an eye out for them. After breakfast, we’ll drive to the South West Coast, stopping at Mirissa, a lovely beach village. A place where world-class waves smash on the sand, turtles swim in the water, and ice cold beer is offered. This is exactly what you require after a week in the hills.

Day 9

Whale Watching (Seasonal Activity)

We’ll wake up early today and head to the beautiful golden sand beach. We board one of the region’s best boats to witness some of the world’s largest animals. The size of blue whales as they jump, swim, and dive around you will astound you. After an hour or two on the boat, we return to the hotel to rest before heading to Hikkaduwa, our second spectacular beach site. (Please keep in mind that during the off-season for whale watching, we will include an extra safari on day three instead.)

Day 10

Bike Through Rice Paddies and Villages

After breakfast, we continue our bike ride on the beach, going through some beautiful local communities and rice fields, resting to eat a fresh king coconut in a secret tropical garden, and even stopping at a dog care center for those who choose to visit. Following that, we’ll give you some free time to take photos of the area or buy for gifts at one of the many boutique and quirky shops. The excellent location for composing a postcard and sending it home with stories from your incredible 11-day vacation. Then we’ll go down to the lovely Galle Fort, a walled city with Dutch, Portuguese, and British colonial monuments all proudly standing. The cobblestone streets lead to the water’s edge, where residents swan dive.

Day 11

Turtle Sanctuary and Colombo

After breakfast, we’ll pack our stuff for the 2-hour drive along the coast to Colombo, Sri Lanka’s bustling capital. Along the way, we stop at a little turtle sanctuary where young turtles learn to swim and wounded adults are treated and released back into the wild. We’ll go across the street to the sad 2004 Tsunami Memorial, where you can hear survivors’ accounts and see images from the event. We’ll next fly into Colombo and check into our gorgeous hotel; you’ll have some free time to explore a neighboring national museum or art gallery, or ride a tuk tuk through the Pettah Markets for some last-minute gift shopping. Then, in the evening, we’ll gather for one more lunch before saying our last goodbyes!

Day 12

Time to Say Goodbye!

Today, we will drive you in a private vehicle to Colombo airport for your departure flight. It’s time to say our last goodbyes to the friends you’ve created over the last 12 days. Return home or continue your journey. Whatever your next location, we hope we have educated you on a country that has so much to offer, so many different ways to travel, and so much to motivate you to get out there and explore more.

Negombo

Negombo, sometimes known as Sri Lanka’s “Little Rome,” is a charming beach town located near the Bandaranaike International Airport. Negombo, home to some of Sri Lanka’s oldest churches, excellent seafood, and pristine beaches, is a great place to relax before or after visiting the rest of the nation. With a range of beach activities such as kite surfing and a vibrant nightlife, there is always something to do in Negombo.

Kandy

Kandy, the old kingdom, is home to the Temple of the Tooth Relic of Lord Buddha, as well as Edwardian structures, a king-made lake, a wildlife reserve, and interesting stores.

Kandy, the island’s second biggest city and the headquarters of the Central Province, has evolved from a medieval monarchy to a pleasant, bustling metropolis located in wooded hills surrounded by tea plantations and adjacent to the Royal Botanical Gardens at Peradeniya. There are several Buddhist monasteries and Hindu sites of worship to visit, as well as cultural dance performances to observe, in addition to the Temple of the Tooth.

Kandy is a good place to stay for a few days while seeing the Cultural Triangle since there are hotels to suit every budget. Colombo is easily accessible by rail, road, and float aircraft.

Ella

Ella is a tiny hill country community with independent guesthouses, surrounded by mountains, farms, and waterfalls, with breathtaking views and a dramatic mythical past. In the classic Indian epic Ramanaya, written more than 1,000 years before Christ, it is said that Ravana, ruler of Lanka, utilized Sita Cave, 2 kilometers from Ella, to conceal Sita, Rama’s lovely bride. This draws numerous tourists from India who are interested in the Ramanaya narrative. The vista via Ella Gap and Ravana Falls is equally appealing.

Ella is also a popular stop on the backpackers’ path from west to east Sri Lanka, and several tiny cafés and low-cost guesthouses have sprung up along the major road through the hamlet to accommodate them. The charming village, located 204 kilometers from Colombo, is best visited by rail.

Price

Description

Per person in a double room

Inclusions & Exclusions
The above cost includes:
The above cost does not include:

Comfortable Bed & Breakfast Accommodations in the Mentioned “Overnight Stay” Locations

Early check-in & Late check-out.

Transport in an Air-Conditioned car with an English speaking Chauffeur Guide.

Entrance/excursion fees to the places mentioned in our itinerary.

Government Tax (11%)

Tips and other expenses of personal nature.

Hotel availability is subject on the tour and travel dates being confirmed.
Payment Policy
Please be aware that we require 50% of the payment at confirmation and the remaining amount two weeks before arrival, although full payment may also be made upon confirmation.
Payment Methods

On-line payment using a personal credit card (Amex/Visa/Master). Log in details will be sent on confirmation.

Bank transfer.