15 Day Discover Sri Lanka Trip Notes

		Day 1 Our airport representative will meet you at the airport and transfer you to the hotel in Negombo which is on the beach. It would take only 20 minutes to get to your hotel. You can lie by the pool or beach for the rest of the day. Overnight in Negombo *.
		Day 2 Drive to Kithugala which is surrounded by thick rainforest type vegetation. This is a little village untouched by tourism next to the Keleni River where Bridge Over the River Kwai was filmed in 1956. You will stay at the Resthouse which is next to the river. Though it has been classified as a Resthouse, you even have your own private patio and lawn. After lunch, you will do a walk taking about 2 hours through thick rainforest type vegetation to the village. At the end of the walk, you will take the local ferry across the river and finish near the hotel. Overnight in Kithulgala.
		Day 3 White water rafting ** with the option of either Grade 1 or 3 rapids, going down the Keleni River with fantastic views of virgin rainforest on either bank . Leave to go to Uda Walawe Elephant Transit Camp funded by the Born Free Foundation. There are over 35 little orphan elephants that will be fed with milk while you watch. Eventually, these elephants will be released into Uda Walawe National Park. After lunch at Uda Walawe, you will drive to Kataragama which is close to Yala National Park. Overnight at hotel* at Tissamaharama.
		Day 4 You will take jeeps into Yala National Park where you will see elephants, crocodiles, deer, wild boar, monitor lizards, water buffalo etc. There is very rich birdlife and there is always a chance of seeing a leopard or if you are lucky, a sloth bear. At Yala, you have the highest percentage chance of anywhere in the world of being able to see a leopard. After the game drive, you will drive to Ella Gap and have lunch at your hotel, View Point Villa. Ella Gap has an amazing view of the coastal plain nearly 1,000 metres below. Almost the whole of the southern part of the island can be seen on a clear day. After lunch, you will take a short walk up Small Adams Peak (about an hour and a half). Overnight Ella Gap.
		Day 5 You will take the train to from Ella climbing steeply up to Horton Plains, This is the most picturesque train journey in Sri Lanka which lasts about two hours. As the train spirals around the mountains, you will get breath-taking views of valleys with picturesque terracing or hillsides covered in tea plantations as you pass quintessentially English looking stations.Horton Plains is a large plateau of over 2,300 metres above sea level. You will walk through sub-montane vegetation for about three hours seeing on the way, World's End and the Baker's Waterfall. World's End is one of the most spectacular sights in Sri Lanka where the ground drops about 1,000 metres to the plains below. There is unusual wildlife such as sambur deer, purple monkey, horned lizard etc. After the walk, you willdrive to Nuwara Eliya described as a misplaced English village. You have a free late afternoon to explore the colonial buildings, racecourse, golf course etc. The altitude is about 2,000 metres so the climate is much cooler. Overnight at Nuwara Eliya.
		Day 6 Visit a tea factory to have a fascinating tour to see just how your English cup of tea is produced and then drive to Kandy through the tea plantations. Visit the Royal Botanical Gardens which contain many of the indigenous trees of the country. The highlights being the orchid house and the amazing Ficus Benjamina. After the gardens, you will visit the Gem Museum where you can see the products of the traditional methods of gem mining. Kandy was the last indigenous capital of Sri Lanka and it nestles in the hills beside a small lake. Overnight at Kandy hotel*.
		Day 7 You will visit the most secret Temple of the Buddhists which houses the tooth relic of Lord Buddha. You will visit the Temple during the ceremony and so see the Casket of the Tooth. The tooth of Buddha was taken from the funeral pyre in the 5th century BC and thousands of worshippers visit the Temple every day to pay homage. Then, you have about 2 hours to wander around in the picturesque Kandy town doing some shopping or walking around the lake.you will then drive to Pinnewala Elephant Orphanage where you will see over 75 elephants playing in the river. These elephants have been rescued by the wildlife department and had it not been for the Orphanage, most of these elephants would have died. You will watch the elephants for about two hours and return to Kandy to see the Cultural Show. The Kandyan dancing dates back to the 3rd century BC and was performed by witch doctors to cure patients. There will also be some self-mortification activities like fire walking! There are lots of little restaurants in town to have dinner. Overnight in Kandy hotel*.
		Day 8 You will leave Kandy and drive towards Sigiriya. On the way, you will visit a spice garden where you will see how Sri Lankan spices and herbs grow and learn about ayurvedic medicine and buy some spices, if you wish. After lunch, you will drive to Dambulla, and visit the Dambulla Cave Temples. This is the largest painted cave temple in the world which was built in the 1st century BC. There are over 200 statues of Lord Buddha. Dambulla temple is one of the few living world heritage sites in the country. Overnight in Sigiriya area *.
Day 9 - 15