Day 1
Your will be warmly received with by our representative at the Arrival Lounge of Colombo International Airport.
Welcome to Sri Lanka. You will be met by our representative at Colombo International Airport and transfer to Negombo, just 00 minutes' drive. Negombo is a beach destination on the west coast.
Day 2
2 hours drive approximately
It has been in existence at least since 1000 CE, although myths surrounding the temple associate it with the popular Indian epic Ramayana, and its legendary hero-king Rama.
Mihintale is a mountain peak near Anuradhapura ancient city, believed by Sri Lankans to be the site of a meeting between the Buddhist monk Mahinda and King Devanampiyatissa which inaugurated the presence of Buddhism in Sri Lanka. It is now a pilgrimage site, and the site of several religious monuments and abandoned structures.
Day 3
Full day safari game drive in Wilpattu National Park, home to large number of Leopards in Sri Lanka, Wilpattu is the most beautiful national park in Sri Lanka. Picnic breakfast, lunch and refreshments will be provided
Day 4
Explore UNESCO's World Heritage site of Anuradhapura's "Atamasthana" or eight sacred places are a series of locations in Sri Lanka where the Buddha had visited during his three visits to the country. The sacred places are known as Jaya Sri Maha Bodhiya, Ruwanwelisaya, Thuparamaya, Lovamahapaya, Abhayagiri Dagaba, Jetavanarama, Mirisaveti Stupa and Lankarama. They are situated in Anuradhapura, the capital of the ancient Anuradhapura Kingdom.
Day 5
1 ½ hours drive approximately
You will be picked up by 2.30 PM by our Safari guide to see the big Jumbos in Minneriya National Park.
Minneriya is closely associated with the famous ‘Minneriya Tank', a 4,760 acre man-made tank (or reservoir) built by King Mahasen during the Anuradhapura Period (277 – 304 AD). The tank was constructed by building a 13 metre high dam across the Minneriya River and holds over 20 billion gallons of water.
Minneriya National Park was originally a Wildlife Sanctuary, before being designated as a National Park in 1997 with the intent of protecting the catchment of the Minneriya Tank and the wildlife in the nearby areas. The Park gets its annual rainfall during the North-East monsoons from October to January, the rest of the months being considered the dry season. The park with its low-canopy forests, secondary forests, scrubland, grasslands, and swamps as well as its Minneriya Tank that never goes dry, is considered a dry season feeding ground for elephant populations living in the vicinity of Matale, Polonnaruwa and Trincomalee and helps sustain large herds of elephants.
The Minneriya National Park is famed for its “Elephant Gatheringâ€, a spectacular phenomenon during the long dry seasons, when hundreds of elephants, both the adults and young along with a few tuskers, sometimes numbering close to 200 (with some sightings claiming close to 700) can be seen feeding on the grasslands bordering the tank, with others cooling off in the giant tank. This annual event, considered to be the largest wild elephant gathering in South Asia, attracts hundreds of tourist visitors who come to the park to observe and experience this unique wildlife spectacle.
In addition to the elephant attraction at the Park, it also has an abundance of other wildlife. This includes 24 species of mammals, such as endemic monkeys; purple faced langur and toque macaque, sambar and axis deer, the grey slender loris and the less frequently seen Sri Lankan leopard and Sloth bear. The Minneriya Reservoir has been a welcome refuge for large water birds such as Lesser adjutant, Painted stork and Spot-billed pelican in addition to resident and migratory bird species totaling to 160. Amongst the endemic birds are Sri Lanka Jungle fowl, Sri Lanka hanging parrot, Brown capped babbler, Sri Lankan grey hornbill, Black-crested bulbul and Crimson-fronted barbell. Nine species of amphibians such as Fejervaya pulla and Polypedates cruiger have also been recorded from the park along with 25 species of reptiles, of which eight are endemic, the endangered Painted-lip lizard and Lankascincus fallax, Saltwater crocodile, Indian python, Asian water monitor and the Bengal monitor amongst others 26 species of fish of which four species are endemic to Sri Lanka and 75 species of butterflies.
Day 6
·        Naturetrail in the area, Forest walks, boulder scrambles, a spot of caving and …theloveliest of it all – stream hikes. Talk to the naturalist about yourparticular area of interest, and he will customize the trail and accompany you.
Trek along the stream and have dip in the natural pools This, without doubt, is the favourite activity of visitors to Dehigaha Ela Eco Lodge. The cold and sparkling Dehigaha Ela stream falls into the murky warm Kiri Oya River at the edge of the lodge. Let the tumbling water massage you, allow the cheeky fish nibble at your toes, or just disappear in to the cool pools of water.Â
Walking upstream along the Dehigaha Ela stream is highly recommended. It will take a while as you are tempted to dip in the innumerable pools created by the low calcium terraces. If you make it all the way, you get to the marshy pool fed by the clear bubbling springs where it all starts
Day 7
You'll be collected by our guide for a cycling trip in the countryside, exploring typical Sri Lankan rural villages where you can experience the day to day lifestyle of the villagers. The trip takes you amongst rice and vegetable fields where you can learn about local farming and how they protect crops from the wild. Finally you'll visit a village house and interact with the local villagers.
This is an approximately three to four hour trip.
Sigiriya Rock Fortress, the pleasure garden of King Kassapa, is dominated by a massive column of rock nearly 200 metres (660 ft) high. The site was reputedly selected by the King for his new capital. He built his palace on the top of this rock and decorated its sides with colourful frescoes. Halfway up the side of the rock is a gateway in the form of an enormous lion. The capital and the royal palace was abandoned after the king's death and used as a Buddhist monastery until the 14th century.
You will explore the complex and have the chance to climb the rock.
3 hours drive approximately
Day 8
Visit Sri Lanka's remotest village, Meemure. Meemure is surrounded by the "Dumbara" mountains, in English they are called the "Knuckles Mountains". A place where you can see the beauty of an authentic Sri Lankan village. Layered paddy fields, mountains and take dip and bathe in the stream.
On your way back to Kandy, we visit Corbet's Gap.
This is little more than half a day excursion. Picnic meals will be provided.
Day 10
Transfer to Buduruwagala, which is approximately 1 hour drive to see an ancient Buddhist temple, the complex consists of seven statues and belongs to the Mahayana school of thought. The statues date back to the 10th century. The gigantic Buddha statue still bears traces of its original stuccoed robe and a long streak of orange suggests it was once brightly painted. The central of the three figures to the Buddha's right is thought to be the Buddhist mythological figure-the Bodhisattva Avalokitesvara. To the left of this white painted figure is a female figure in the thrice-bent posture, which is thought to be his consort-Tara.
Approximately 45 minutes drive
Day 11
Around 9 am start on a walk that will take you inside the dry zone, mature and tall virgin forest. As soon as you are under the forest cover the air is different and cool. This is a protected forest connected to the Yala National Park, about 7 km further to south. Walking on animal tracks, we may see signs from the previous nights’ activity. We might come across footprints of sloth bear and paw marks of leopard as well as wild elephants’ footprints. All dry zone forest birds can be spotted in this forest. There are still ebony trees here, a rare tree to see in the forest today. We might make a small trek up on a mountain, to an open rock place from where you’ll see a panoramic view to the east and south. All jungle, in fact you can see into an almost complete overview of the total Yala National Park. Return to the lodge around 11–11.30 am.
In the afternoon around 4.15 pm start on an excursion to the lakes in close proximity to the lodge. Stay for some time at a lake; enjoy the scenery and the birdlife unfolding. With a bit of luck, elephants can be observed drinking water.
Day 12
Recommended is to try to 'do nothing' but follow the natural rhythms of the jungle. Relax and listen to the sounds. There's a small library with books about the Sri Lankan elephant, nature, and history. The local staff is highly skilled in the art of interpreting the signs of nature and visitors could learn to understand some of the sounds and smells of the jungle. If you still want to be active, we can make similar walks as described for the first day but slightly different. Planning of walks always depends on the movement of wildlife.
Day 13
4 hours drive approximately
Day 14
2 ½ hours drive approximatelyÂ
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