The Sandy Side of Sri Lanka

On arrival, you are warmly greeted and picked up from the airport by your very own chauffeur guide. You will then be transferred from the airport to Kandy (approx. 4 hours drive) and visit the Pinnawala Elephant Orphanage on the way.

The Pinnawala Elephant Orphanage is a well-known and famous tourist attraction in Sri Lanka, where both adult and baby elephants thrive and the breeding program has been a success. After the stop, you will head to Kandy, where you will enjoy a tour of Kandy in the evening.

Kandy is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, so this city tour will be quite exciting. The city is situated 480 meters above sea level and is nestled in the middle of the beautiful mountains. Sri Lankans call the city, “Kanda Uda Rata” meaning hill country.

Visit the Upper Lake Drive, where you will be able to see a panoramic view of the city and the Market Square, before heading to The Temple of the Tooth, which is believed to contain the ‘tooth relic’ of Lord Buddha. Don’t forget that Kandy is a well-known destination for gems, jewellery, handicraft, silk and much more. On the tour, you will stop by a local market and browse these wares to your heart’s content. Upon returning, you will head to a Kandyan Dance performance in the evening with a spectacular fire-walking finale.

Stay overnight in a hotel in Kandy.

After breakfast, spend the day at leisure by the beautiful Bentota Beach, one of the most well-known, striking beaches of Sri Lanka. The beachside is also popular for the range of Ayurvedic and other beauty and health treatments. If you feel like indulging in any water sports, then there is water skiing on the rivers or estuaries, snorkeling, scuba diving, windsurfing, parasailing, and fishing or you can always go swimming in the ocean.

You stay overnight in a hotel here.

Today, at Balapitiya, enjoy a scenic boat ride amidst Mangrove caves. Balapitiya is famous for the unique beauty of Madu Ganga.

Then you visit the Turtle Hatchery in Kosgoda. This place is well-known for its interesting sea-turtle conservation project. Established in the year 1988, it works towards protecting the turtles so as to save them from the brink of extinction. Ever since the project was operational, about 3.5 million baby turtles have been released into the waters. The months from October to April are the season when turtles lay eggs and that is when they make landfall. But in Kosgoda, where green turtles are found, they can be found all through the year.

Later, in the evening, you can relax and engage in some activities on your own. You stay overnight in a hotel here.

After breakfast, you transfer to Colombo (approx. 2 hrs 30 min drive). On arrival, you proceed on a city tour and later engage in some shopping in the capital city of Sri Lanka. Colombo is the capital city and also the commercial and business hub of Sri Lanka. Before the arrival of the Portuguese in 1505 AD, Colombo was just a small seaport in this island nation. Later, when the Portuguese discovered this land, it became very prominent and afterwards, the British developed it into a major harbour. Visit the Parliament complex, Arcade Independent Square, Bandaranayke Memorial International conference hall, Independence Square, Town Hall, Colombo fort, Beira Lake, Old Dutch Hospital, Nelum pokuna Mahinda Rajapakshe theatre and Galle Face.

You stay overnight in a hotel here.