After breakfast, transfer to the hub of the Cultural Triangle, Habarana.

En route visit Dambulla Cave Temples is located in the North Central Province. This UNESCO World Heritage Site which dates back to the 01st century BC is an amazing complex of 05 caves, first used as a refuge by an ancient king who on regaining his throne, commissioned magnificent carved images within the living rock. Later kings made further improvements and the caves contain over 150 images of the Buddha of which the largest is a colossal figure spanning 15 meters. Cave inscriptions from the 2nd Century BC are found and on the walls are many paintings most of which belong to the Kandy period (early 19th century). This temple is a perfect location to view the evolution of ancient Sri Lankan art and is an important historical site due to the amalgamation of the material from many eras.

Set off this morning to Climb Sigiriya Rock Fortress - A mighty 600 ft high rock-fortress of a 5th century King is famous for its entrancingly beautiful frescoes which are found in a sheltered pocket of the rock. One cannot fail to marvel at the masterful execution of the sinuous forms of these women (originally 500, of which only 19 remain today). The old stairway to the top led through the mouth of a huge crouching lion, carved from the rock- today only the paws remain. Remains of the handsome royal citadel are on the summit.

Drive back to the hotel and spend the day at leisure or you have the option of prebook one of the below optional activities.

Please choose one activity

Visit the Polonnaruwa Medieval City : £70.00 per person (Includes Transportation + Site Entrance ticket)

Built-in the 11th and 12th centuries AD, Polonnaruwa is another World Heritage Site. It comprises the Brahmanic monuments built by the South Indian Cholas, and the ruins of the fabulous garden-city created by Parakramabahu I during the golden age of Polonnaruwa in the 12th century. Irrigation systems are far superior to those of the Anuradhapura Age were constructed, systems which to this day supply the water necessary for paddy cultivation during the dry season. Here you can see the ruins of the Royal Palace, the Gal Viharaya (4 huge statues of Buddha carved out of rock), the Audience Hall, the Lotus Bath, King Parakramabahu statue, and the remains of a former Temple of the Tooth Relic.

Evening experience an exciting 4 X 4 Jeep drive to Minneriya/Kaudulla or Hurulu Eco Park for an evening jeep safari :
£170.00 per couple (Includes Transportation + Park Entrance ticket+Private Jeep Hire)

Minneriya National Park - Located between Habarana and Polonnaruwa, the 8,890 hectares of Minneriya National Park consists of mixed evergreen forest and scrub areas and is home to favourites such as sambar deer, leopards and elephants. However, the central feature of the park is the ancient Minneriya Tank (built in 3 rd century AD by King Mahasena). During the dry season (June to September), this tank is an incredible place to observe the elephants who come to bathe and graze, as well as the huge flocks of birds (cormorants and painted storks to name but a few) that come to fish in the shallow waters. The visit of each park will be decided on the movements of the elephants

After a leisurely breakfast, you will drive to Kandy via visiting a spice garden in Matale en route.

Your will also have the option of visiting Dambulla Dedicated Economic Centre (No extra charges applicable). One of the largest dedicated economic centres in the country with 155 trade stalls, the Dambulla Dedicated economic centre stands off the competition. This place is meant for wholesales and hundreds of buyers gather each morning to bargain, purchase large quantities of vegetables, fruits, fish, groceries, etc. The place itself is loud with the terms and servers of the sales over 26,500 Mt per week in sales. Join the crowds and visit each shop and learn interesting items that are for sale inside this Dedicated Economic Center at Dambulla.

Matale Spice Gardens. Walk into a garden full of spices and herbs. The spice gardens are a fine specimen to observe various types of herbs and plants that could be used for different purposes. The guide will walk you through the spice garden, showing the plants and explaining the uses and the products that could be produced from them. Finally, the shop would be a great location to purchase different types of products that are produced from plants and herbs. Complementary 10 minutes neck & shoulder or head massage will be offered

Thereafter continue to your hotel in Kandy and check-in.

After breakfast, enjoy a city tour in Kandy followed by a visit to the Temple of the sacred tooth relic.

Kandy is a city in the centre of Sri Lanka. It was the last capital of the ancient kings' era of Sri Lanka. The city lies in the midst of hills in the Kandy plateau, which crosses an area of tropical plantations, mainly tea. Kandy is one of the most scenic cities in Sri Lanka; it is both an administrative and religious city. It is the capital of the Central Province (which encompasses the districts of Kandy, Matale and Nuwara Eliya) and also of Kandy District. The drive time from your resort to Kandy city is approximately 45 minutes.

The Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic, which houses the Tooth Relic of Lord Buddha, is an important landmark in Kandy. The Tooth is kept in a two-storey shrine fronted by two large elephant tusks and rests on a gold lotus flower, encased in a jewelled casket that sits on a throne. The temple is decorated with beautiful local paintings and architectural features.

Optional
Peradeniya Botanical Gardens £15.00 per person. The guests who has purchased this add-on will visit Peradeniya Botanical Gardens before the city tour.

Royal Botanical Gardens is about 6km (4miles) southwest of the Town Centre at Peradeniya on the Colombo highway, close to the banks of the Mahaweli Ganga, these gorgeous gardens were first planted and laid out for King Kirthi Sri Rajasingha (1747-1780) and cover some 60ha (150acres) of trees lawns and flowering shrubs, including a 20-ha (50acre) arboretum of more than 10,000 trees. Under British rule, the royal park became a botanical garden in 1821 and is the largest of Sri Lanka’s three main botanical gardens.

After breakfast at the hotel, enjoy a road transfer to Nuwara Eliya.

En route visit a tea factory and a tea plantation where one of the best tea in the world is produced. You will be told all about the process of manufacturing tea and gain first-hand experience of the manufacture of some of the best tea in world. If you're lucky you may be invited to taste a cup of pure Ceylon tea which begins its journey as raw green leaves in the hills and ends up as a final golden-brown graded product which we all know too well. At the end of the visit, you will have the opportunity of taking some pictures at the tea plantation and taste a cup of Ceylon tea.

Continue your drive to Nuwara Eliya. Upon arrival, your chauffeur will take you around this scenic city.

Nuwara Eliya, the famous Hill country town which formed with the Summer Retreat of the British is now visited by all when in Sri Lanka. The route from Kandy to Nuwara Eliya is one of the most scenic routes in the country. With the roads passing side by side on the mountains, you will be going up over 1400 meters during this 3 ½ hrs journey. With tea plantations on the sides and even in the far-away mountains, the beautiful Ramboda Falls waterfall being seen from a distance, the children run all over the roads trying to sell colourful bundles of flowers and fruits as well.

This morning, you will be transferred to the safari capital, Yala. En route stop at Ravana Ella Waterfall for some pictures. Check into the hotel and relax.

Afternoon, you will have the option of visiting Kataragama Kirivehera Buddhist Temple and Kataragama Kovil (No additional cost)

Early this morning, embark on an exciting morning jeep safari in Yala National Park (private jeep). A packed breakfast will be provided.

This is Sri Lanka’s most known National Park is popular for Elephant, Leopard, Bear, Crocodile and Wild Boar. 97,800 hectares in extent, this is the second largest of Sri Lanka’s National Parks. Its open undulating terrain made it famous for elephants for many years, but recently the park has also received much fame through publicity by National Geographic and the Discovery TV channels, which focused on a leopard research/conservation and identification project. Claims have subsequently been made that Yala National Park has the world’s highest concentration of leopards per square kilometre.

Drive back to the hotel and spend the rest of your afternoon at leisure.

Optional
Evening 4 X 4 Jeep drive to Yala National Park as the second safari: £170.00 per couple

(Includes Transportation + Park Entrance ticket + Private Jeep Hire)

After breakfast, check-out from your hotel and drive towards southern coast for your onward beach stay.

Enroute stop at Galle Fort for a Walking Tour.

Galle said to be the famous Tarshish of the Old Testament, where King Solomon obtained gems and spices, this “living” UNESCO World Heritage Site is a fortification first built by the Portuguese on the Southwestern coast of Sri Lanka. Thereafter the fort went under extensive modifications during the Dutch & British rule, making it one of the most important archaeological and historic monuments to illustrate the European influence in Southeast Asia between the 16th and 19th centuries. Old Dutch churches and monuments with armorial bearings, well preserved fort and ramparts, old Dutch houses and narrow alleys bearing Dutch names are all sites to look out for. Take a stroll around the Fort, where the streets laid in a rectangular grid and the low gabled houses and terraces in the Dutch colonial style, the entire town gives a feeling of quaint but beautiful nostalgia. If you are a lover of history and archaeology, or looking for a peaceful and fun holiday, the Fort of Galle has much to offer you with its ruins and monuments, boutique hotels, art galleries, eateries and pretty little shops.

Day at leisure

Check out and transfer to Colombo’international airport for the flight back home.