Heritage Sri Lanka

When you arrive in Sri Lanka, take a taxi to a hotel in blissful Negombo near the international airport. After your flight, unwind and prepare yourself for the adventure ahead.

Over the following three days, Sri Lanka's famed cultural triangle will keep both mind and body occupied. Explore Sigiriya's Lion Rock, Dambulla's Buddhist Cave Temples, and the historic kingdom of Polonnaruwa, which served as Sri Lanka's regal medieval capital during the late 11th and 13th centuries. After seeing the Polonnaruwa museum, which will offer an insight of this historic city and its past, go to the ruins itself. When visiting Polonnaruwa, you should also consider going on a safari at Minneriya National Park.

The drive from the cultural triangle to Sri Lanka's hill capital, the little lakeside city of Kandy, will take the better part of the morning. Visit the Temple of the Tooth in Kandy, which has housed a revered tooth relic of Lord Buddha since the 4th century AD. The temple includes ornate walls, a golden ceiling, and exquisite woodwork. Religious services with traditional music and drumming are held daily at dawn, midday, and evening, and guests are welcome to attend. Kandy's Botanical Gardens are definitely worth a visit.

Continue your journey into Sri Lanka's tea-growing hills. You could appreciate the "Tea Experience," which includes a tour to a plantation to see the process, beginning with the plucking field, where it all begins with the picking of "two leaves and a bud" and ending with the factory, where the processing begins. Temperatures in Sri Lanka's hill country are comparable to an early English summer's day, and you may go hiking, cycling, canoeing, or simply relax and enjoy the breathtaking surroundings. Consider an all-day excursion to Ella's three most recognizable landmarks: the Nine Arch Bridge, Little Adam's Peak, and Ella Rock. An all-night hike up Adam's Peak in the west of the highlands is another alternative that we may give on special request.

You can now go to Yala National Park in the southeast. Along the way, stop at Buduruvagala to witness Sri Lanka's biggest rock-cut Buddha statue (51 feet tall) and other 8th-century AD Mahayana Buddhist statues. Yala National Park, with its scrub plains, lagoons, and mountainous portions, is perhaps the greatest spot in Sri Lanka to observe all three of the country's Big Three: elephant, leopard, and water buffalo. If you want to keep your travel to a minimum, try visiting Uda Walawe game park instead.

Travel down the picturesque south coast to the ancient city of Galle, where you'll spend the night in the 17th-century Dutch Fort, a UNESCO World Heritage site. Several hours may be spent meandering through the small alleyways and well-preserved walls, exploring notable historic structures like the lighthouse and Dutch Reform Church. Galle currently has a plethora of art and artisan businesses as well as lovely tiny cafés, making it one of the best locations to meet in Sri Lanka. The Fort's thick, high ramparts, which defend and differentiate it, are now utilized for romantic nighttime strolls and knockabout cricket games.

We've reserved the final three nights to get a taste of the beaches of Sri Lanka. Our Classic Island trip puts you on the sought-after Galle Coast, but you may prefer the west coast resort of Bentota, a family-friendly resort with beaches as wide as any on the island: the option is always yours. Consider visiting the Balapitiya puppet museum, where a fourth-generation puppeteer will explain the history of this wonderful art form. Bentota has a variety of water activities available on the shore and along a river estuary. When your trip is finished, it is conveniently located two and a half hours from the international airport.

We have now reached the end of your magnificent tour. We bid you adieu with a heart full of memories.