Arrival and welcome by a representative of Lanka Sportreizen and transfer to Hotel.
Relax / City Tour of Colombo
Accommodation:
Trans Asia Hotel Colombo
After breakfast leave for Kitulgala.
Visit the Belilena Cave which is situated 2000 feet above sea level in scenic surroundings.The excavations have helped to uncover many fossils more than 32,000 years old.
Also visit the location of the famous film “Bridge on the River Kwai directed by David Lean” (You - might be lucky to meet the “Jungle Boy” and talk to him.)
Accommodation:
Plantation Hotel Kitulgala
After breakfast leave for Bulathsinhala.
Visit the Pahiangala Cave which is situated 400 feet above sea level overlooking a panoramic mountain range. This cave derives its name from the famous chinese explorer Fa Hien who has been staying there during his sojourn in Sri Lanka in the
5th Century AD and is supposed to be the place where the earliest human beings - Homo sapiens - have lived in Asia more than 37,000 years ago.It can easily provide shelter to more than 3000 people.
Accommodation:
Closenberg Hotel Galle.
After breakfast leave for Embilipitiya.
En route visit the Mulkirigala Cave Temple Complex - well known as “ Little Sigiriya” or better still as “Adam’s Berg” by the British., full of statues paintings, sculptures etc.
Accommodation:
Centauria Hotel Embilipitiya
After early breakfast undertake a Jeep Safari of the Uda Walawe National Park.
In the afternoon undertake a visit to the Wavulpane Cave - 912 feet above sea level- which has got the name because of hundreds of thousands of bats living in it (make sure to wear your dirtiest clothes).
Be armed with powerful torches to enjoy the beauty of the stalactites and stalagmites which are results of the water flowing in to the cave and identified as having the richest percentage of Calcium Carbonate deposits in Sri Lanka.
Accommodation:
River Garden Hotel or Belihuloya Rest House Belihuloya
After breakfast leave for Balangoda to visit the Saint Jeyalaüi Cave Mosque in Kuragala, famous for the healing powers, which is in the memory of Saint Qutub Muhiyadeen Abdul Cader Jailany who visited this site more than 1000 years.
Transfer to Ella
Accommodation:
Country Comfort Inn Ella
After breakfast visit the “Rawana Cave “ - the place on the panoramice Ella Mountain Range where the Emperor Rawana of the Indian Epic “Ramayana” had been keeping Princess Sita imprisoned. In the afternoon visit the Dowa Temple to see beautiful cave paintings going back to thousands of years and also the Bogoda Bridge - 100% out of wood and more than 700 years old, only one with a roof over it - in addition to the Cave Temple.
Accommodation:
Country Comfort Inn Ella
After breakfast tranfer to the station.
Leave for Kandy by train.
En route enjoy the breathtakingly beautiful scenery of the typical hill county of Sri Lanka in the process piercing through a large number of tunnels, seeing many Water Falls, Green Carpeted Hill Slopes covered with Tea etc.
Pick up and transfer to the Hotel
Accommodation:
Suisse Hotel Kandy.
After breakfast underatke a City Tour of Kandy including the Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic of Lord Buddha and the Royal Botanica’ Gardens at Peradeniya.
Leave for Sigiriya
En route visit the Alnviharaya - where the teachings of Lord Buddha were written down for the first time in the histoiy and the world’s largest Painted Cave Temple - Dambulla Cave Temple with 5 caves covered with massive wall and ceiling paintings covering about 22,000 sq ft.
Accommodation:
Sigiriya Village Hotel Sigiriya
After breakfast climb the Sigiriya Rock and see the caves with paintings in the complex.
Leave for Anuradhapura - the 1st capital of Sri Lanka in the 5th Century BC
En route visit Mihintale - the cradle of Buddism where the message of Buddism was delivered by Arahath Mahinda, which led to the biggest revolution in the world after which caves of Sri Lanka came to be used in large propotions.
In Airnradhapura , visit the Vessagiriya Cave Complex used by early Buddhisht Monks for Meditation purposes and the lsurumuniya Temple which one of the earliest cave Temples in Sri Lanka.
Accommodation:
Palm Garden Village Hotel Anuradhapura
After breakfast leave for Pirinawela.
En route visit the Haththicuchchi Monastic Complex - including the cave where the ldng who donated his head had been living as an acetic.
Enjoy seeing the baby elephants being fed by bottle and the largest congregation of domesticated elephants frolicking in the river.
Accommodation:
Elephant View Hotel Pinnawela
After breakfast leave for Colombo.
En route visit the Cave Complex at Pilikuththuwa comprising of more than 15 caves of different dimensions - which is supposed to be one of the major hideouts of the famous King – Valagamba.
Then visit the Maligakanda and Varana Temple Complexes with different interesting types of caves.
Accommodation:
Galle Face Hotel Colombo
After breakfast transfer to the airport for Departure