Sri Lanka Itinerary 8 Days

At the Bandaranaike International Airport, you will be warmly welcomed by your own Holiday Lanka Tours Chauffer and transferred to your first destination, Pinnawala to visit Sri Lankan elephants. Pinnawala Elephant Orphanage spans 25 acres and is located very close to the Maha Oya. This was established in 1975 and commenced with seven orphans. The main objective of establishing the orphanage was biased more toward tourism, but now it became a conservation and research, and education center. Pinnawala Elephant Orphanage has the largest herd of captive elephants in the world. Here you can observe and actively participate in elephant bathing and the bottle feeding session,

After breakfast, you will have a chance to visit the world heritage site in Sigiriya. The Sigiriya Rock fortress is located in the heart of the Island between the towns of Dambulla and Habarana on a massive rocky plateau 370 meters above sea level.  The fortress complex includes residues of a ruined place, surrounded by extensive networks of fortifications, vast gardens, ponds, channels, alleys, and fountains. The western wall of the fortress is almost entirely covered by the world’s famous frescoes created during the period of Kashyapa. The next stop will be the Habarana for a village tour and an elephant back ride.  Here, you will get experience a boat ride, bullock cart ride, rural vegetable cultivation, and paddy fields and enjoy an authentic Sri Lankan lunch at a village house. An elephant back safari brings you an unforgettable experience during the tour. The majestic beast the locations in close proximity to the cultural attractions and the terrain rich with bird life and also a chance to be familiar with the nature and behavior of tamed elephants.

Dambulla will be the next attraction site of your Sri Lanka tour. Dambulla Rock Temple is located at an elevation of 1118 feet from sea level. The temple which has been built by King Walagamba in the 1st Sanctuary B.C and is the most impressive of Sri Lanka’s cave temples. The complex of five caves with over 2000 Square meters of painted walls and ceilings is the largest area of paintings found in the world. The cave temple contains over 150 images of the Buddha of which the largest is the colossal figure of Buddha carved out of rock. Then transfer to Matale. Here you can visit a spice garden to see the different spices for which Sri Lanka is famous for here. You can observe different spices and how some spices are grown and processed and also witness a cooking demonstration.

After your breakfast transfer to Knuckles. The Knuckles mountain range also called the “Dumbara mountain range” is located in Kandy and Matale districts. The average annual rainfall of the highland areas of Knuckles is 5000mm and in the lowland areas, it is less than 2500mm. The Knuckles Range and the surrounding areas have been declared as strict nature reserves. A large variety of indigenous plants not found elsewhere are found in this area.​ On completion, transfer to Kandy

Nuwara Eliya is a cool resort town located in the central mountains surrounded by amazing views and tea estates. Do a city tour of Nuwara Eliya including tea plantations, Golf courses, the Hakgala botanical garden, Hindu temples, and the world’s famous Pink post office, etc... In the evening enjoy water sports at the Lake Gregory

In the Early morning proceed to visit Horton Plains National Park.  This is located on a high windswept saddle at about 2134 meters above sea level and in the Central Province of Nuwara Eliya district. The plains are an expanse of misty grassland with scraggy trees and ice-cold rivulets. Visit the World’s End considered to be the finest view in all of Sri Lanka. Here you can also see the beautiful Backer’s Falls.  The park shelters mammals such as Sambhur, Leopard, and endemic Bear Monkeys. The famous Horton Plains national was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2010. En-route visit the New Zealand farm located in Ambewela. In the evening do some shopping in Nuwara Eliya town.

After a healthy breakfast, you will travel to Udawalawa National Park. In the evening do a ½ day jeep safari of the Udawalawa National Park. This is a dry zone park that was declared a national park in 1972. The park falls between the Udawalawa reservoir and the Walawe River and is surrounded by the scenic beauty of the mountain range that keeps on winding endlessly on the Balangoda, Kalthota, and Haputale escarpments. This park is famous for its elephants seen in all their playfulness, whole herds of them, adults and babies bathing and playing in the water or feeding. In addition to elephants, spotted deer, Sambhur, barking deer, Gray Langur, water buffalo, and jackal are some of the prominent wild animals found in this park. Serpent eagles, hawk eagles, white bellied sea eagles, black capped bulbuls, Malabar pied horn bills, white necked storks, open bills, white ibis, the forest Nightingale, stork billed kingfishers and peacocks are also found in fair numbers.

On your last day, do an early wildlife jeep safari which will be an unforgettable bird-watching experience.​ And the end of the safari proceed to CMB airport or Colombo Hotel.