Elephant Island Tour Of Sri Lanka

A Tour Of Sri Lanka With Wildlife At Yala National Park

Sri Lanka has an amazing variety of sights on offer for a small island. If you have an interest in wildlife and nature and do not mind a certain amount of travelling in order to see as much as possible within the timeframe of a one week tour, this itinerary is very much recommended.

A visit to Yala National Park in the Deep South of the island will be a highlight as this famous reserve has the greatest concentration of Leopards in the world today.

Recommended For: Those who wish to experience the island’s wildlife and nature as well as the must-see sights.

Day 01

Depart UK

Depart UK – Overnight flight

Day 02

Colombo

The Mount Lavinia Hotel

Relax On Arrival At Colombo
The Mount Lavinia Hotel (1877) is an ideal place to relax upon arrival in Sri Lanka. The hotel has a private stretch of beach for its guests and wonderful Indian Ocean sunsets can be seen from its Terrace Bar.

Day 03

Dambulla

Amaya Lake

Pinnawela Elephant Orphanage
Sri Lanka’s number one tourist attraction is a wonderful place to spend a couple of hours in the company of over 70 elephants, the largest herd in the entire world. You can turn up for feeding time at 9 am or watch them bathe in the Maha Oya River for the rest of the day.

The Golden Cave Temples Of Dambulla
A series of steps lead to 5 cave temples that contain some of the world’s finest examples of ancient Buddhist art. Many of the frescoes and sculptures are in fact well over 2000 years old.

Day 04

Kandy

The Chaaya Citadel

Sigiriya Rock Fortress
Many consider Sigiriya to be the 8th Wonder Of The Ancient World. It is difficult not to be awe-struck upon setting your eyes upon this strange shaped rock with ruins of a palace and citadel hanging on to its sides.

A rusty staircase takes you to a cave gallery containing frescoes of the famous Sigiriya Maidens. Further on are the giant Lions Paws leading to a dizzy climb to the top from where superb views of the jungles and distant hills are seen.

Kandy And The Temple Of The Tooth
At the gateway of the Hill Country lies the old royal capital of Kandy, the final stronghold of the island’s rulers until capture by the British in 1815.

As such, Kandy is the centre of the island’s indigenous culture, with many surrounding villages producing good quality arts and crafts.

The UNESCO protected Old Town area is a lovely place for an afternoon walk along a maze of streets leading to the Temple Of The Buddha’s Tooth and the Kandy Lake, magnificently framed against forest clad hills in the background.

Day 05

Nuwara Eliya

The Grand Hotel

By Train Through The Hill Country To Nuwara Eliya
A morning departure on the Highland Queen Express leads through spectacular vistas of tea covered mountains, hillside villages and the lovely St Clair’s Waterfall.

Nuwara Eliya
Sri Lanka’s ‘Little England’ in the hills where British tea planters of yesteryear recreated an English ‘country life’ of manor houses, golfing, race courses and afternoon tea at the Hill Club.

Day 06

Bandarawela

The Bandarawela Hotel

Horton Plains Cloud Forests And World’s End
A strange windswept plateau at 6500ft with moss covered forests of rhododendron and sweeping grasslands crossed by crystal-clear streams. A path leads to World’s End- a sheer precipice of some 3000ft! and the enchanting Baker’s Falls.

Day 07

Yala

Yala Village

Encounters With Leopards And Wild Elephants At Yala
The largest national park in Sri Lanka is very reminiscent of the African savannah and is where the greatest variety of wildlife can be observed.

Herds of Spotted Deer, solitary Sambar Elk and Wild Boar are common. Peacocks are plentiful in the jungles. Monster Crocodiles are to be seen at some of its watering holes.

Moreover, Yala is now gaining an international reputation as the best place to watch Leopards in the world. The aggressive Sloth Bear is also present but rarely seen.

Yala also contains about 250 Elephants including some magnificent solitary cross-tuskers.

 

Day 08

Sri Lanka’s Beaches

The South Coast Road And The Stilt Fishermen
A lovely coast road passes through a succession of picture-postcard beaches and idyllic bays such as Weligama, widely acknowledged as one of the most beautiful in the world.

The island’s unique Stilt Fishermen can be seen in this area during the late afternoons.

The Old World Town Of Galle
Galle has a charming old Dutch Fort (1640) itself the best preserved in Asia, whose ramparts enclose an Old Town of great historical and architectural value. The labyrinth of streets and alleyways contain about 200 old colonial buildings that are a UNESCO World Heritage Site of prime importance.

Sri Lanka’s Beach Resorts
A beach stay on Sri Lanka’s famous palm fringed beaches combined in addition to this tour will make for an excellent 2 week holiday on the island.

Since you are returning from the south of the island, it is possible to add a beach stay in the idyllic Deep South of Sri Lanka, such as Tangalle, Mirissa or the beaches around Galle, as long as you are aware of the traveling time back to the Airport. Alternatively, choose the more popular resorts of the South West (Bentota, Wadduwa and Kalutara) or Negombo.

NOTE: You can choose as many beach nights as you require.

Depart Sri Lanka

Depart Sri Lanka – Daytime flights arrive back in UK the same day.