The Sri Lankan Experience

DAY 1: Kandy
Our staff will be there to warmly welcome you at the Airport; from there we will accompany you to the city of Kandy which is around 115km from Colombo, a journey through spectacular scenery. Kandy This sacred Buddhist site, popularly known as the city of Senkadagalapura, was the last capital of the Sinhala kings whose patronage enabled the Sinhala culture to flourish for more than 2,500 years until the occupation of Sri Lanka by the British in 1815. It is also the site of the Temple of the Tooth Relic (the sacred tooth of the Buddha), which is a famous pilgrimage site. Kandy is a large city in central Sri Lanka. It's set on a plateau surrounded by mountains, which are home to tea plantations and biodiverse rainforest. The city's heart is scenic Kandy Lake (Bogambara Lake), which is popular for strolling. Kandy is famed for sacred Buddhist sites, including the Temple of the Tooth (Sri Dalada Maligawa) shrine, celebrated with the grand Esala Perahera annual procession. one of the most sacred places of worship in the Buddhist world. It was declared a world heritage site by UNESCO in 1988. Historically the local Buddhist rulers resisted Portuguese, Dutch, and British colonial expansion and There you will be staying in a Luxury Hotel and will have the most amazing stay.
Tooth of temple about you knowlge Sri Dalada Maligawa or the Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic is a Buddhist temple in the city of Kandy, Sri Lanka. It is located in the royal palace complex of the former Kingdom of Kandy, which houses the relic of the tooth of the Buddha. Since ancient times, the relic has played an important role in local politics because it is believed that whoever holds the relic holds the governance of the country. Kandy was the last capital of the Sri Lankan kings and is a World Heritage Site mainly due to the temple. Over Nights Stay at Kandy Hotel

DAY 2 : Kandy
After breakfast you will be taken to visit the Royal Botanical Gardens in Peradeniya. Peradeniya botanical garden was formally established in 1843 with plants brought from Kew Garden in London, it encompasses a total area of 147 acres. Though the groundwork for the current gardens were laid in 1821 by Alexander Moon, the origins of the Botanic Gardens date as far back as 1371 when King Wickramabahu III ascended the throne and kept court at Peradeniya near the Mahaweli river. It was made more independent and expanded under George Gardner as superintendent in 1844, after which it was controlled under a few superintendents till it was taken under the control of the Department of Agriculture in 1912. The Royal Botanical Gardens of Peradeniya was used as the South East Asian Headquarters of the Allied Forces during the Second World War as well. The Royal Botanical Gardens in Peradeniya was listed in the “10 great botanical gardens around the world” published by The Guardian in 2018. Big pergolas and wire arches are covered with glamorous climber plants with hard-to-pronounce names like Beaumont a and Saritaea, intertwined with the beautiful lilac-blue petraea, which are said to have grown more beautifully than in the Kew gardens itself. A small and neat orchid house built inside the Royal Botanical Gardens exhibits some of the best orchid species and the entrance is decorated with beds of red Salvia coccinea and scarlet poinsettias, with the main Broad Walk being created with fine evergreen trees, underneath which there are beds of the pretty “Prickly Bush” and “Blue Sky” flora. The National Herbarium of Sri Lanka
The leading institute for authentication of plants in Sri Lanka, is also located inside the Peradeniya Gardens. The key duties of this institute is to explore plants, identify them, and prepare specimens, documentation and revising of the floral wealth in Sri Lanka. The gardens also consist of a few historically prominent trees such as a massive Ceylon Ironwood tree planted by Nicholas II in 1894, a tea plant from China (1824) which is considered as the first ever noncommercial tea plant in Sri Lanka, a big Amherstia planted by Prince Albert of Belgium, a camphor tree planted by First female prime minister of Sri Lanka – Mrs. Sirimavo Bandaranaike in 1972, a BaikeaInsignis planted by the High Pontiff of the Muslim Dawoodi Bohra Community, Syedna Taher Saifuddin (RA) in 1941, a Yellow Trumpet tree planted by Crown Prince Akihito of Japan and his Crown Princess 1981, and the Sorrowless tree planted by Queen Elizabeth in 1981.
Royal Botanical Gardens in Peradeniya is the oldest formal gardens in Sri Lanka. It is located 460 Meters above the mean sea level about 5 km to the west of the city of Kandy in the Central Province of Sri Lanka. Royal Botanic Gardens Peradeniya attracts approximately 2 million local and foreign visitors annually. The garden includes more than 4000 species of plants, including orchids, spices, medicinal plants and palm trees and is renowned for its collection of orchids and the long, palm framed pathways. It is managed by the Division of National Botanic Gardens of the Department of Agriculture and the National Herbarium of Sri Lanka the gardens are known for its collection of a variety of orchids. It includes more than 4000 species of plants comprising of orchids, spices, medicinal plants and palm trees. Overnights stay at Kandy Hotel

DAY 03: Nuwaraeliya

On day Ttraditional breakfast we will be taking you to NuwarEliya, also known as “The city with mist” or “Little England”. Upon entering the city you will see the mesmerizing architecture of Tudorian and Georgian eras. The city is full of beautiful gardens full of Roses. The journey itself is beautiful ride with scenic mountains and water falls, the climate gets cooler to the climb of the mountains. You will witness the lush tea plantations where you can witness the origins of Ceylon tea. Nuwaraeliya founded by Samuel Baker, the explorer of Lake Albert and the upper Nile in 1846. Nuwara Eliya's climate lent itself to becoming the prime sanctuary of the British civil servants and planters in Ceylon. NuwaraEliya, called Little England, was a hill country retreat where the British colonialists could immerse in their pastimes such as fox hunting, deer hunting, elephant hunting, polo, golf and Cricket & Best Ceylon tea from NuwaraEliya of Central Hills Country Sri Lanka. The naturally landscaped town's attractions include the golf course, trout streams, Victoria Park, and boating or fishing on Lake Gregory. An attractive and well-used oasis Hakgala Botanical Gardens displays roses and tree ferns, and shelters monkeys and blue magpies. Nearby Seetha Amman Temple, a colorful Hindu shrine is decorated with religious figures. Densely forested Galway's Land National Park is a sanctuary for endemic and migratory bird species, including bulbuls and flycatchers as well as visited tourist attraction place at World's End Best Tourism from NuwaraEliya. Around the nuwaraeliya having nice waterfalls Lovers Leap’ Baker's Falls St. Claire falls Devon falls Rambodafalls etc. Over Nights Stay at Nuwaraeliya hotel

DAY 4 : Nuwaraeliya

After the Breakfast, you can visit Hakgala Botanical Gardens followed by a city tour of NuwaraEliya where you can enjoy a cheerful pony ride. Hakgala Botanical Garden is one of the five botanical gardens in Sri Lanka. The other four are Peradeniya Botanical Garden, Henarathgoda Botanical Garden, Mirijjawila Botanical Garden and Seetawaka Botanical Garden. It is the second largest garden in Sri Lanka .The day is complete relaxation day in moderate climate condition and you can watch beautiful waterfalls and there can arrange some visit of a Tea factory, which you can assure, how the world famous “Ceylon Tea” is originated. Horton Plains The great plains of the Central Highlands of Sri Lanka was discovered by the planter Thomas Farr in the early 19th century. In 1834 it was named Horton Plains in honor of then Governor of Ceylon (1831-1837) Sir Robert Wilmot Horton. In the year 1969, Horton Plains was declared a nature reserve. In 1988, the reserve was elevated to the status of a National Park. The gently rolling plateau of Horton Plains at the southern end of the central montane massif of Sri Lanka is interspersed with network of streams and channels. The Montane forest is also the source of three major rivers of Sri Lanka: River Mahaweli-the longest river of Sri Lanka, River Walave and River Kelani. Still more, Horton Plains is bounded by the country’s second and third highest mountain peaks of Sri Lanka: Mount Kirigalpotta Kanda (2389 m) and Mount Thotupola Kanda (2357 m).
The escarpment with a depth of 900 meters called World’s End and Baker’s fall is one of the highlights of the Horton Plains. Horton Plains in Sri Lanka is the coldest and windiest location in the country. It consists of ecosystems such as montane evergreen forests, grasslands, marshy lands and aquatic ecosystem. At an altitude of 2,100 meters above sea level, Horton Plains spreads across over 3,169 hectares of the highest tableland of the island. In view of the large number of endemic flora and fauna species, Horton Plains was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site on 30th July 2010. Horton Plains, its surroundings, forests and the adjoining Peak Wilderness constitute Sri Lanka’s most important catchment area of almost all major rivers. The plains are also of outstanding scenic beauty and conservation importance, containing most of the habitats and endemic plants and animals representative of the country’s wet and montane zones. The western slopes support the most extensive area of montane cloud forest surviving in the island. Horton Plains is not merely a destination for nature tourists. Since the rich biodiversity of Horton Plains is still grossly underexplored, it affords invaluable opportunities to those engaged on educational and research activities. Protecting Horton Plains is a call of duty for all Sri Lankans. Overnights Stay at same hotel
Special Consideration: Whenever you visit Horton plains always keep the beautiful and protect the nature

DAY 05 : Bentota
After Breakfast we start the climb down to Bentota via Hatton once again witnessing a scenic journey through tea plantations and water falls.We will stop in Kithulgala to gain an unforgettable experience in White water rafting in the Kelani River in Kithulgala (if you wish to) followed by a safe river Bath in Kithulgala. As you on choice Bentota is a historical place described in ancient messenger poems (sandeśa kāvya). The Galapatha Viharaya is one of a cluster of five ancient temples in the region In the 17th Century the Portuguese built a small fort at the mouth of the Bentota River (Bentara Ganga), which in Sinhala was called Parangi Kotuwa, meaning the fort of the Portuguese. The river marked the southern extremity of Portuguese held territory in Sri Lanka. The Dutch subsequently allowed the fort to fall into disrepair, converting one of the large buildings within the fort into a colonial rest house for Dutch Officers travelling between Colombo and Galle. The British subsequently converted the rest house into a coastal sanatorium. Sir James Emerson Tenants (1804-1869), the Colonial secretary of Ceylon (1845-1850) in his book, Ceylon, An Account of the Island (1859), stated that the rest house at Bentota, situated within a little park, deeply shaded by lofty Tamarind trees on the point of the beach where the river forms its junction with the sea, is one of the coolest and most agreeable in Ceylon. The British introduced the railway in the early 19th century, mainly to transport the coconut produce from the Deep South to the capital, building a permanent bridge (Bentota Palama) to cross the river.

DAY 6 : Bentota

The day is fully planned for the relaxation in the beach, and if you wish, that you can add a lot of activities in the shallow sea such as water surfing, diving or boat journey to see beautiful corrals. In the evening you can add relax walking sessions through the Golden beaches breathing the fresh air. (No traveling has been added on this date)

DAY 7 : Colombo
Approximately 3 hour’s End of nice Tour of journey. Colombo is the commercial capital and largest city of Sri Lanka by population. According to the Brookings Institution, Colombo metropolitan area has a population of 5.6 million, and 752,993 in the city proper. It is the financial centre of the island and a tourist destination. Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte, commonly known as Kotte is the official administrative capital of Sri Lanka. Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte is a satellite city .Transfer to Colombo Bandaranaike Airport and according to your flight schedule. Good bye stelaranholidays Colombo airport.