4N/5D Colombo & Hill Country

04 Nights / 05 Days Colombo & Hill Country

Destinations Covered

Colombo, Kitulgala, Nuwara Eliya, Kandy, Pinnawela

Itinerary

Day 01: Arrival Colombo

Meet on arrival & transfer to Colombo. Morning city & shopping tour of Colombo. Colombo, like many capital cities in developing countries is fast changing its face. Almost overnight, skyscrapers arise from where old buildings once stood. Yet in some parts, the old world charm is retained with several British built colonial buildings. Other places of interest are a Hindu and a Buddhist temple, residential areas where you find the stately homes of the affluent, the Bandaranaike Memorial International Conference Hall (BMICH) – an outright gift to Sri Lanka from the People’s Republic of China & the old parliament. After noon at leisure. Overnight stay in Colombo.

Day 02: Colombo – Kitulgala – Nuwara Eliya

Breakfast at the Hotel. Transfer from Colombo to Nuwara Eliya via Kitulgala. The Kelani River (the broadest river in Sri Lanka) flowing through Kitulgala was the main location where the Oscar winning Movie Bridge on the River Kwai was filmed. On the hill above this town, a prehistoric cave was recently discovered containing large middens of shells from some unknown civilization. Afternoon – Visit Nuwara Eliya. Nuwara Eliya, because of its invigorating mountain climate and scenery, is Sri Lankas most popular hill resort. Nuwara Eliya is also the heart of Sri Lanka’s tea country producing a significant share of the world’s best tea. Sri Lanka’s highest mountain Pidurutalagala (8282 feet) is located here. Nuwara Eliya also has one of the finest 18 hole golf courses in South Asia. Overnight stay in Nuwara Eliya.

Day 03: Nuwara Eliya – Kandy

Breakfast at the Hotel. Transfer from Nuwara Eliya to Kandy . Enroute – Visit a tea plantation and a tea factory, where the best tea in the world is produced. Here you could observe all about the process of manufacturing tea. You can also see how tea is graded. Taste a cup of pure Ceylon tea in the factory.

Afternoon – Do a city tour of Kandy. Kandy was the last capital of the Sri Lankan kings and is a World Heritage Site. The name Kandy conjures visions of splendour and magnificence. Many of the legends, traditions and folklore are still lovingly kept alive. Drive around the Kandy Lake built by the last Sinhala king, Sri Wickrama Rajasinghe in 1798. Visit the Kandy town and bazaar, the arts and crafts centre, a gem museum and a lapidary. Also visit the Temple of the Tooth Relic in Kandy. Thereafter witness a cultural show. Overnight stay in Kandy.

Day 04: Kandy – Peradeniya – Pinnawela – Colombo

Breakfast at the Hotel. Morning – Visit the Royal Botanical Gardens in Peradeniya. This botanical garden was first built as a pleasure garden by a Sinhala king and was expanded by the British. It is 147 acres in extent and provides an amazing variety of trees, plants and flowers. Thereafter proceed to Colombo.

Enroute visit the Pinnawela Elephant Orphanage. The Pinnawela Elephant Orphanage, established in 1975, commenced with seven orphans. Today some of these orphans enjoy the fortune of seeing their grandchildren born in the same location. The original objective of establishing the orphanage inclined more towards tourism, but is soon became a conservation and educational centre. With the help of local and foreign elephant experts, Pinnawela started a scientific captive-breeding programme for elephants. The free movement of the herd enhanced the chances for respective individuals of both sexes to get together and mate. The nearby river played a dominant role in this regard, and in 1984, the first baby of Pinnawela was born. The success story of Pinnawela has drawn the attention of scientists from all over the world. A considerable number of books and research articles on Pinnawela have been published in several languages.

The members of the Pinnawela herd have been filmed, videoed and photographed thousands of times by professionals. Late afternoon – Do a shopping tour of Colombo including visits House of Fashions, ODEL, Noritake ceramic shop & a local souvenir shop. Overnight stay in Colombo.

Day 05: Departure

Breakfast at Grand Oriental Hotel. Transfer from Colombo to Airport for departure.