MELBOURNE TO SRI LANKA

Welcome to our fascinating tour to Sri Lanka! After we are collected by our chauffeurs, we are transferred to Melbourne International Airport where we meet our O’Shannessy’s Tour Director and fellow passengers, ready to board our direct flight to Sri Lanka this afternoon. On our arrival at Bandaranaike International Airport, we will be welcomed by our local guide and transferred to our hotel in nearby Negombo. We check into our delightful accommodation and head straight to bed for a restful night.

Dinner and refreshments inflight

OVERNIGHT:  Jetwing Blue, NEGOMBO

EXPLORING NEGOMBO

After a leisurely breakfast we board our coach and enjoy a highlights tour of Negombo, which includes the amazing Fish Markets. There are several buildings of significance that we see  along the way. Some date back to the Dutch and Portuguese colonial days including the Dutch Fort and Catholic Church. It is a scenic journey past picturesque sandy beaches, turquoise ocean, colourful wooden boats and a bustling fishing port. Our tour finishes with lunch before returning to the hotel for a free afternoon – the hotel is right on the beach if you feel like a walk, or there is a beautiful pool. Dinner is in our hotel this evening.

OVERNIGHT:  Jetwing Blue, NEGOMBO

NEGOMBO - PINNAWALA - DAMBULLA

We have a fabulous day in store today as we depart early from Negombo and travel up towards the Central Province Region.  Enroute, we stop in Pinnawala, home to the Pinnawala Elephant Orphanage. We get up close and personal with the elephants in a lush natural setting as they bathe in the Maha Oya River. The orphanage is set on a beautiful 24 acres property and is also a breeding place for elephants. With only 5 baby elephants upon opening in 1975, the orphanage now has the greatest herd of elephants in captivity in the world. We enjoy lunch overlooking the Maha Oya River and watch these majestic animals happily bathing. It will be an experience we’ll never forget!!  This afternoon, we continue our drive into the Central Province Region arriving at our lakeside hotel in Dambulla, home for the next three nights. Our hotel is in the midst of what is known as the “Cultural Triangle”.

OVERNIGHT:  Jetwing Lake, DAMBULLA

THE ANCIENT CITY OF POLONNARAWA

Setting off after breakfast we visit Polonnaruwa today, which was once the capital of Sri Lanka from the 11th to the 13th century. The site is now listed as a World Heritage site by UNESCO as the ancient remains consist of a walled inner and outer city, surrounded by monasteries and temples, with palaces, gardens and a manmade lake in its midst. This fascinating place will be explained to us throughout our tour.  As we make our way back to Dambulla we stop at a local restaurant for lunch. This afternoon, we have time to relax and enjoy the pool and hotel facilities before dinner.

OVERNIGHT:  Jetwing Lake, DAMBULLA

SIGIRIYA OPTIONS

The day has been left free for us to choose how we wish to spend it…

1.  One option is to relax at the hotel and enjoy the wonderful facilities it offers. Take a swim in the magnificent pool or simply read a book with a cool drink in hand, beside the pool.  Book in a spa treatment at the wellness centre, or use the gym for a bit of exercise.

2.  Sigiriya Citadel Rock is an iconic attraction which is a plateau formed from magma of an extinct volcano 200 metres higher than the surrounding jungles. On the top of the rock is a fortress complex which required advanced architectural and engineering skills but was constructed 1600 years ago!  It is possible to climb the rock but this is not for the faint-hearted. This will be an early morning exercise.

3.  Oxen cart and village tour will give us a diverse experience with a cart ride, then a small water vessel across the lake to see how locals in rural village areas live and if we are lucky - take a tuk-tuk out of the area.  This is great fun and very popular so decide quickly if you choose this!

All activities are at our own expense today.

This afternoon, enjoy an elephant safari. If you're up for a serious rumble in the jungle, then don’t miss out on this activity. Spreading over 8800 hectares, this is a sanctuary for elephants and other animals, but the spotlight remains between swaying trunks and flapping ears. 

Meet our fellow passengers for dinner to hear stories of today’s adventures.

Lunch at own expense and arrangement

OVERNIGHT:  Jetwing Lake, DAMBULLA

DAMBULLA - MATALE - KANDY

Before we start our journey to Kandy, we make a brief stop at the Dambulla Cave Temple where the Golden Temple is situated. This is the largest and best-preserved cave-temple complex in Sri Lanka. We now make our way south towards the centre of Sri Lanka. A large part of the unique experience of being in Sri Lanka has to do with their food. Today we travel through the area of Matale where most of the spice gardens are located. The Sri Lankans believe these spices help people “live a long and healthy life” and we will be given an educational spice tour at a spice garden to see how some of the more unusual items are grown. This is also the perfect place to watch a cooking demonstration to show how easy it is to use the spices to make some delicious food. With the food made and the smells wafting around us we enjoy lunch. This afternoon, we have been invited to a local school* to meet some of the children who take education seriously. They are sure to be happy to see us and the smiles come so readily in Sri Lanka so it should be a joy for us to visit them too. Later, we arrive in the cultural city of Kandy where we check into our next two nights accommodation.

*Please note:  If you wish, you can donate school supplies such as exercise books, pens, coloured pencils, footballs, tennis balls, games etc. All will be greatly appreciated.

OVERNIGHT:  Earl’s Regency Hotel, KANDY

DISCOVERING KANDY

This morning we take a guided stroll through the lush Royal Botanical Gardens of Peredeniya. The gardens were established in 1821 and now cover 140 acres, snuggled in a loop in the Mahaweli River, the longest river in Sri Lanka. Its primary purpose was the testing and acclimatizing of plants for commercial use in Sri Lanka. Today the Gardens have one of the largest collections of around 4000 species of flora from sub tropical climates around the world. Among them, the Giant Bamboo, Double Coconut, over 180 species of gorgeous Orchids, and the Ehetu tree which spreads its branches and foliage out to a staggering 2000 square metres. Leaving the gardens we visit a gem factory where we enjoy a wonderful insight into the history and mining of gemstones in Sri Lanka. Sri Lanka has been famous for its gems for more than 2000 years. The National Gem of Sri Lanka is the Blue Sapphire, one of the most celebrated gem varieties in the world. The world’s biggest Blue Sapphire was recently found in a Sri Lankan mine, weighing an astonishing 1404 carats. After our audio visual and museum tour we have a chance to check out the beautiful stones and set jewellery pieces in the showroom. We then transfer to the city for our lunch. The city of Kandy is also known for its performers that dance and play music.  Late afternoon, we are treated to a performance by Kandy dancers. This type of dancing cannot be found anywhere else in the world. The costumes are specific to the Kandy area also. Our final stop today is the Temple of the Tooth (Dalada Maligawa), the most important shrine in the country. It houses a relic of a tooth of Buddha taken from his funeral pyre in 543 BC. It is renowned for its daily ‘Thewawa’ ceremony. Each evening, the day’s worship culminates when the casket containing the tooth relic is put on display for devotees who have travelled from all over the Buddhist world. We now make our way back to our hotel for dinner.

OVERNIGHT:  Earl’s Regency Hotel, KANDY

RAMBODA FALLS - TEA FACTORY - NUWARA ELIYA

Leaving Kandy, our drive to Nuwara Eliya is a picturesque journey through the mountains and Sri Lanka’s tea growing centre. We enjoy spectacular views of tea carpeted valleys and the bright flash of the “tea pluckers” in their pimento, fuchsia and cerise coloured saris.  We stop to see Ramboda Falls, which is the 11th highest waterfall in Sri Lanka. After taking in the stunning scenery, we continue our scenic drive through the tea county and we have arranged a short factory tour at a tea plantation after which we can enjoy a cuppa!  Arriving in Nuwara Eliya, we could easily make the mistake of thinking we are in a small English village. Nuwara Eliya’s climate lent itself to becoming the prime sanctuary of the British civil servants and planters in Ceylon.  Called Little England, this hill country retreat is where the British colonialists immersed in their pastimes such as fox, deer and elephant hunting, polo, golf and cricket. We take a look around the small town before we arrive at The Grand Hotel for a very English High Tea!

Lunch at own expense and arrangement

OVERNIGHT: The Grand Hotel, NUWARA ELIYA, DAMBULLA

NUWARA ELIYA  - ELLA GAP  - YALA

This morning, we take a train journey from Nanu Oya to Ella. This train ride is one of the world’s most scenic rail trips, making it a must for experiencing the full beauty of Sri Lanka’s heartlands and it will be a wonderfully exhilarating trip. We will travel in a first class cabin but it’s not what we may expect! When we disembark, our coach will be waiting to take us to nearby Ella where we stop for our lunch break and a chance to purchase some souvenirs in this fast growing village, popular with hikers, climbers and backpackers. This afternoon, we stop briefly at Ravana Falls for a photo opportunity before heading down to Yala. Here, we check into our next two night’s accommodation.

Lunch at own expense and arrangement

OVERNIGHT: Jetwing Yala Hotel, YALA

YALA NATIONAL PARK

We’re right in the heart of another “must sees” of Sri Lanka, the Yala National Park. The Park is famous for the elusive leopard and has one of the highest population of leopards in the world. We may also spot the Sloth Bear, Crocodiles and the Asian Elephant. With “good luck” and our naturalist guide, we hope to witness all these creatures and more on our Jeep Safari. After our safari it’s back to Jetwing Yala where we now have a few hours to free to relax and enjoy the hotel and the facilities – the gorgeous swimming pool, the spa and wellness centre – or a stroll along the beach and perhaps spot some of the playful monkeys who live here. Later, we enjoy an afternoon game drive which showcases the park quite differently to the morning drive.  After our safari, we enjoy dinner overlooking the turquoise blue waters of the Indian Ocean.

Lunch at own expense and arrangement

OVERNIGHT: Jetwing Yala Hotel, YALA

YALA TO AHUNDALLA

After breakfast and check out, we depart Yala and head west to Galle. Here we visit the historic Galle Fort precinct. Galle was once the chief port of Ceylon and a town rich in history. It was the centre of the Dutch regime in the 17th century and the majestic Galle Fort (spanning 90 acres) bears testimony to this fact. The city of Galle is one of the most well preserved colonial-era cities in Southeast Asia and has been declared a ‘World Heritage Site’. The Dutch museum and the Dutch church are two famous tourist attractions within the Galle Fort. After lunch, we enjoy a leisurely walking tour through the cobbled stone pathways of the Galle Fort, which is an UNESCO World Heritage Site. The scenery illustrates the interaction of European architecture and South Asian traditions from the 16th to the 19th centuries. We now head along the coast to Ahungalla, passing the Tsunami Monument just after Hikkaduwa town. On the 26th of December 2004, the tsunami hit different countries across the Indian Ocean including Sri Lanka. We share stories of this devastating event and remember those who died in this tragedy. To set foot in this area is quite surreal as we hear of the many tales of survival. We now check into our next two night’s beautiful accommodation located right on the beach.

OVERNIGHT:  Heritance Ahungalla, AHUNGALLA

EXPLORING THE AREA

This morning we visit a Turtle Hatchery where eggs are kept safe from predators and released after hatching for a better chance of survival. Sri Lanka has five breeds of turtles calling it home and we are shown the various stages of natural incubation, hatching, feeding and releasing. This will be a thoroughly enlightening experience! The rest of the afternoon is free to enjoy a swim in the pool, a walk along the beach or perhaps, make the most of the spa and book a treatment.

Lunch at own expense and arrangement

OVERNIGHT:  Heritance Ahungalla, AHUNGALLA

AHUNDALLA TO COLOMBO

Our last day in Sri Lanka so we’re going to make the most of it! Today’s travels see us head straight to the bustling city of Colombo.  Here, we embark on a sight-seeing tour of this port city which has a rich colonial heritage with a potpourri of races, religions and cultures. With these diversities comes understanding and tolerance – being one of the stand-out features of its people and consequently the whole country. We will see Colombo is a colourful place with a diverse range of new buildings, old Colonial buildings and street markets. Our tour ends with lunch.  We have day use of the beautiful Cinnamon Grand Hotel so this afternoon, there is free time to enjoy the hotel facilities, including the beautiful swimming pool or some last minute shopping in the mall next door, or simply relax in our rooms. We have use of our rooms until late afternoon. We enjoy our farewell dinner together before our transfer to the airport.  

Full day use of hotel - Cinnamon Grand, Colombo / Refreshments and meals inflight

OVERNIGHT:  Inflight

ARRIVE MELBOURNE

We fly all night before we arrive back in Melbourne. After completing Customs and Immigration, our chauffeurs will be waiting for us in the arrival lounge. We’re sure you will arrive home with a sense of well-being, appreciation and an absolute love for Sri Lanka.

Inflight Meals