5 days 4 nights
Daily Tour
Unlimited
English
The Paradise of Sri Lanka is a 5-day private guided tour covering the island’s central highlands, colonial southern coast, and beach resorts in a single circuit. The itinerary moves from the cultural capital of Kandy through the tea-growing highlands of Nuwara Eliya situated at 1,868 meters above sea level and known as “Little England” for its British colonial architecture and cool climate before descending through the Kelani River valley at Kithulgala to the UNESCO-listed Galle Fort on the southern coast and the beach resort of Bentota. The tour concludes with a Colombo city visit before departure. Accommodation across 4 nights spans Kandy, Nuwara Eliya, Bentota, and Colombo. All transport is by private air-conditioned vehicle with an experienced English-speaking local guide. Starting from $910 per person.
Your Tira Travels guide will meet you at Bandaranaike International Airport and transfer you toward Kandy via the Pinnawala Elephant Orphanage. Unlike the river-bathing focus of shorter tours, this visit is timed to coincide with the orphanage's feeding routine, giving you a closer perspective on the mahout-elephant relationship and the daily care management of Sri Lanka's largest captive elephant herd. The orphanage currently rehabilitates elephants injured in the wild, orphaned calves, and animals rescued from illegal captivity. After Pinnawala, arrive in Kandy for an evening cultural program. The Kandyan dance performance at the Kandyan Arts Association Hall on Sangaraja Mawatha features five regional dance traditions: Kandyan, Sabaragamuwa, Low Country, Udarata, and the ceremonial Ves dance. Overnight in Kandy.
Begin at Kandy Lake a 25-acre artificial reservoir constructed in 1807 by the last Kandyan king Sri Wickrama Rajasinha for a morning walk along the lake road before visiting the Temple of the Tooth Relic. Unlike Package 2, which focuses on the temple's interior shrines, today's visit concentrates on the temple's outer complex, the Audience Hall, the Royal Palace complex, and the Patthirippuwa (Octagon Tower), which houses an extensive collection of ola leaf manuscripts and ivory carvings. Depart Kandy via the A5 Colombo-Kandy-Nuwara Eliya highway, stopping at a working tea estate in the Ramboda or Labookellie area estates at 1,400 to 1,600 meters elevation producing high-grown Ceylon tea, classified as the finest grade due to cooler temperatures slowing leaf growth and concentrating flavor compounds. A factory tour demonstrates the five-stage orthodox production method: withering, rolling, oxidation, firing, and grading. Arrive in Nuwara Eliya at 1,868 meters, the highest town in Sri Lanka, for an afternoon exploration of Gregory Lake, Victoria Park, and the colonial-era Hill Club building. Visit Seetha Amman Temple at Sita Eliya a Hindu shrine on the banks of the Sita Ganga River marking the site where, according to the Ramayana epic, Sita was held captive by King Ravana, and the nearby Ashok Vatika garden. Overnight in Nuwara Eliya.
Depart Nuwara Eliya through the Ramboda Pass, a mountain descent through rubber plantations, spice gardens, and lowland rainforest toward Kithulgala on the Kelani River. Kithulgala is the primary white-water rafting destination in Sri Lanka, offering Grade 2 to 3 rapids on a 4.5-kilometer stretch of the Kelani River through lowland rainforest. The surrounding Kithulgala Forest Reserve is also a biodiversity hotspot, home to 23 species of birds found nowhere else in the world, including the Sri Lanka blue magpie and the Sri Lanka spurfowl. The area was the filming location for the 1957 David Lean film The Bridge on the River Kwai, which won seven Academy Awards. Continue southwest via the Southern Expressway to Galle. The fort's 36-hectare walled city contains the Dutch Reformed Church (1755); the Amangalla hotel (originally the Dutch Governor's residence, built 1684); the National Maritime Museum; and the Galle International Stadium, one of the most scenic Test cricket venues in the world, situated just outside the fort walls. Continue 30 kilometers north to Bentota for your overnight stay.
Bentota sits at the mouth of the Bentota River where it meets the Indian Ocean, creating a lagoon system that supports a mangrove ecosystem, migratory waterbirds, and monitor lizards. A morning river safari by traditional wooden boat navigates through the mangrove channels, a 900-hectare wetland system containing over 60 bird species. For those preferring beach time, Bentota Beach stretches 4 kilometers along the southwest coast, with calmer waters than the surf beaches further south, making it suitable for swimming. Depart mid-morning for Colombo, 80 kilometers north along the Southern Expressway. The Kosgoda Sea Turtle Conservation Project is an optional stop en route to one of seven turtle hatcheries on the southwest coast protecting nesting sites of the olive ridley, green, leatherback, hawksbill, and loggerhead sea turtles. In Colombo, visit the Gangaramaya Temple, founded in the late 19th century and housing a museum containing a 6,000-piece collection of gifts from Buddhist communities worldwide, and the Independence Memorial Hall, built in 1948 to mark independence from British rule. Overnight in Colombo.
After breakfast, transfer to Bandaranaike International Airport, approximately 30 to 45 minutes from central Colombo depending on traffic. For those with an afternoon departure, optional morning activities include the Pettah street market, Colombo's oldest commercial district dating to the Dutch colonial era, or the National Museum of Colombo on Sir Marcus Fernando Mawatha, which houses Sri Lanka's largest collection of historical artifacts, including the royal regalia of the last Kandyan king.
Purchase after a tour package, you'll get a receipt and a Purchase Confirmation directing you to an online Passenger Information Form. You must complete the Passenger Information Form within 72 hours of purchase. We ask that you fill out your Passenger Information Form as soon as possible. However, changes requested after filling out the form cannot be guaranteed and will incur additional fees, as mentioned in the schedule of fees below. On purchasing the Travel Offer, you (and any additional cardholders on the account) are bound by the terms of General Terms and Conditions in addition to the specific terms and conditions outlined in Important Information.
3 – 4 Star (self–rated) PLEASE NOTE: Accommodation/rooms offered are based on a lead-in-room type, and are subject to availability based on seasonality. Properties will be confirmed, no later than two weeks prior to travel. Maximum room capacity – 03 people (subject to availability) Child policy No child discounts. Full price applies for all children travelling with their parents Valid for Children 8 years old and over. PLEASE NOTE: Children must be accompanied by a responsible adult 18 years old and over to travel. No unaccompanied minors are allowed. Triple Share – No discounts apply for 3rd person travelling. Full price applies, subject to availability. PLEASE NOTE: Triple shares may be required to share existing bedding. Bedding Configuration – Twin or Double bedding (Subject to availability) Adjoining / interconnecting rooms – Subject to availability and at the hotel's discretion. Please enquire on booking if you require this option.
Online credit/debit card payment. By International Bank Transfer: Flexi payment We are offering you a Flexi payment option. You have to pay half of the total cost now and the remaining 50% of cash payment in USD / GBP / EURO upon your arrival at the airport lobby, Sri Lanka, before starting the tour. Our prices include all applicable taxes. You’ll never have to worry about it.
Suppose you are unable to travel due to Covid-19-related travel restrictions. In that case, you will receive a free date change or an open credit less any non-recoverable supplier fees to the value of your original purchase. PLEASE NOTE: Date change credits are subject to availability and not guaranteed until confirmed by Tira Travels, not the property you are due to stay with Cancellation charges 21 days or less - 100% cancellation charge Between 22 days & 29 days - 50% cancellation charge or the equivalent of the first two days of charges depending on the program and period of stay. Above 29 days - No cancellation charges provided.
All those who travel must possess valid travel insurance, and those details must be stated before travel - unless we give a specific written exemption. Individuals must ensure that their travel insurance offers adequate cover for the type of holiday undertaken. We reserve the right to refuse travel if they are inadequately insured.
We aim to offer flexible itineraries. However, once an itinerary is finalized, requests for changes to a group or individual itinerary will always be considered, but they may incur charges.
TOUR GUIDE Our licensed & qualified tour guides can provide you with a variety of information, and they can route effective sightseeing tours. In addition, they're very good at keeping large groups together and ensuring that everyone in the group has a good time. CLIMATE AND TEMPERATURES Sri Lanka is a year-round destination with two monsoon seasons, so there is a lot of confusion around when is the best time to visit. However, you can wear whatever you like and still feel great in the warm and pleasant climate. The sea temperature is constant at 26°C, and the air temperature is about 27°C - that means that it’s nice and cool over here! FLIGHTS At Tira Travels, we don't arrange flight tickets. You will need to contact the airline directly and book the relevant dates yourself. PASSPORT VALIDITY The valid Passport details will be requested either at the time of purchase or no later than 45 days before departure. Failure to provide this information will cancel the booking, and you will be responsible for any costs and fees incurred. MEALS - CAR / COACH TOUR Breakfast is included for all tours. For all other meals, the tour guide will help you make reservations to local restaurants. It would help if you let us know any dietary restrictions before the tour. Please note; we will do our best to meet your requests, but we cannot guarantee that we will always be able to. LUGGAGE For the duration of the tour, you're responsible for your belongings. You must carry your luggage from the vehicle to the hotel room and back to the vehicle. The driver will help with these tasks. Sightseeing In the event of changes in operating hours or public holiday closures, an activity may be cancelled, and a similar activity may be offered instead (subject to availability).
A Tourist Visa for Sri Lanka is a strict requirement. You can start your Visa application process once you receive your final travel documentation approximately 6 weeks prior to departure. Please note; Travellers need to see the Consulate or Visa Agency website to find out a visa requirement and what personal identification they ask for. In addition, some areas of employment such as journalism, government authorities and charity organizations may have additional restrictions in applying for Visas.
Change requests by you This includes any costs incurred to make a booking change requested by you, including but not limited to those that require an accommodation date change or a purchase confirmation reissue.
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