We would like to bring the country closer to you with this tour while you also will get rested and relaxed

1. and 2. Day

You will be picked up at the airport and spend the first night in our guest house Pahalage where you can recover from the exhausting flight.
You will also spend the next day in Pahalage to acclimatize a little bit.

After breakfast you will meet our tour guide who picks you up with an airconditioned car and you are heading towards Kandy.

Now we drive towards the Pinnawela elephant orphanage. It is the home of about 60 elephants that were abandoned or found orphaned in the wild. Here they will be trained, fed and cared for by the Forest Authority. The best time to visit the orphanage is during feeding time when the baby elephants will be fed with a bottle. After that the elephants go with their keepers to the nearby river to take their daily bath. A play that you should not miss, because when will you ever have the opportunity to see 30 elephants or more taking a bath.

Then we visit the Botanical Gardens in Peradeniya. Well-travelled plant lovers say it is the most beautiful garden in the world. It was set up 1824 by the british as a royal pleasure garden. Most impressive is the huge, Ficcus javanicus, planted in 1861 whose leaves roof spreads over an area of 2400 square meters. You will be absolutely beaten by the highest bamboo, that stands 30-40 meters up in the air and grows continuously 30 cm a day. You should also take a look at the candle tree and the orchid house. Top-attractions of the facility are a number of palm trees that are usually domiciled on the Seychelles, Coco de Mer. Many years ago they were rinsed on the beach. Except of the Seychelles, where they are coming from, it is only allowed to grow them in the Botanical Garden of Kandy. (contractually secured). Mighty Mahogany Trees make us realize how small and lost mankind is. There is a lot to see on this beautiful piece of earth.

Then we get to Kandy, the picturesque capital of the Highlands.
Kandy is situated in the middle of tea and spice gardens, 490 meters above sea level, where we will stop at the Hotel Thilanka.

After a short break we will go to the Dalada Maligawa, the Temple of the Sacred Tooth of Buddha, the founder of Buddhism. The holy relic, that was brought to Sri Lanka in the 4th century after Christ, has been a symbol of souvereignty of his rulers and was always preserved as a sanctuary with great pomp.The Tooth Temple as it is usually called, is a magnificent shrine with decorative walls, moat, turets, golden roof and fine carving Keeping it´s own ambience of the past alive. Every day at dawn, noon and evening there are three religious services you may want to visit.

The rest of the evening is at your leisure, where you can go on a shopping tour, which is very exciting and entertaining, after consultation with your tour guide. Boutiques,shops and crafts centers offer many exotic goods. Among the bargains are authentic Highlands-Handicraft products made of silver,brass,wood and lacquer. Others include jewelry, batiks, Dumbara mats, gemstone, spices, tea, handwoven textiles, clothing, designer-clothing and fresh tropical fruits. Worth seeing is center market, which is completely roofed and has several levels in the center of Kandy.

Then you can visit the Kandy temple dancers who perform their traditional Buddhist dance. (The price is not included and costs 300 rupees per person)

In the evening we go back to the Hotel Thilanka where we conclude the evening with a dinner.

After breakfast we drive to the Mathale temple. It is the largest Hindu temple in Sri Lanka.

The next stop is the cave temple of Aluvihara. Through the magnificent gate with numerous black elephant figurines that decorate the white wall we enter the temple district, located in a rugged landscape of granite rock. The Aluvihara is one of the most important centers of Buddhism in Sri Lanka. In the year 80 BC about 500 monks from all over the world met in this temple to write the teachings of Buddha on palm leaves (Olas) for the first time.

Then we drive to the herb garden Luckyland Spice & Herbals. On a tour they explain the effects of the whole herbs of the island on humans and animals.

After the tour we go to the Nice Place Resort in Dambulla where you can relax for a while before we head to our last point of the day, the Sigiriyarocks.

The Sigiriyarock is a mountain that stands out over 200 meters above the jungle.
The world famous Sigiriyafrescoes are of exceptional beauty. There are pictures of girls, nymphs or celestial beings that were painted on the mirror bare rocks with tone color. Half way up the rock is a gallery that you reach over a staircase. From there a spiral staircase will lead you to the world-famous frescoes. Inscription researchers indicate that more then 500 portraits existed. Only 19 of them are still in good condition. On the northwest side of the cliff a path leads to the summit.
This path is protected by a wall that is covered by polished plaster, despite centuries of weather exposure they are almost like a mirror. Along the path you see Sigiriyagraffiti which are engraved signatures of pilgrims and rhymes. The summit of the rock has a surface area of 12000 sqm. An outer wall of the palace was build at the extreme end of the slope. The pleasure garden on the west side of the rock is decorated with lakes, small islands, path and pavillions.

After this breathtaking views from the rock we return again to the Nice Place Resort in Dambula and conclude the day with a dinner.

We start the day with an Elephant ride through the savannah and wetlands, where the elephants run with you through the knee-deep water. This takes approximately 1 hour.

Then we drive to the ancient royal city of Polonnaruwa.
It is the second most important royal city of the island. In the 11th century the capital Anuradhapura was relocated to Polonnaruwa, hoping that the new residence of the Sinhala kings in this inaccessible area would be better protected against the notorious raids of the Indian mainland. As a result Polonnaruva evoled into a magnificant residence, and under the famous King Parakrama Pahu the Great (1153-1186) and his successor Nissanka Malta(1187-1196) the Singhales Kindom reached his last time of prosperity, of which it´s splendid buildings, irrigation systems with impressive dams and wealth bear evidence. As in Anuradhapura, the ruins and monuments in this lovely tropical landscape, are surrounded by rice fields and jungle. The buildings were less monumental and imposing Dagobas were missing, except of the Gal Vihara, a group of monumental buddha statues, one of the highlights of the Sinhala meson art. Many buildings and facilities are better preserved. After we spent the whole day in this huge royal city, we return in the afternoon to our guesthouse in Dambula.

After breakfast we go on a hike. It begins at the Nice Place Resort and leads through a bird paradise to a mountain where you will have a breathtaking view over the landscape. This tours last day and you will be escorted by a carrier and a experienced guide.

In the evening you will have a catamaran ride on the nearby reservoir to an island where we will end the day with a barbecue.

After breakfast we go to Dambula. We visit a temple complex that we reach after a short walk. On the way you will discover wild monkeys who are nice to watch. But you should avoid to pet them because they are still wild animals. On the facility are five caves that can be visited, which are painted and decorated by monks with 154 Buddha statues over a period of 2000 years.
The oldest artworks come from pre-Christian times, the latest from the 20th century. In the first cave you´ll see a 14 meters long, lying Buddha made out of a granite rock... The feet artistically painted with henna. Stone engravings and frescoes, which awaken the religious and historical interest, in the caves are numerous. The frescoes were made during the period from 15-18 Century. In one of the caves, the largest and most beautiful one, are no less then 150 life-size statues of deities. Many scenes from the life of Buddha are painted in bright colors .The view from the summit is breathtaking.

Then we drive back to the starting point of our trip, back to the guesthouse Pahalage in Beruwela, where you can use the remaining days to recover.
You can enjoy an Ayurvedic massage for 1 hour.
You also can use your time to visit the fish market in Beruwela. Where the fishermen sell their fish directly from the boat early in the morning. A very colorful bustle that you shouldn´t miss.
Other trips can be found at the corresponding point in our website.
On the last day you will be driven back from the guest house to the airport.

The price of the trip per person for two participants is 685 Euro. (Price includes all admission fees and tours, hotel and guest houses with half-board, your guide, the car and the gasoline for the car, Ayurvedic massage at the guest house Pahalage)