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

1. Day

After breakfast you will be picked up from our Tourguide at the guesthouse with an airconditioned car.

We start at a turtlefarm in Kosgado. This is the most important and oldest tortoise breeding center on the West Coast. 5 of the 8 best know marine turtle species live in Sri Lanka. The swedish camera manufacturer Victor Hasselblad sponsored the rebreeding since 1981. With the help of Greenpeace, the state Wildlife Protection Society and tourists, they founded the first center of turtle farms in Kosgado. Fishers of the area bring the eggs to the station and earn a small reward for them.
In the bamboo enclosure of the farm the eggs which look very similar to a table tennis ball, will be `baked` up to 65 days in the warm sand till they hatch. From there the (Leatherbackturtles) go to a `floating-school` where tourists enjoy watching them. When the fins are strong enough the little swimmers start their dangerous journey into the Indian Ocean. More than 1 Million turtles have been exposed from just the Hasselblad farm. At most 1/5 survives.

We continue with a trip by boat through the lagoon Madu. On the shore you can watch monitor lizards, crocodiles and various birds species. On a small island in the middle of the lagoon we visit a Singhalese family who are soaking coconutshells on a marked field to spin ropes out of them and a cinnamongarden where they produce cinnamon out of the cinnamonplants. We pass mangrove forests which grow out of the water.
The lagoon consists of 64 small islands.

The next stop is the Moonstone mine in Mitiyagoda where they pull up the suspected stone sand layer upwards over a winch from a 18 meter deep shaft.
Then they pour the silt into a filter and clean it in a waterpond.
A `specialist` looks for the moonstones from the remaining sieve pebbles and sorts them out seperately for white and blue in a container. Then they get into a factory where you can watch them being grinded and polished. When you come out of this workshop, a workshop as known in Sri Lanka, you get into a sales room with glass cabinets and display cases in which pieces of finished jewelery are exhibited, and of course they can be purchased.
rom the tour you get valuable rarerely seen mine pictures.

Then we travel to the old colonial city of Galle in southern Sri Lanka. There we visit the Dutch fort that was built in the year 1663. It belongs to the World Cultural Heritage. It is the largest preserved fortress in Southern Asia and shows an interaction between European and Asian architecture. Before the colonization of Galle it was a major seaport. Persians, Arabs, Greeks, Romans, Malays and Indians traded here. In 1640 the Portuguese capitulated here before the Dutch, and made Galle to the seat of the governor of the Dutch East India Company (VOC) and also to the capital of Dutch- Ceylon.
The British took over the country in 1796 and used to fort as a local administrative center. After Colombo, the capital of Sri Lanka established a mayor seaport, the port of Galle became less important. You may discover Galle on your own after consultation with your tour guide.

In the afternoon we arrive in Unawatuna. We stop in Tartaruga Beach Resort. The rest of the day you spend at one of the most beautiful beaches of Sri Lanka in Unawatuna and review the day while watching a breathtaking sundown over the sea.

After breakfast our guide fetches you to visit Yala National Park.

We stop in Weligama where you can see the famous stilt fishermen working at the beach. A couple 100 meters further, in a beautiful bay, the Tabrobane Iceland, a dreamhouse built on a small island by a French duke.

Then we go to the temple in Matara Matara. This temple is a 39 meter tall Buddha statue with a 6- walk facility built around the statue. It dates from the mid- twentieth- century. In the temple interior, and on the back of the statue are now over 2000 images with stories from the life of Buddha. From here begins the climb to the 6th floor of the covered statue. Reaching the top you are closer to his head than to any other sanctuary before. The special feature of the temple is his basement

Then we briefly stop at the most southern tip of Sri Lanka where a beautiful white lighthouse stands. From here towards the South, there is no land mass until Antarctica - more than 8000 km open sea follow. The tower was built in 1899 by the English. With its 50 meters height, it is the highest lighthouse of Sri Lanka.

The next stop of our trip is a miracle of nature, the `Blow Hole`. In the rocky coastal region, there is a chimney, at the bottom of a small cave. In this cave the waves press especially during the tide.The seawater, stopped by the rear cavity walls, escapes to the top in the 25- meter- high chimney. It builds up pressure, which degrades in a form of an up to 20- meter- high water fountain. On earth, there are only six such rock- chimneys, at least so far no more have been discovered. The Blow Hole in the south of Sri Lanka is the second largest of its kind and the only one on the island.

Next, we return to the Hotel Priyankara in Thissamaharama.
Then we visit the Yala National Park. This is one of the oldest and best known in Sri Lanka. It occupies an area of 1,57 sq. km. and forms the largest contiguous area of protected nature in Sri Lanka.
The diverse ecosystem ranging from the monsoon forests of the wet to the dry zone. Deciduous forests, thorn forests, freshwater, oceans and sows sand beaches are the home of a number of important plants and animals. We travel with a Land Rover on an extensive safari.
In the park live 32 different species of mammals and 142 species of birds - five of them belong to the endangered species.
Then it goes back to our guesthouse where we conclude the evening with a delicious dinner.

The morning after breakfast we drive towards Ella into the high mountains of Sri Lanka.
Here we visit the Rawana Ella Falls with their breathtaking canyons and the beautiful nature that is populated by many wild monkeys.

Next we drive to Nuwara Eliya. It is the highest region of the island state.
Endless tea plantations, rugged mountains and numerous waterfalls characterize this region.
Historic hotels, a golf club, a quaint pink brick post building, old houses with gabled roofs and elitist `Hill Club`- some corner in Nuwara Eliya still breath the spirit of the british gounernor Edward Barnes today.
That was the time of prosperity of the British Empire, as Sri Lanka took the name of Ceylon.
Here we check into the former British colonial governor`s house, which today is the home of the Heritage Hotel.
You can resolve the day, with a stroll through this beautiful old colonial town with your guide.

After breakfast we are on the way to Kandy, passing the beautiful Tea plantations of the country, where you can watch the tea pickers at their daily work.
Here we visit a typical tea plantation with it´s tea factory, where they show the tea that made Sri Lanka so famous.

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, 1861 planted Ficcus javanicus, whose crown 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 domociled 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 much to see in this beautiful place on 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 Srilanka in the 4th century after Christ, has been a symbol of souvereignty of his rulers and was always preserved a a sanctuary with great glory. The Tooth Temple as it is usually called,is a magnificent shrine with decorative walls, moat, turets, golden roof and fine carving, keeping its own ambience of history alive. Every day at dawn, noon and dusk three religious services will be held, that you may 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 the roofed central market that has several levels in the center of Kandy.

Then you can still 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 dinner.

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

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 Srilanka. 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 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, 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 not 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.

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 dayly 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.

After that we go back to Beruwela, our starting point of the tour. I hope we could offer you a compact impression of this beautiful island with it´s heartwarming sights with our tour.

The price of the tour per person with 2 participants is 670 euro each. (The price includes all admission fees, hotels and guest houses with half-board, your guide, the car and the gasoline for the car.)
You can also book an additional week in one of our guest houses in Beruwela.