Day-to-day schedule
Day 1 -
2: Marawila
You will land on the tropical island of Sri Lanka. From the airport Katunayake (Colombo) it is little less than one hour’s drive to the hotel in Marawila.
Marawila lies on a long, quiet beach in a beautiful tropical setting. It is a wonderfully relaxed spot that has not been discovered by tourists yet, as opposed to nearby Negombo. Your first impression will be of the real Sri Lanka. A good optional excursion from Marawila is a boat trip to explore the ‘Dutch Channels’ area with small motorboats. Narrow creeks and small lakes with white lilies and lilac water hyacinths, overhanging palm trees, distant huts in lush tropical vegetation, swimming children, women doing the washing, friendly fishermen, toddy tappers balancing in the palm tops on ropes between the trees, illegal arrack distilleries where you can pop in for a sip of liquor, rich bird life and idling monitor lizards are among the sights on this relaxed boat trip. Near Marawila is the touristy Negombo, which you can visit. In the centre of this town are some houses dating from the Dutch period. Other remarkable sights are the baroque catholic churches of the Karaya fishermen living in Marawila and Negombo. Their catamarans have square sails and robust floats on each side. It is wonderful to see hundreds of them set sail each morning. A huge variety of fish is caught and brought ashore, from shellfish and brightly coloured coral fish to three-metre long swordfish and sharks.Day 3: Marawila – Sigiriya
In our own coach, we will drive through tropical plantations to Sigiriya. The travel time is around five hours. You can pay a visit to the spectacular rock fort of Sigiriya, or ‘Lion’s Rock’. At the foot of the fort, two giant lion’s paws guard the entrance. You go up a flight of spiral stairs past frescoes that were commissioned by King Kasyapa, portraying half-naked women draped with jewellery. The view that rewards you for the climb is magnificent. This giant fort was built in the fifth century by King Kasyapa to defend himself against the troops of his brother he had his father murdered to gain power. You will stay in a simple but attractive hotel in Sigiriya for one night.
Day 4: Sigiriya - Polonnaruwa
Today you will go to Polonnaruwa. Take, if you are interested, an optional excursion to the ruins of this thousand-year old former capital of Sri Lanka. It can be toured by bicycle. In the 10th and 11th century, the Tamils made Polonnaruwa the most important city on the island. In this period, many Hindu temples were erected in the new provincial capital, a few of which have been preserved. The monarchs extended Polonnaruwa with palaces and luxurious estates and fortified it with a system of city walls. The remains of this medieval royal city extend over a considerable area, although the most important ones are grouped inside just one square kilometre. Here are the remnants of a complete city with marketplaces, workshops, stables, roads, garrison buildings and countless tiny temples. The biggest dagoba in the city is 55m high and would have had a golden tip. However, the most beautiful masterpiece is a group of four splendid Buddha statues, Gal Vihare, hewn from one giant piece of granite. The recumbent 15 m. Buddha is the largest of the group.
Day 5: Polonnaruwa
Free day. An optional trip will take you to Anuradhapura and Mihintale. Two thousand years ago, Anuradhapura may well have been the most beautiful city in Asia. In the early 19th century, the Englishman; Backhaus discovered a vast area with overgrown ruins in a thinly populated region of North Sri Lanka. He also remarked that people prayed around a large old tree. Later, this tree turned out to be the only live shoot of the tree under which the Buddha was enlightened in 544 BC. This has made the tree one of the holiest places of pilgrimage for Buddhists around the world. Apart from the bodhi tree there are immense stupas and remains of palaces that are worth visiting. Another interesting place near Anuradhapura is Mihintale. Mihintale is of great importance as a place of pilgrimage for Sri Lankan Buddhists. The atmosphere is most special. The religious buildings are sited on and around granite hills, in a very lush green setting. The environment has been protected by law for over a thousand years. To see all there is to see requires a climb of 1840 steps! An enormous white Buddha overlooks the broad landscape. You then return to your hotel in Polonnaruwa.
Day 6: Polonnaruwa – Dambulla – Spice Garden – Kandy
The ancient cave temples of Dambulla are among the most beautiful Buddhist monuments in the world over the last two thousand years (entrance fee for Dambulla is included). These temples were hewn from a large rock that protrudes from the green plain. After ascending the stone staircase, a wide panorama opens up. The fourth cave dates from the first century BC and is the most beautiful. Apart from tens of sitting, standing and recumbent Buddha figures and bodhisattvas, there are some Hindu gods, including the god Vishnu that can always be recognised by its blue colour. Even now, religious ceremonies attract thousands of islanders to the caves. The journey continues along scenic roads with magnificent views in the direction of the central mountain range. We will stop at one of the many spice plantations, where pepper, cinnamon, cloves, cocoa and ginger are grown. In one such tropical garden, a worker on the plantation will explain something about the cultivation of these plants. We could also stop at a woodcarving workshop, where statues and dance masks are produced. If there is time, we will stop in Matale, famous for its nearby monastery; Alu Vihare. Then we will continue to Kandy, where you will stay in an attractive 3-star hotel with a swimming pool and grand view over the surrounding hills.
Day 7: Kandy
Day off in Kandy, the cultural capital, situated in lush tropical hill country. The city and its surroundings offer lots to see and do, and the travel guide will tell you about all the options. Kandy houses the most important temple on the island, the one where the Buddha’s tooth is kept. This object has been the central relic in the religious life of the Singhalese population for over two thousand years. There is a museum with old royal regalia, jewellery and historic drawings of Kandy. The centuries-old garden of Peradeniya is one of the most beautiful botanical gardens in the world. It is 6km southwest of Kandy, on the road to Colombo. On a 60ha area in a loop of the Mahaweli River, is an extensive collection of trees, tropical climbers, bamboos, palms, orchids, spices and other plants, a total of 4000 species. Also worth a visit is the elephant bathing site on the Mahaweli River in Kandy, where elephants are taken at the end of the day for a well-earned bath. From Kandy, you can also visit the larger elephant orphanage in Pinnawela. The travel guide will offer an optional excursion there. It houses dozens of elephants. The young are fed by bottles and at certain times all the babies are allowed to have a bath in the nearby river. Seeing the baby elephants playing together is delightful. You should not miss one of the sparkling performances by the Kandyan dancers, the island’s most famous dancers. The traditional opening; with drumming and fire is followed later by the devil’s dance. It closes with a fire dance on live burning coals. The entire performance lasts one hour.
Day 8: Kandy - Nuwara Eliya
Our route through the mountains to the next destination is breathtakingly beautiful. You pass waterfalls and tea plantations on the hillsides. The tea pluckers look like colourful butterflies between the bushes. We stop to visit a tea-processing site. In the afternoon, you arrive in Nuwara Eliya. It is just as if England was in the tropics. Victorian cottages that could be in Devonshire, a golf course, gardens full of roses, a lake with rowing boats, mown lawns and cool temperatures. Cargills supermarket could easily appear in a pre-war movie as a provincial department store. Nuwara Eliya (also called Nurelia) is also popular among Sri Lankans.
Day 9: Nuwara Eliya - Bandarawela
This morning you can take an optional walking trip into the splendid Horton Plains National Park, in the highlands.
In the early afternoon, we drive to the nearby station of Nanu Oya, where you take a train to cross the mountains. The gorgeous three-hour train journey takes you through the most scenic mountain landscapes in the country, interspersed with the occasional tea or jungle plantation. The train is very slow, huffing and puffing through tunnels and along abysses, and at one stage it passes a height of 1900m above sea level. At the end of the afternoon you will have reached Bandarawela on the east side of the island. The bus will deliver your luggage to this simple hotel.
Day 10: Bandarawela
Bandarawela is on the edge of the alpine mountains, which descend steeply to the low coastal plain. It is an area rich with fabulous views, mountain tracks along steep abysses and waterfalls on streams rushing down from the central mountain range.
Day 11: Bandarawela - Tissamaharama
Today the bus will take us through a descent of over 1000m to Kataragama, at the foot of the mountains. Kataragama is one of the holiest places in Sri Lanka and a place of pilgrimage for Buddhists, Hindus and Muslims alike, who all venerate the god Skanda. This god works his wonders through the countless visionaries, oracles and medicine men on the island. Buy some lotus flowers or fruit for an offering in this temple or visit Ganesh, the elephant god of Hinduism who is also well loved by Buddhists. At one of the numerous festivals in Kataragama, you can see believers who pierce their lips or cheeks with pins.
Time for some wildlife! You will spend a night in a hotel in Tissamaharama near the Yala National Park, on the southeast coast of the island. The travel guide will tell you about the possibilities and help organise a safari. Yala is the main nature reserve of Sri Lanka. Its savannah is dotted with woods, lakes and immense granite rocks. The shy panthers and bears of Yala seem to have a preference for areas with lots of these rocks. Wild buffaloes, deer and particularly large herds of elephant can be observed from the jeeps that cross the park. In the ponds, crocodiles lie in wait for prey. Bundala nature reserve can also be crossed by jeep. It is a beautiful reserve with savannah, lakes and a beach which is of particular importance to the birds that nest there, such as storks, marabou, spoonbills, peacocks, pelicans, herons, ibises, flamingos and bee-eaters. Elephants are also spotted regularly, as well as crocodiles, monitor lizards, macaques, spangled leaf monkeys and deer. Wirawila Lake is the most unspoilt reserve also with many species of water bird, spangled leaf monkeys, crocodiles and elephants.
Day 12: Tissamaharama – Hikkaduwa
Today you will drive via Hambantota and Weligama (known for the stilt fishermen) to the beach of Hikkaduwa.
Day 13: Hikkaduwa
This coastal strip is famous for its coral reef. From November to April, you can go diving and snorkelling, or just look at the reef from a glass bottomed boat. The coral is OK but not world-class. Part of the reef has died. The tropical fish, however, remain unparalleled. A trip through the green lagoons behind the coast is also highly recommended. Particularly special are the giant monitor lizards of over 2m long that walk around and swim about freely. Another rather quaint sight is Galle, a former Dutch fortified town. If you stand on the walls of Galle overlooking the beautiful, palm-lined bay, you can easily imagine yourself back in the old colonial days. It is as if time stopped. Other options are a visit to the Matara temples, a bike ride, a visit to a snake farm, or a turtle farm, or perhaps a river cruise. You could visit the ‘blowhole’ near Kudawella and the beaches near Unawatuna and Tangalle. But don’t forget to enjoy the beach, the gorgeous sunsets and the endless warm sea breezes.
The hotel has a swimming pool and is located in an idyllic place on the beach. Here we will say goodbye to the travel guide. The hotel reception can guide and help you organise many activities
Day 14: Hikkaduwa - Katunayake
Today you travel to Katunayake where you will stay your last night in a hotel very close to the airport.
Day 15: Katunayake
It is the last day of your tour but rather than being about ‘Goodbye’ your thought should be ‘Go further’!
Visit your personal ‘my.shoestring’ page on our website. ‘my.shoestring’ is the perfect way to make contact with other travellers before and after your trip. You can read and create journals from trips and upload your photos onto the photo gallery. Visit my shoestring today.
When booking your tour, please check to see whether you need any post-tour nights, bearing in mind that accommodation for the night of the final day of the tour (day 15) is not included.