Seductive Ceylon

Two weeks in Sri Lanka’s finest boutique hotels and private villas, this itinerary is a delicate balance of cultural marvels, hill top hideaways and deserted beaches.

Day

Activity

Recommended Hotels

Depart for Colombo.

Overnight Flight

You will be met on arrival and transferred to your hotel.

You will be met at the hotel and transferred up to the Cultural Triangle in the interior of the island. This is an interesting journey, travelling through rural areas and small villages. Each one specialises in a different local industry, such as cashew nuts, pineapples and reed weaving.

 Visit the sites of the Cultural Triangle.

Visit the sites of the Cultural Triangle.
 

You will be transferred into the drier region of the island. On the way you will have the chance to visit spice gardens growing a variety of spices, such as cinnamon, pepper and nutmeg. These are the places to invest in top quality Ayurvedic remedies and oils, although they do not come cheap. It was for these spices that Sri Lanka was initially colonised by the Portuguese, Dutch and British. You will also go via the Dambulla Cave Temples.

You will have the opportunity to visit the Elephant Orphanage.

The Elephant Orphanage is about an hours drive from Kandy and is a good chance for people to get up close and personal with a pachyderm. It is a good idea to go and have lunch by the river as after feeding, they are all brought down to bathe and to watch them from a vantage point with a cold drink is a pleasant experience.

In the evening, you will be taken to the Temple of the Tooth to see the blessing ceremony with all the fanfare, drums, trumpets and brightly coloured Monks performing their rituals.

You will also have the chance to visit the Botanical Gardens and to see a cultural show whilst in Kandy.

You will be transferred to the Victoria Dam, where you will meet the air taxi. In addition to dramatically reducing journey time, this method of transport will allow you unparalleled, birds-eye views of the countryside.

Plane: Cessna Caravan (Amphibian)
Route: Kandy to Dikwella
Duration: 55 minutes

On arrival, you will be met and transferred to Tangalle.

You will be met and transferred by road to Galle.

You will be transferred along the coastal road to Bolgoda. There are plenty of interesting shops along the way and if you look carefully, you can see them tapping the coconut trees that grow alongside the road for toddy – a highly intoxicating drink made from the fermented sap.