Sri Lanka Nature Lovers' Tour- 14 Days ( 13 Nights )

Sri Lanka Nature Lovers' Tour- 14 Days

Day 01		AIRPORT COLOMBO
Day 01		On arrival in Sri Lanka you will be met at the international airport and transfer to the capital city of Colombo. Depending on flight times there may be time to do a little sight-seeing in Sri Lanka’s capital. Overnight in Colombo (Hotel)
Day 02		COLOMBO, KANDY
Day 02		After bfast this morning you will leave the capital for Kandy. En-route visits the Elephant orphanage at Pinnawela. This orphanage was established to feed nurse & house young elephants found abandoned by their mothers. Often the young ones fall into pits and ravines in their request for water during drought period. Continuation to Kandy Arrive at hotel in Kandy, the center of the traditional arts in Sri Lanka Visit the city of Kandy. The most famous landmark of Kandy is its Lake, in the center of the city. Udawatte-kele is a nature reserve surrounded by city. The Kandy market is a great bazaar full of the sounds of exiting trade. Visit the temple of the sacred tooth relic of Buddha. Late in the evening view the Kandyan cultural performance. Overnight at hotel
Day 03		KANDY, WASGAMUWA
Day 03		After bfast leave to Wasgamuwa the journey passes through beautiful forested foothills where one can really appreciate the natural beauty of Sri Lanka. Upon arrival in Wasgamuwa you will check in at the lodge. Then PM leaves for the Safari of Wasgamuwa with picnic bfast. Park consists of riverine forest, dry mixed evergreen forest, grasslands and wetlands. As park is almost surrounded by Mahaweli & Amban Rivers, riverine forest area is fairly large.Flora of the park consists of Palu (Manilkara hexandra), Weera (Drypetes sepiaria), Satin (Chloroxylon swietenia), Wa (Cassia roxburghii), Gal Siyambala (Dialium ovoideum) and Ebony (Diospyros ebenum). The riverine forest dominated by Kumbuk (Terminalia arjuna), Mee (Madhuca longifoloa) and Thimbiri (Diospyros malabarica). Grasslands mainly consist of (Imperata cylindrica). Wasgamuwa is famous as an elephant habitat. These elephants are known to be less habituated to people and are more wildish. Other than elephant, leopard, sloth bear, sambhur, spotted and barking deer, wild boar and wild buffalo are also found here. Torque Macaque, Purple face leaf monkey and nocturnal slender Loris is also found in the park. Lesser Adjutant, Wooly necked stork, open bill, painted stork, Racket tailed Drongo, Yellow fronted barbet, Sri Lanka Junglefowl & Spurfowl are among the over 100 species of birds found within the park. Overnight in Wasgamuwa (Lodge) & dinner included
Day 04		WASGAMUWA, KNUCKLES MOUNTAIN RANGE, NUWARAELIYA
Day 04		After breakfast you will depart for the delightful hill top town of Nuwara Eliya. (1990m) via the knuckles range. The importance of the Knuckles Mountain Range is obtained from several factors. It has a parasitical quality to it because of the mountain peaks, the crystal clear and perennial waterways, cloud forests and exquisite fauna and flora. Pregnant with history running into several millennia and a veritable treasure house of cultural heritage, the Knuckles Mountain Range can be considered a as a mirror to the past. Nuwara Eliya was established during the colonial era and once had a regular fox hunt and polo events. The town is often referred to as ‘Little England’ as it has retained many of its colonial buildings. You will have the chance to visit a tea plantation and have a tour of the tea factory. Overnight in Nuwara Eliya (Hotel)
Day 05		NUWARAELIYA , KITULGALA
Day 05		.With early bfast on the way to Kitulgala you will stop at the Horton Plains Nature Reserve and have a guided tour with a resident naturalist guide. Horton Plains is another wildlife hot spot, the vegetation cover here is open, grassy woodland, home to species such as the sambar, leopard and endemic purple-faced langur. From here you will continue to Kitulgala where you will be staying in beautifully deigned eco-lodges overlooking the Kelaniya River. You have the option of rafting in the river which is very famous in Sri Lanka for Rafting. (Minimum 2 pax are required & payment direct) Overnight in Kitulgala (Lodge)
Day 06		KITULGALA, SINGHARAJA
Day 06		After bfast today you will drive out to Singharaja National Park which is of international, ecological significance and has recently become a world heritage site. The area has some of the best preserved virgin rainforest on earth, saved from commercial logging due to its inaccessibility. Overnight in Singharaja (Lodge)
Day 7		SINGHARAJA , BANDARAWELA
Day 7		After bfast the morning will be spent exploring the Singharaja rainforest. Due to the dense vegetation cover wildlife viewing is difficult and the elusive mammals such as the leopard are rarely seen. You may see some of the brightly coloured birds of the region which tend to move through the jungle in mixed feeding flocks. In the afternoon leave to Bandarawela Overnight in (Hotel)
Day 8		BANDARAWELA, UDAWALAWE
Day 8		After bfast early in the morning trekking in this small town area in Bandarawela then you will travel south to Udawalawe. This large national park was designed to protect the diverse catchments area of the Udawalawe Reservoir. The vegetation here is different again; mainly compose of open parkland with some mature teak trees. The park is home to around 400 wild elephants which are easy to spot and there are also good numbers of golden jackal, crocodile and buffalo. The afternoon will be spent out on safari in the national park. Overnight in Udawalawe (Lodge/Hotel) & dinner included
Day 9		UDAWALAWE, YALA
Day 9		After bfast this morning you will head to the south-east corner of the island. Yala National park is the most famous of all Sri Lanka’s parks. It contains an amazing variety of habitats from Open Park to dense jungle, and also contains fresh water rivers and lakes as well as beaches. Yala’s greatest claim to fame is that it has the world’s highest concentration of leopard (though this still does not guarantee seeing any!) Yala was badly affected by the Tsunami in 2004 which destroyed the visitor’s centre and tourist lodge and resulted in the loss of many human lives. Interestingly the park records show that the animal numbers were little affected. In the afternoon you will set off on safari in the Yala National Park. Overnight at (Hotel) & dinner included
Day 10		YALA and BEACH
Day 10		After bfast today you will travel to your final destination. Your journey will take you along the coast where destruction caused by the Tsunami is still evident in some places. On the way you can visit the famous community of stilt fisherman, En-route visit Galle. Visit the Old Portuguese fort, later rebuilt and extended by the Dutch is still fine preservation. Most of the administration of Galle still takes place from the fort. The view from the ramparts is superb. Visit a village in an island by boat in Madhu Ganga and visit one of the sea turtle Hatcheries before arriving at your resort. Overnight at (Hotel) & dinner included
Day 11		BEACH
Day 11		Relaxed and friendly beach resort in the south-west of the island. It is the start of a sandy beach which stretches for 130km. The next two days are for total relaxation, the hotel has many facilities including pool and a range of treatments and therapies to relax and rejuvenate you after a busy tour. Many water sports are also on offer and there is a coral garden just off the coast which makes for great diving and snorkeling during November to April. Overnight (Hotel) & dinner included
Day 12-13		BEACH
		Another day of relaxing and enjoying the sun and sea if you want to explore further a field it is possible to hire a boat to take you over to the lighthouse situated on an off-shore island. A steep climb to the top offers fantastic views of the Sri Lankan coast. Overnight at (Hotel) & dinner included
Day 14		NEGAMBO, AIR PORT
		Tour ends Today, a transfer vehicle will be provided to take you to the airport for your onward flight