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DAY 01 :
Meet on arrival & transfer to Sigiriya / Dambulla
Overnight stay in Sigiriya / Dambulla
DAY 02 :
Breakfast at the Hotel
Morning climb the 5th century Sigiriya rock
fortress.
Sigiriya
Sigiriya, which is a world heritage site, built by
King Kashyapa (477-495 AD). The 'Lion Rock' is a
citadel of unusual beauty rising 200 metres from the
scrub jungle. The rock was the innermost stronghold
of the 70 hectare fortified town. A moat, rampart,
and extensive gardens including the renowned water
gardens ring the base of the rock. Visit the
world-renowned frescoes of the 'Heavenly Maidens' of
Sigiriya, which are in a sheltered pocket of the
rock approached by a spiral stairway. These frescoes
are painted in earth pigments on plaster.
Transfer from Sigiriya to Dambulla
Thereafter proceed to Kandy via Dambulla
Enroute – Visit Dambulla
Dambulla
Dambulla rock temple was built by king Walagamba in
the 1st century B.C. and it is a World Heritage
Site. It is the most impressive of Sri Lanka's cave
temples. The complex of five caves with over 2000
sq. metres of painted walls and ceilings is the
largest area of paintings found in the world. It
contains over 150 images of the Buddha of which the
largest is the colossal figure of the Buddha carved
out of rock and spanning 14 metres. Overnight stay
in Kandy
DAY 03 :
Breakfast at the Hotel
Morning – Visit the Royal Botanical gardens in
Peradeniya
Royal Botanical Gardens
This botanical garden was first built as a pleasure
garden by a Sinhala king and was expanded by the
British. It is 147 acres in extent and provides an
amazing variety of trees, plants and flowers.
Afternoon – Do a city tour of Kandy
Kandy
Kandy was the last capital of the Sri Lankan kings
and is a World Heritage Site. The name "Kandy"
conjures visions of splendour and magnificence. Many
of the legends, traditions and folklore are still
lovingly kept alive. Drive around the Kandy lake
built by the last Sinhala king, Sri Wickrama
Rajasinghe in 1798. Visit the Kandy town and bazaar,
the arts and crafts centre, a gem museum and a
lapidary. Also visit the Temple of the Tooth Relic
in Kandy. Thereafter witness a cultural show.
Overnight stay in Kandy
DAY 04 :
Breakfast at the Hotel
Transfer from Kandy to Colombo via Pinnawala
The Pinnawela Elephant Orphanage
The Pinnawela Elephant Orphanage, established in
1975, commenced with seven orphans. Today some of
these orphans enjoy the fortune of seeing their
grandchildren born in the same location. The
original objective of establishing the orphanage
inclined more towards tourism, but is soon became a
conservation and educational centre. With the help
of local and foreign elephant experts, Pinnawela
started a scientific captive-breeding programme for
elephants. The free movement of the herd enhanced
the chances for respective individuals of both sexes
to get together and mate. The nearby river played a
dominant role in this regard, and in 1984, the first
baby of Pinnawela was born.
The success story of Pinnawela has drawn the
attention of scientists from all over the world. A
considerable number of books and research articles
on Pinnawela have been published in several
languages. The members of the Pinnawela herd have
been filmed, videoed and photographed thousands of
times by professionals.
Afternoon – Do a city tour of Colombo
Colombo
Colombo, like many capital cities in developing
countries is fast changing its face. Almost
overnight, skyscrapers arise from where old
buildings once stood. Yet in some parts, the old
world charm is retained. For example, there is a
100-year-old clock tower and several British built
colonial buildings. Other places of interest are a
Hindu and a Buddhist temple, residential areas where
you find the stately homes of the affluent, the
Bandaranaike Memorial International Conference Hall
(BMICH)- an outright gift to Sri Lanka from the
People's Republic of China & the old parliament.
Also visit House of Fashions, ODEL, Noritake ceramic
shop & a local souvenir shop
Overnight stay in Colombo
DAY 05 :
After Breakfast transfer to Airport to connect the
departure flight
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