This tour has been specifically designed for those who want to experience paradise in luxury. Stay at high end properties as you enjoy the sights and sounds of this tropical island.
Indulge in some shopping at the many shopping malls available in the commercial capital of Sri Lanka before being flown in comfort to one of Sri Lanka’s cultural hotspots, Sigiriya.
Therafter be driven in comfort to enjoy a hot air balloon ride over paradise or experience the lives of Sri Lankan villagers. A truly unique and authentic experience.
You will also experience the cool hills and live in luxury as you take in the sights before heading over to the gorgeous beach of Tangalle where you can spend your last two days in paradise taking in some sun and lazing on the golden beach surrounded by the gentle soothing sound of the waves.
Colombo, the commercial capital of Sri Lanka, sprawls along the west coast some 30 minutes by the new Expressway from the International Airport. Its suburbs are chaotic, clogged with traffic and packed with office and residential buildings but the centre of the city has been renewed with bright new high rise hotels and office blocks, restored and re-painted Edwardian mansions and broad tree lined boulevards.
Colombo seems set to recapture its reputation as the Garden City of Asia because of its parks and playing fields, inspired architecture and spaciousness, air-conditioned shopping malls, high-end restaurants and hotels to suit all budgets. There is no metro system of trains and buses are usually packed with commuters so a good way to explore the city is by one of the ubiquitous, buzzing three wheeler taxis known as ‘tuk tuks.’
Called by many names including “The Lion Rock” for its initial name of “Sinhagiri”, Sigiriya is near the town of Dambulla and is a colossal column of rock nearly 200m high. It was a royal citadel for 18 years (477-495) when it was fortified by King Kasyapa. The architectural and irrigational technologies of Sigiriya, such as the Water Gardens, still baffle engineers. The climb up steep steps of metal with railings passes a wall decorated with frescoes of bare-breasted women. Art experts consider them unique.
The summit of the rock is a hectare in area and the outer wall of the palace was constructed on the brink of the rock with gardens and ponds softening the harshness of the eerie. Since it was constructed over 1,500 years ago, it is claimed by enthusiast as the Eighth Wonder of the World and is anyway a World Heritage Site.
The ancient kingdom of Kandy is home to the Temple of the Tooth Relic of Lord Buddha as well as Edwardian buildings, a king-made lake, a nature reserve and exciting shops.
As the second largest city of the island and the capital of the Central Province, Kandy has grown from being a medieval kingdom to a friendly, busy city set in forested hills and surrounded by tea plantations and close to the Royal Botanical Gardens at Peradeniya. As well as the Temple of the Tooth, there are many Buddhist monasteries and Hindu places of worship to visit, and cultural dance performances to watch.
Kandy is a convenient base to stay for a few days while exploring the Cultural Triangle as there are comfortable hotels to suit every budget. The city is easily accessible from Colombo by rail, road and float plane.
At an altitude of over 1,800m above sea level the picturesque landscape of Nuwara Eliya is known as “Little England” because of the resemblance of its homesteads to English bungalows, and its cool climate (there are even log fires in some hotels).
Nuwara Eliya is overlooked by Piduruthalagala, the highest mountain in Sri Lanka. In colonial days it was the retreat from the coastal heat for British residents and even today rituals like horse racing, boating on the lake, beautiful flower garden competitions and golf tournaments are held during the local holiday season months of April and August.
Most of Sri Lanka’s fresh flowers, fruits and vegetables are grown in the area and there are also dairy and strawberry farms. The Hakgala Botanical Gardens near the town is a prime attraction, as is a trek across Horton Plains.
Tangalle is about 198km south of Colombo, easily reached from the new Southern Expressway, although the nearest railway station is at Matara, 35km distant to the west. The town’s old mansions are disappearing under development but it retains some of its atmosphere as a seaside settlement with a harbour (just below the Tangalle Resthouse, founded in 1774) dotted with brightly coloured fishing boats bobbing at anchor.
There are beaches stretching along the coast to the east and west of Tangalle all with cosy, local restaurants for enjoying seafood and fish caught in the area. Beside the guesthouses catering for budget travellers, several upmarket boutique hotels have opened in the area. Mulkirigala, an important cave retreat, dating from 130BC (where clues to unlocking the secrets of the ancient history of Sri Lanka, the Mahavamsa, were found in 1826) is 16km inland from Tangalle.
