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This is a tour that introduces guests to the best wild life sanctuaries in Sri Lanka as well as including fascinating adventures like a nature trail, a forest trek and a bullock cart ride, concluding with a couple of relaxing day on the beach by the Indian Ocean. This journey of discovery begins with a drive northwards along the west coast to the seldom-visited Wilpattu National Park for two nights, then south to the centre of the Cultural Triangle with an opportunity to visit another National Park. There’s an arranged encounter with Veddas, and a night in the old capital of the medieval kingdom of Kandy with its Temple of the Tooth and grand Edwardian buildings.
Next a conducted tour of the Sinharaja Forest followed by a safari in the southern National Park of Yala, concluding with a couple of nights in the tourist hotspot for the young-at-heart, Hikkaduwa.
After breakfast take part in the Hiriwaduna Trek. This trek allows you to understand village life as well as experience a bullock cart ride and even a catamaran boat ride.
Thereafter proceed to Sri Lanka’s Hill Capital, Kandy en route visiting the Matale Spice Gardens.
Leave after an early breakfast to Dambana a village where it is possible to meet the Veddha community, Sri Lanka’s aborigines. Interact with this community through interpreters and learn of their unique way of life.
In the evening visit the much revered Temple of the Tooth Relic of the Lord Buddha and a sightseeing tour of Kandy and enjoy and learn of its history and surroundings.
After breakfast proceed to a location close to the Sinharaja Rainforest. A lowland rain forest alive with life. Bird watchers will find this to be a real treat.
Spend the evening at leisure after a strenuous drive from Kandy.
Leave after breakfast for Yala National Park. Arrive at the campsite located inside the Yala National Park in time for lunch. Popular for its Elephant and Leopard sightings, catch a glimpse of these creatures roaming the wild.
Take an evening game drive of Yala National Park to track the Sri Lanka Leopard, Elephant, Sloth Bear and many other exciting species of wildlife.
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.
Wilpattu National Park is located in the north west of the dry zone of the island with a long coastal boundary. It is approximately 180 km north of Colombo. Wilpattu is reputed to have the highest density of leopards in the world. The park is also home to elephants, spotted deer, boars and mongooses. The jungle fowl, the national bird of Sri Lanka, and many species of owls, gulls, eagles are also found in the Park.
The Park is also inhabited by mugger crocodiles, common cobras, Indian pythons and soft shelled turtles. During the rains of the northeast monsoons from December to February and the subsequent inter-monsoonal rains, the 60 lakes and tanks in the Park attract wildlife while flora and fauna thrive in the lush climate. Only a quarter of the Park is open to visitors; the rest is covered in dense forest.
Yala National Park is also known as the Ruhunu National Park and is one of the biggest jungles in the country. Set in the southeast of Sri Lanka, it is a 305 km drive from Colombo. Elephants are the Park’s main attraction although leopards are seen frequently and sloth the bear occasionally. Yala is also home to hundred species of birds, endemic and foreign, including the jungle fowl, Sri Lanka’s national bird, and flocks of peacocks. Yala also has a beach front and swamps haunted by crocodiles.
As one of the first National Parks established in Sri Lanka (in 1938), Yala is an established place for tourists to visit and stay as it has plenty of accommodation near its gates, both luxurious and budget and even camping; morning and evening safaris by jeep can be arranged easily.
The Sinharaja Rainforest covers 7,648ha and is a biodiversity hotspot and UNESCO World Heritage Site, a national park surrounded by rivers. While the altitude ranges between 300m to 1,000m, the Reserve houses more than 50% of endemic species including mammals, butterflies, birds, fish, reptiles and amphibians living in temperatures of 19 – 34 degrees Celsius. Sinharaja is home to twelve endemic mammals including the frequently seen giant squirrel, dusky-stripped jungle squirrel, badger mongoose and endemic purple-faced leaf monkey and torque macaque
The birds include more than half of the endemic species including endangered ones while the Green Pit Viper and the Hump-nosed Viper are common reptiles. The Torrent toad, common house toad and the Wrinkled Frog and Sri Lankan Reed Frogs are also found in Sinharaja. The Reserve can be reached from hotels on the west coast.