Sri Lanka is an island country near the south-east of India in South Asia.The culture of Sri Lanka dates back over 2500 years. It is influenced primarily by Buddhism and Hinduism.The island is the home to two main traditional cultures: the Sinhalese (centred in the ancient cities of Kandy and Anuradhapura) and the Tamil (centred in the city of Jaffna).

Our local representative will meet you at Colombo airport, and escort you to hotel in city center.

We can directly check in when we reach hotel (about 6:40am). No tour is arranged today, we just relax in hotel or visit Colombo by ourselves.

This morning, we leave hotel and drive to Sigiriya which is an ancient palace located near the town of Dambulla in the Central Province. The name refers to a site of historical and archaeological significance that is dominated by a massive column of rock nearly 200 metres high.Sigiriya today is a UNESCO listed World Heritage Site. On the way to Sigiriya, we' ll visit Pinnawala Elephant Orphanage first.

Pinnawala Elephant Orphanage is an orphanage, nursery and captive breeding ground for wild Asian elephants. It was established in 1975 by the Sri Lanka Department of Wildlife Conservation. Tourists can observe the bathing elephants from the broad river bank as the herd interacts socially, bathing and playing. The orphanage is open to the public daily, and all admission fees are used to look after the elephants. Visitors to the park can view the care and daily routine of the elephants, such as bottle feeding of elephant calves, feeding of all other elephants, and bathing in the Ma Oya (River). Pinnawala is notable for having the largest herd of captive elephants in the world. As of 2012, there were 78 elephants living here.

After lunch, we transfer to visit Sigiriya Rock Fortress. According to the ancient Sri Lankan chronicle the Culavamsa, this site was selected by King Kasyapa (477 – 495 CE) for his new capital. He built his palace on the top of this rock and decorated its sides with colourful frescoes. On a small plateau about halfway up the side of this rock he built a gateway in the form of an enormous lion. The name of this place is derived from this structure —Sīhāgiri, the Lion Rock. The capital and the royal palace was abandoned after the king's death. It was used as a Buddhist monastery until the 14th century. After tour, we drive to hotel in Sigiriya.

This morning, we drive to Dambulla and visit Golden Cave Temple, a cave-temple complex that dates back before the 2nd century. It is a religious site that is significant to buddhist and hindu faiths. The temple is the largest and best preserved cave temple complex in Sri Lanka. The rock towers 160m over the surrounding plains.There are more than 80 documented caves in the surrounding. Major attractions are spread over 5 caves, which contain statues and paintings. This paintings and statues are related to Lord Buddha and his life. There are a total of 153 Buddha statues, 3 statues of Sri Lankan kings and 4 statues of god and goddess. The latter 4 include two statues of Hindu gods, Vishnu and Ganesh. The murals cover an area of 2,100 m². Depictions in the walls of the caves include Buddha's temptation by demon Mara and Buddha's first sermon. 

Then, we drive to Kandy,  the second largest city in Sri Lanka after Colombo. It was the last capital of the ancient kings'era of Sri Lanka.  After lunch, we go to Royal Botanical Garden which is renowned for its collection of a variety of orchids. It includes more than 4000 species of plants, including of orchids, spices, medicinal plants and palm trees.

Then, we go to visit  the Bahiravokanda Vihara Buddha Statue. The statue is 88 feet in height with the amusement created by the statue. Certainly the stature can be seen from almost anywhere in Kandy city. A panoramic view to the Kandy city is appeared in the top.

Stroll along the Kandy Lake located in the heart of the hill city of Kandy.  The lake offers a place for a stroll or a jog. The shady path surrounding the lake provides a view of the hills and the town. The Walakulu wall was built to increase the beauty of the Kandy Lake. It extends around half of the Lake and has taken one skilled architect to build it. The king who built the Walakulu wall couldn't finish it because he lost the war and was forced to relinquish the Kandian kingdom. The Walakulu wall still lies unfinished. The triangular shaped holes in the Walakulu wall were used in the past for lighting oil lamps on festival days. After tour, we drive to hotel in Kandy.

Kandy is the home of The Temple of the Tooth Relic (Sri Dalada Maligawa), one of the most sacred places of worship in the Buddhist world. It was declared a world heritage site by UNESCO in 1988.

This morning, the first scenic spot is Sri Dalada Maligawa. The temple is located in the royal palace complex of the former Kingdom of Kandy, which houses the relic of the tooth of Buddha. Since ancient times, the relic has played an important role in local politics because it is believed that whoever holds the relic holds the governance of the country. Kandy was the last capital of the Sri Lankan kings and is a UNESCO world heritage site mainly due to the temple.

The Royal Palace of Kandy is the last royal residence of the Kingdom of Kandy and in Sri Lanka. The last King to reside in it was King Sri Vikrama Rajasinha until he was overthrown by the British in 1815 with the aid of Kandian chieftains.

After lunch, we take train to Nuwara Eliya from which we drive to Mackwoods tea factory. On the way to tea factory, we' ll see many tea gardens. The factory has a 174 year-old heritage and trading history. It is the first black tea factory in Sri Lanka. The factory guide will take us on a tour around factory, showing each process of tea making process, which was really informative. All of us will enjoy a cup of tea (complimentary) at their cafe. After visiting tea factory, we drive to hotel in Nuwara Eliya.

‍No tour is arranged this morning, after lunch we drive to the resort in Hikkaduwa (about 4 hours).   Hikkaduwa's beach and night life make it a popular tourist destination. It is a well-known international destination for board-surfing and scuba diving. Aditya Resort is a beachfront resort in which we will stay for two days. This luxury resort has won renown as one of Sri Lanka’s finest and most distinctive boutique hotels. The beach there is wide and long. ‍

Free day.

Local representative will meet you at hotel lobby (about 9:10AM), then we drive to Colombo airport and take flight back to Shanghai.

IN SIGIRIYA

DAY2-DAY3

IN NUWARA ELIYA

DAY4-DAY5

adult: RMB 14,900 ++ per person