TROPICAL ISLAND WANDERER (PRIVATE DEPARTURE FAMILY HOLIDAY)

Itinerary

Day 1

Start Negombo.

Day 2

Today we drive out to Sigiriya. This town is famous for the impressive 5th century rock fortress, which rises 600 feet from the plains and overlooks the surrounding countryside, giving far reaching magnificent views. The afternoon is free to relax at the hotel or explore the town.

Day 3 - 4

After breakfast we take a short drive to the 10th century capital of Sri Lanka at Polonnaruwa. This is an optional activity and if you do not wish to visit this site then the morning is free. At Polonnaruwa there are many Buddhist relics and ruins dating from a thousand years ago when Sinhalese culture reached its zenith. Polonnaruwa flourished in the 12th century after the decision was made to move the capital from Anuradhapura so it was further away from the incursions from southern India. After lunch we spend the afternoon at an elephant camp at Habarana where you can take an elephant ride into the natural surroundings. Its great fun and the bird life is fantastic too, though this is usually weather dependent.

Day 5

Today we visit the magnificent Cave Temple at Dambulla, for some, the most impressive sight in Sri Lanka. There are colourful and very well preserved paintings and statues of the Buddha inside the caves, which date back to the 1st century BC. After lunch we stop at a spice garden near Matale where you can see various spices and herbs growing and there is a chance to stock up on massage oils, spices and Ayurvedic medicines. We then head to Kandy.

Day 6

Kandy is a picturesque hill town situated on a lake and home to Temple of the Tooth, Sri Lanka's most important Buddhist relic. We begin with a visit to a gem museum where you can see the products of the traditional methods of gem extraction before heading back to Kandy to see The Tooth of Buddha, which was taken from the funeral pyre in 543 BC and only found its way to Sri Lanka in the 4th century AD. There are normally hundreds of worshippers who visit the temple each day and it is open to the public. The rest of the day is free to wander round Kandy, by the lake or take a taxi up to the surrounding hills for wonderful views over the town and lake.

Day 7

Today we make the spectacular drive through tea plantation districts to Nurawa Eliya. This was the favourite hill station during the British era and, situated in the cool highland air at 1890m, has a very British feel to it. Known locally as 'Little England' it is dotted with British style houses, hotels and a racecourse. The area is famous for its high quality tea and we visit a working plantation later that day. We stay in the hill country overnight at Bandarrawela.

Day 8

We head south out of the hills to Kataragama down on the plains (108 km.), our base for Yala National Park. On the way we visit the Elephant Transit Home at Udawalawe. This centre is designed to return orphaned elephants to their natural home and so offers these wonderful animals lots of space to roam as well as giving the tourists the opportunity to see them in natural surroundings. We continue on to Yala National Park.

Day 9 - 11

We will have a safari drive in the morning of day 10. Yala is best known for its elephants but we can also hope to see deer, monkeys, buffalo and a wide range of bird life. The best times for viewing the wildlife are early mornings. (Please note that the sanctuary is closed for 4-6 weeks from September to October allowing the park authorities to check the animals. We therefore go to an alternative area close by, usually the Odawalawe National Park). We then leave for the coast with its beautiful palm fringed bays, arriving in the afternoon and have three nights here to relax on the beautiful beach, swim in the pool or explore the surrounding area.
Visiting The Back to Life Project
Exodus actively supports the Back to Life housing project, which aims to re-house families who found themselves homeless after the devastating 2004 Tsunami. The project began immediately after the Tsunami when Exodus was able to secure a plot of land in Ahangama - an area that our clients have visited for years on our trips to Sri Lanka. So far the local organisers have been able to build and hand over 11 houses to families in Ahangama. Exodus is continuing to support the project by raising funds to build a further 10 houses on the remaining land - the importance of which should not be underestimated with 101,110 people remaining homeless two and a half years on throughout Sri Lanka (figures from RADA). You can visit this project on your free day to see the progress that has been made so far in improving the situation for some of the families.

Day 12

We set off early today and drive along the coastal road to the historic port of Galle. Dating back to the 17th century and now a world heritage site we have a short visit of the Galle Fort. We then follow the coast for the drive back to Colombo visiting a turtle hatchery on the way. We reach Colombo late afternoon and check into our hotel. Colombo is a city of around a million people and is the commercial capital and gateway to Sri Lanka; however it maintains an easygoing atmosphere.

Day 13

If you have booked the recommended flights then we have an early morning transfer to the airport for the flight to London. We arrive in London in the late afternoon, otherwise the trip ends after breakfast at the hotel.