According to 800zipcodes, Sri Lanka with vast pristine beaches, green forests, jungle and an abundance of wildlife and experiences. Here you will find colorful culture interspersed with meditative tranquility and blue sea.
Now is the absolute best time to visit Sri Lanka – discover this amazing island with so many wonders to behold! The cost situation here makes it one of the world’s most affordable destinations – with world-class experiences and adventures. Nowhere else are there as many UNESCO World Heritage Sites as here. On this relatively small island you will find as many as eight, including in Dambulla, Kandy, Galle and Polanaruwa.
Sri Lanka was formerly called Ceylon and is world famous for its tea plantations but here there is much more such as colorful food, miles of beaches, the friendliest people and breathtakingly beautiful nature with safaris and hikes.
Day 1: Departure from Scandinavia
Departure from Scandinavia with scheduled flights – we always book scheduled flights with all its benefits – more legroom, meals and drinks, the opportunity to get bonus points. For those who have a special diet, you can order special food on board the flight free of charge. You make a flight change on the way and arrive in Colombo the next day. The flight time to Sri Lanka is about 14 hours, you fly east with the constant air currents which makes the flight time one hour shorter than on the return. Sri Lanka is 3.5 hours ahead of Sweden in summer and 4.5 hours in winter.
Day 2: Arrival Colombo – Negombo
You land at Bandaranaike International Airport, Katunayake. After picking up your luggage, you will be met by your guide / driver who will take you to Negombo just outside Colombo – Sri Lanka’s commercial capital. Many people think that this is the country’s capital, but the administrative capital is Sri Jayewardenepura Kotte, which is located outside Colombo. The distance from the airport to Negombo takes about half an hour. You can now relax and rest after the flight.
Day 3: Negombo – Dambulla – Sigiriya
This is how the adventure begins – you start with an excursion to Negombo itself and take a boat trip on the famous Dutch Canal. The journey continues towards Habarana and on the way you stop at Dambulla where you will find incredibly richly decorated cave temples, 150 Buddha statues carved into the rock, the largest of which is 14 meters high and is another UNESCO World Heritage Site. In the afternoon you will arrive at the hotel in Habarana by the Sigiriya cliff. ( F )
Day 4: Sigiriya and Polonaruwa
Breakfast and then off to Sigiriya, here you climb the strange Sigiriya rock that rises 200 meters above the low-growing jungle. At the top of the cliff, a palace and fortified citadel were built during the 5th century, which today is one of UNESCO’s World Heritage Sites. Then the place was accessible only by steps or rope ladders carved into the rock, but today the climb is more comfortable and halfway up the cliff you will find frescoes of the seductive Sigiriya maidens. In the afternoon, visit another UNESCO World Heritage Site; the medieval city of Polonaruwa with the ruins of palaces, monasteries, pavilions, parks, ponds and parts of the city walls. You will then return to Habarana after a busy day. ( F )
Day 5: City walk & elephants
Today you first make an excursion to one of the villages nearby where you get to see everyday life in the countryside – a quiet but exciting experience. You then continue to Minneriya National Park – an “elephant corridors” and do an elephant safari with great chances to see both one and several elephants. There is also a rich bird life for those interested and when the sun goes down you return to your hotel. ( F )
Day 6: Spice Garden & Kandy
Breakfast and check-out. You leave Sigiriya and on the way you stop in Matale to visit an herb and spice garden where you do a tour and learn all about the island’s fantastic herbs, for a small sum you can also get a nice foot massage. Today’s final destination is Kandy – the country’s ancient capital and a fascinating blend of old and new, worldly and religious. Once in Kandy, you check in at your hotel and have the rest of the evening on your own. ( F )
Day 7: Botanical Garden – Tea Plantation – Kandy
Just outside Kandly is the Peradeniya Botanical Gardens, originally a royal pleasure garden but now a place to enjoy Sri Lanka’s diverse and wonderful flora. You stop here and walk around the beautiful area. Here you will find orchid houses, a spice garden, stately palm alleys and if you are lucky you will see flying dogs. You then go on to enjoy an afternoon on one of the many tea plantations that are here. Here you get to be a part of and see the whole process from picking the thin leaves to finished tea. In Kandy you then take a city tour and also visit one of Buddhism’s holiest sites; Temple of the Holy Tooth. Here one of the Buddha’s canines is said to have been preserved, smuggled from India in the 4th century and today enclosed in a seven-fold covered gold chest, richly adorned with rubies and sapphires. You also take the opportunity to see a performance with the famous Canadian dances. (F )
Day 8: Kandy – Nuwara Eliya
Breakfast and check-out at the hotel. Today, the destination is Nuwara Eliya, a beautiful place at 1,890 meters above sea level. You are now in the central highlands and one of Sri Lanka’s most marvelous cities – Nuwara Eliya, where you also stay overnight. Here the English spent their time when the heat was at its worst on the island, still from the colonial era there are palace-like buildings in Victorian style and Tudor Gothic. In the afternoon you take a walk in the area and see the city itself, visit the market, stop at the golf club and enjoy the view at Lake Gregory. ( F ) NOTE! If you want, you can travel by train between Kandy and Nuwara Eliya – the train journey takes about 5 hours.
Day 9: Nuwara Eliya – Yala
Today you go to the jungle in Yala. You stop on the way to see the beautiful Rawana waterfalls, also known from Indian mythology. Upon arrival in Yala you check in and then dinner and a quiet evening. Yala National Park is one of Sri Lanka’s most prominent eco-destinations – there is a huge variety and richness of wildlife. Yala is mainly known for its wild elephants, but there are also deer, buffalo, lip bear, jackal, mungo, crocodile and leopard. Although Yala has a large number of leopards in its area, you need a fairly large portion of luck to see these rare animals that hunt at night. ( F )
Day 10: Yala – Galle – Hikkaduwa
Early morning with safari and then back for breakfast. Then it’s time to head for the coast. The distances are not long but the roads are unfortunately in pretty bad condition and it takes time to drive here on the island, you arrive at Galle, another of Sri Lanka’s world heritage where you do a city tour on foot with your guide and then continue to your hotel there you check and now have some completely untouched days by the sea. ( F )
Day 11-13: Beach life Hikkaduwa
Hikkaduwa was originally a sleepy little fishing village but was discovered as early as the 1960s by surfers and beach lovers. A couple of miles from here is the more well-known and well-known town of Gallé, but this is where you will find the really hidden beaches. This is still where you will find surf enthusiasts and if you like diving & snorkeling, the white beaches and coral reef are just the right place to spend your holiday. In the evenings there is a good selection of restaurants and some bars – the shopping offer is limited but there are some beautiful crafts to buy to take home. ( F )
Day 14: Departure
You have all day to continue to enjoy Hikkaduwa’s beaches and the heat – the flight back to Europe goes at night but when you have plenty of time for transfer you leave Hikkaduwa in the afternoon and go back to Colombo and the airport. ( F )
Day 15: Return to Scandinavia
The flight from Colombo leaves after midnight and you land again in Scandinavia in the middle of the day.
Overnight stays
Twelve nights in a middle class hotel
