Getaway, Sri Lanka

After your long flight the previous day, the morning is at leisure. Start after lunch for Kandalama. The drive to Kandalama takes approximately 3 hours and 30 minutes. En route you might like to visit the Dambulla Cave Temples which are located 20 minutes away from the hotel. The visit will take approximately 1.5 hours. Dambulla is a UNESCO World Heritage site and is the most impressive of Sri Lanka’s cave temples. The cave complex houses over 2000 sq. meters of painted walls and ceilings, and over 150 images of the Buddha. The largest cave dates from the 1st – 2nd century B.C. and is quite breathtaking. Arrive into Kandalama by evening and check in to your hotel. Enjoy a special cave dinner tonight, by the light of flaming torches and candle lanterns, serenaded by a lone flautist, your waiter delivers a succession of gourmet delights. The setting, the company, great food and wine all come together to make tonight’s dinner a perfect start to the journey that awaits you in the coming days. Overnight at hotel.

Get a head start to the day with a morning climb to one of the most astonishing sites in Sri Lanka. The 5th century Sigiriya rock fortress, a massive monolith of red stone rising 600 feet from the green scrub jungle below. The rock was the innermost stronghold of the 70-hectare fortified town. A moat, rampart, and extensive gardens including the renowned water gardens ring the base of the rock. Visit the world-renowned frescoes of the ”Heavenly Maidens” of Sigiriya, which are painted in earth pigments on plaster. Continue for approximately an hour and a half to Pollonnaruwa, and spend the afternoon exploring the 2nd capital city of Sri Lanka. In the 10th century, the Chola Kings of South India made Pollonnaruwa their capital after conquering Anuradhapura. It was recaptured in the 11th century by the Sinhalese King Vijayabahu and flourished until the 13th century when it fell once more into the hands of South Indian kings. This evening, indulge yourself with a couple’s Spa treatment.

Today you travel towards Kandy. The drive is approximately 3 hours long. En route stop for an insightful visit to a Spice Garden where you will be introduced to a variety of spices and also shown how some of them are grown and processed. Enjoy lunch at a Tea Estate Bungalow in Matale before continuing your drive. This evening visit Sri Lanka’s most sacred site, the Temple of the Tooth Relic. Tradition relates that a sacred tooth relic of the Lord Buddha was brought to Sri Lanka in 4th Century A.D. and was enshrined within the Dalanda Maligawa, (The Temple of the Tooth). This sacred relic has ever since been the symbol of sovereignty for the Sinhalese kings and always enshrined in great splendor. Religious services (pooja) are held daily at dawn, midday, and in the evening and can be viewed by visitors. The services are accompanied with traditional music and drumming. Overnight at hotel.

Start the day in Kandy with a visit to the Royal Botanical Gardens. First conceived as a Queen’s pleasure garden in the 14th century, and as a Kandyan Prince-s residence in the 18th century, the Royal Botanical Gardens were formally opened under their current guise in 1821. This afternoon you set out towards Nuwara Eliya which lies in the famed Tea Country region and the journey is done by train and car. The train ride from Kandy to the heart of Sri Lanka’s Tea Country is one of the most scenic train rides in Asia. As you meander out of Kandy, dense jungle opens into cloud forest, with undulating vistas of immaculate tea bush carpets in between. Enjoy the picturesque journey from your observation carriage. Your car will follow you to Nanu Oya, the last station before Nuwara Eliya. Once you disembark the rest of the short journey is by road. The drive will take about thirty minutes. Arrive at your beautiful hotel and check in. Overnight at hotel

We recommend you an early rise today. Your chauffeur guide is on hand to drive you to Horton Plains National Park. The plains here form an undulating plateau over 2,000 m (6,561 ft) high, covered in wild grassland, waterfalls and misty lakes. You can walk to the end of the plateau, known as World’s End, which offers some of the best views in Sri Lanka on a clear day. In the afternoon, visit a working Tea Estate, going into a Tea Factory is a fascinating way to learn about how tea is processed and produced. Tonight enjoy a private Dining on Wheels experience at the in-house Railway Carriage Restaurant. Nuwara Eliya once boasted a narrow-gauge railway the Udupussellawa line, vital for transporting tea, which was discontinued mid last century. However, carriage TCK 6685 returns to its glory days: polished teak and brass fittings gleam in the candle light; white gloved butlers wait quietly in attendance. The Executive Chef himself will welcome you and take your order. The menu is equally impressive, as is the wine list.

After an early breakfast, begin your drive out of the hills and head south to Yala National Park, one of the island’s most popular wildlife sanctuaries. The drive is approximately six hours long. Yala’s arid boulder-scattered parklands are dramatically different from the lush jungles and paddy fields that cover so much of the island. Known for the highest leopard density in the world Yala national park is the most eco-friendly park and attracts more tourists than any other park for this reason. The bird population is profuse, stunning and in November-January, the fantail peacocks everywhere is unforgettable. On arrival at your luxury lodge, you will be met by Sri Lanka’s foremost expert in leopards, Noel Rodrigo winner of the national motocross championships a staggering four times; and his Leopard Safaris team, who will help you settle in and give you a brief on the camp and surrounding wildlife over lunch. Spend the early afternoon at leisure before heading out on a late afternoon game drive with Noel at the wheel.

Today you have access to unlimited game drives, once again with Noel and his team. Photograph leopard, wild bears, elephants and an abundance of wildlife. Head back to the camp for lunch and spend the afternoon at leisure. Game drive with again, and as you spend more time with the team you’ll realize just how vast their knowledge of the island’s jungles is! Tonight, enjoy drinks and dinner in a private and exclusive venue under a ceiling of sparkling stars. The hot delicious string hoppers with saffron milk curry, coconut sambol, lunumiris and prawn curry might be a little more distracting than the company! Overnight at hotel.

This morning after breakfast go for another game drive through a different route of the park to take a closer look at ancient temples, ruins and caves that housed female bikkhus which can be found within the sanctuary itself. Once part of the ancient kingdom of Ruhuna, Yala was once the land of Queen Viharamahadevi. In the afternoon drive to Bentota. The drive takes approximately four hours. Transfer directly to your hotel and the evening is at leisure. Overnight at hotel.

Rise early morning and leave for Mirissa, a small sandy tropical beach village which boasts some of Sri Lanka’s most stunning sunrises and sunsets. It is also on the worlds ‘Top Hot Spots’ for Sperm and Blue Whale sightings. In the warm Indian Ocean you can see Blue whales, Sperm whales, Common dolphins, Bottlenose dolphins, Spinner dolphins, Risso’s dolphins and Striped dolphins. Take the boat from the fishery harbour out to sea. Blue Whales in concentrations not seen elsewhere in the world are an incredible sight. After seeing the Blue whales, your naturalist will take you further out to sea to look for Sperm whales. Spend the rest of the day on golden sands for which Bentota is well known. Overnight at hotel.

The day is yours to design. There are many options to choose from: Visit Kosgoda Turtle Conservation Project (hatchery) is an innovative project working to conserve the dwindling marine Turtle species. Enjoy a private tour led by a prominent scholar of the works of Geoffrey Bawa Sri Lanka’s most influential and prolific architect, renowned for his pioneering work in blending structures with their natural environment. The tour includes visits to hotels, private houses and the Lunaganga estate, a laboratory for his ideas over the decades and his most striking achievement. Stop at a toddy tapper’s house and watch as he shimmies up the body of a palm tree, feet bound together by a length of rope. Enjoy water sports such as wind-surfing, canoeing, water-skiing, banana-boating and deep sea fishing. Take a private boat for a safari adventure up the Bentota or Maadu River to explore the preserved wildlife sanctuary and local communities of a predominantly Singhalese Buddhists population. The boat winds through the mangroves and wide – and at times narrow- waterways past tiny islands, loca…

The day is at leisure for independent activities. En route to the international airport, stop and enjoy a special farewell dinner at the dramatic and sultry Tintagel property, located close to Colombo Town Hall, National Art Gallery and Sinhalese Sports Club. The hotel was previously home to three of Sri Lanka-s political leaders, making it an important structure of national heritage. Over some exquisite international cuisine paired with finest wines bring the curtain down on your trip to the Emerald Isle. Post dinner, your driver escorts you to the airport in time to check in for your onward journey, either back home or onto your next destination. Endless beaches, timeless ruins, welcoming people, elephants, leopards, rolling surf, scenic train journeys, famous tea and flavorful food were just some of the highlights of this trip designed with for you and your special someone. But there is so much more yet to be discovered. We hope that you will return one day soon, and until then we wish you happy journeys.