Transport

MOTORCYCLES: Your travel insurance policy is unlikely to cover you when riding a motorcycle. We do not include or offer motorcycle activities on any of our trips in Sri Lanka. TAXIS: Use the taxi services from within the arrivals terminal at the airport or taxi services arranged through your booking agent. If you have a local SIM : card, ride-sharing services, such as Uber, are available in major cities. Private vehicle

Accommodation

The style of accommodation indicated in the day-to-day itinerary is a guideline only and may change. On some occasions, alternative arrangements may need to be made due to the lack of availability of rooms in our preferred accommodation. In these cases, we will use a similar standard of accommodation. Throughout the trip, we request that our properties prepare rooms in time for our arrival, especially if we’re arriving prior to normal check-in time. However, this isn’t always possible which means we won’t be able to check-in immediately on arrival at some hotels. Instead, we can store our luggage and explore our new destination or on some trips, have use of shared day rooms until all rooms are available. AIR CONDITIONING: All hotels on this trip have fans, but not all will have air conditioning. Hotel (7 nights)

Others

Kandy - Cultural Dance Performance Kandy - Home-cooked lunch Kandy - Temple of the Tooth Nuwara Eliya - Tea factory tour Kandy - Scenic train ride to Nuwara Eliya Dambulla - Cave Temples Sigiriya - Lion Rock Fortress Visit Matale - Spice Garden Sigiriya - Home-cooked lunch Minneriya - Jeep safari Anuradhapura - Bodhi Tree Temple Anuradhapura - Sacred City bike tour Colombo - City tour by bus Colombo – Guided market visit

Guide

All group trips are accompanied by one of our group leader or local representative. The aim of the group leader or local representative is to take the hassle out of your travels and to help you have the best trip possible. Intrepid endeavours to provide the services of an experienced group leader or local representative however, due to the seasonality of travel, rare situations may arise where your group leader or local representative is new to a particular region or training other group leader or local representative. Your group leader or local representative will provide information on the places you are travelling through, offer suggestions for things to do and see, recommend great local eating venues and introduce you to our local friends. While not being guides in the traditional sense, you can expect them to have a broad general knowledge of the places visited on the trip, including historical, cultural, religious, and social aspects. At Intrepid we aim to support local guides who have specialised knowledge of the regions we visit. If you are interested in delving deeper into the local culture at a specific site or location then your group leader or local representative can recommend a local guide service in most of the main destinations of your trip.

Meals

7 breakfasts, 2 lunches

Not included:

Optional

Other activities and services not included

Insurance

Insurance is not included. Travel insurance is required for this tour. Please make sure you are adequately covered. If you require travel insurance, TourRadar has partnered up with World Nomads to provide a hassle-free experience. More information can be found here (https://www.tourradar.com/travel-insurance).

Flights

International flights not included.

Others

Other activities and services not included

Start planning your experience

Day 1 Day 1: Negombo
12:00 am - 11:59 pm

Day 1: Negombo

Ayu-bowan! Welcome to Sri Lanka. Your adventure begins in the town of Negombo, located close to Bandaranaike International Airport. You can arrive at any time today as there are no activities planned until an important welcome meeting at 6pm. Those arriving early can get into the spirit of seaside Sri Lanka by observing the local fishing craft and perhaps feasting on fresh seafood. The beautiful surrounding countryside is best explored on a bicycle, which you can rent with help from the hotel reception.
Day 2 Day 2: Kandy
12:00 am - 11:59 pm

Day 2: Kandy

After breakfast, take a private transfer to the lush, rainforest-rimmed Kandy where you’ll enjoy a delicious home cooked lunch on arrival. Refresh with a home grown juice welcome drink then feast on traditional Sri Lankan cuisine with a slice of sweet kithul thalapa for dessert. After lunch, check in to your hotel then visit the temple that holds a tooth relic of the Lord Buddha. Aptly named Temple of the Tooth, it is one of Sri Lanka’s most sacred places and no matter your spiritual inclination, the hush of the temple and the atmosphere of reverence is incredibly powerful. If you have spare time this afternoon, you may like to visit the Peradeniya Botanic Gardens which were once a private playground for Kandyan royalty. This evening, join your group for a traditional dance performance set to traditional music with percussive rhythms.
Day 3 Day 3: Kandy
12:00 am - 11:59 pm

Day 3: Kandy

The gorgeous highlands await you today, so rise and shine for the scenic train journey to Nuwara Eliya. The evergreen hills and cool climate made this town a primary retreat for British colonialists in the 19th century, and many buildings remain from this period. Stop in at a tea factory and learn about the process of cultivating the region’s fragrant, highly regarded varieties. Nuwara Eliya remains an incredibly important tea-growing area, and the plantations that dot the hillside make for lovely scenery. After the tour, drive back to Kandy and maybe ask your leader where you can grab a nice kottu roti (chopped roti with vegetables and plenty of spices). Kandy was one the world’s primary source of cinnamon and a variety of spices are grown the area, which makes for food that is bursting with flavour.
Day 4 Day 4: Habarana
12:00 am - 11:59 pm

Day 4: Habarana

This morning, bid farewell to Kandy and transfer to Habarana, located just 12 km from Sigiriya, where the immense Lion Rock dominates the landscape. This afternoon you will explore this behemoth, but first some other unique sites await. Visit a spice garden and see how the popular spices you use at home are grown then travel onward to the cave temple of Dambulla with its five caves filled with paintings and statues of Lord Buddha. Murals cover the rough walls and sloping ceilings of the caves, which once served as dwellings for prehistoric Sri Lankans before the arrival of Buddhism. Check into your hotel then set off to experience Lion Rock which features ancient paintings, the remains of a great lion sculpture and some of the oldest landscaped gardens in the world. Climb the winding walkways and explore this incredible example of ancient urban planning as you take in the beauty of the sunset.
Day 5 Day 5: Habarana
12:00 am - 11:59 pm

Day 5: Habarana

This morning, enjoy a relaxing sleep in then join your leader and group for a home-cooked lunch with a local family. After a welcome drink made with home-grown tropical Sri Lankan fruits, head outside to the garden and take a seat under the trees where you’ll dine on traditional dishes like rice and curry, perhaps made with fresh fish caught from the local lakes. After lunch, jump in a jeep and go on safari at Minneriya National Park where elephants, sambar deer and leopards can be spotted amongst the evergreen forests and scrublands.
Day 6 Day 6: Anuradhapura
12:00 am - 11:59 pm

Day 6: Anuradhapura

Say ayubowan – used for both greetings and farewells – to the verdant plains of Sigiriya and travel to Anuradhapura where you’ll discover some of the best-preserved ancient ruins in the country. Take a guided bike tour around Anuradhapura City, an impressive World-Heritage listed site, soaking up the splendour of the ruins as you gain an appreciation of what this area must have looked like during its heyday hundreds of years ago. If you would prefer to skip the bicycle, a tuk tuk is available to take you on the tour. Anuradhapura is also home to a sacred, ancient Bo tree, which originally came from a branch of the famous Bo tree in Budda Gaya.
Day 7 Day 7: Colombo
12:00 am - 11:59 pm

Day 7: Colombo

After breakfast, watch the world go by on the drive to Colombo and take in some of the city’s main sights on a bus tour including Independence Square, Parliament and the National Museum, exploring Pettah Market on foot, and finishing with a shopping opportunity for a good cause at the Barefoot Fairtrade Store. Here you can find a collection of handicrafts from around the country and support small cottage industries. If you are lucky enough to be in Colombo on a Saturday, visit Good Market – a local market full of stalls showcasing social enterprises and responsible businesses. Tonight, there’s the chance to have a group dinner with your travel crew to celebrate your Sri Lankan journey together.
Day 8 Day 8: Colombo
12:00 am - 11:59 pm

Day 8: Colombo

With no activities planned for today, you are free to leave any time after breakfast, provided you comply with the hotel’s internal check-out times. If you would like to spend more time in Colombo, we’ll be happy to organise additional accommodation for you (subject to availability).

8 days tour

Classic Sri Lanka

This tour includes:

Not included:

Start planning your experience

Itinerary of your trip Classic Sri Lanka

Day 1: Negombo

Day 2: Kandy

Day 3: Kandy

Day 4: Habarana

Day 5: Habarana

Day 6: Anuradhapura

Day 7: Colombo

Day 8: Colombo

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