Day 1 – Fly to Colombo

Today you will start your Sri Lankan adventure by flying to Colombo International Airport.

Day 2 – Arrival → Galle

“Ayubowan” & ‘’Vanakkam’’ Welcome to tropical paradise. You will be welcomed and greeted by your guide or The Earth Trip representative on arrival at the waiting area at Colombo International Airport. You will be transferred to your hotel in Galle. Travel time approximately 2 hours.

In the evening enjoy a romantic dinner.

Superior

Sri Lanka • Galle & the South

Jetwing Kurulubedda

With a name that translates to ‘a jungle of birds’, your stay in Jetwing Kurulubedda is also one with nature. From secluded forest walks to fresh natural produce – hotel resident environment has inspired the very fabric of Sri Lanka hospitality in a luxury southern hideaway awaiting your arrival.

• Board Includes:
• Breakfast
• Dinner

Day 3 – Galle

Sri Lankan Cooking Experience: You will be introduced to local family after greetings and cup of tea. Let your host know if you have any allergies or meal preferences. You will visit the bustling Galle market with your host. In the market you will buy together with your host ingredients for your Dinner. Your host will talk you through the core ingredients of Sri Lankan cuisine such as curry leaves, coconuts, local fruit and vegetables, pandan leaves and spices. Afterwards you will visit the daily fisherman catch of the day; here you will buy fish or seafood local fisherman. From here you will drive to the host place to prepare the rice and curries. You will also discover secrets of coconut, learn to crack open and scrape out your own coconut, and taste samples of each dish as you go along. The end product is a feast of 5-7 unique dishes served in a lotus/banana leaf which you can eat local-style with your fingers if you are up for the challenge with local beer or soft drink.

In the afternoon you will discover the Galle Dutch Fort. There are many boutique shops along the narrow streets of the Fort as well as antiques, art and craft shops. Galle is situated in the southern Sri Lanka. It is the best example of a fortified city built by Europeans in south and Southeast Asia, showing the interaction between European architectural styles and south Asian traditions. The Galle fort is a UNESCO world heritage site and the largest remaining fortress in Asia built by European occupiers. Other prominent landmarks in Galle include the natural harbour, the National Maritime Museum, St. Mary’s Cathedral founded by Jesuit priests, one of the main Shiva temples on the island. Galle offers a unique opportunity to create a visible demonstration of the conservation of its inheritance.

Superior

Sri Lanka • Galle & the South

Jetwing Kurulubedda

With a name that translates to ‘a jungle of birds’, your stay in Jetwing Kurulubedda is also one with nature. From secluded forest walks to fresh natural produce – hotel resident environment has inspired the very fabric of Sri Lanka hospitality in a luxury southern hideaway awaiting your arrival.

• Board Includes:
• Breakfast
• Dinner

Day 4 – Galle → Ella

After breakfast you will travel to Ella. Travel time 3 ½ hours.

En route you will see the Udawalawe Elephant Transit Home (ETH), where the orphan wild elephants are treated, raised and released back to the wild, also located at Udawalawe. Visitors to this place can observe how the elephants are taken care of, twice a day. Total number of orphaned elephants exceeds 40, of which most of them are calves and juveniles. When the animals become mature enough to live on their own, they are released back to the wild. Park authorities keep constant vigilance on the newly released animals, until they get used to the new life in the wild.

Afterwards you will travel to Ella. Ella is described as one of the most breathtaking locations in Sri Lanka. Ella is surrounded by high mountains in the central hills and through a gap in the mountains you can see all the way to the ocean off the Hambantota coast line. This special gap offers breathtaking views is called as Ella Gap.

Superior

Sri Lanka • Nuwara Eliya & the Hill Country

98 Acres

The exquisite country side, breathtaking views and exciting nature trails will assure you of a memorable holiday at one of the most breathtaking Ella hotels in the region.

• Board Includes:
• Breakfast
• Dinner

Day 6 – Ella

After breakfast at 09:30am you will experience one of the most scenic train journeys for an hour. You will travel from Ella to Haputale through tea plantations and rolling hills on a scenic train known as Podi Manike (the little precious wife) with a scenic view. This train journey is recorded in the Guinness Books of Records as the one of the world’s best scenic train journeys. Your guide will pick you up at Haputale and you will continue your journey to Lipton Seat.

After you will visit Lipton’s Seat and Dambatenne Tea Factory.
Lipton’s Seat is located on the top of Poonagala hill; this is quite literally the point from which the Scottish tea baron Thomas Lipton would often proudly survey his tea plantations. On a clear day it offers a spectacular view of the mountain ranges, lakes and valleys all the way to the southern coast. You can hike to the point through lush tea plantations or you can opt to travel in comfort with your guide.

You will then visit Dambatenne Tea Factory which was built in 1890 by Sir Thomas Lipton himself. This colonial tea factory is still in operation today. The term “Ceylon Tea” was coined here, and Lipton’s Tea was founded and sold its first pound of tea from the precincts of this very factory. The factory tour is an education in the intricate processes involved in the fermentation, rolling, drying, cutting, sieving and grading of tea, and the comprehensive tour culminates with an authentic tea tasting experience. Please note it is closed on Sundays.

Superior

Sri Lanka • Nuwara Eliya & the Hill Country

98 Acres

The exquisite country side, breathtaking views and exciting nature trails will assure you of a memorable holiday at one of the most breathtaking Ella hotels in the region.

• Board Includes:
• Breakfast
• Dinner

Day 6 – Ella → Gal Oya

Early morning hike to see the sunrise from Little Adam’s Peak. Little Adam’s Peak resembles the main Adam’s Peak near Hatton. By foot it takes about 35-40 minutes. Here you will be able to enjoy the breathtaking views of an endless valleys, tea plantations and waterfalls. (Optional)

Today you will travel to Gal Oya National park. Travel time approximately 3 hours.

(optional) Afternoon you walk with Veddhas (1-2 hours), the last remaining communities of the Veddhas – the forest-dwelling, indigenous people of Sri Lanka. The village Chief will take you on a walk through the jungles of his ancestors. Discover and learn about local nature as he brings the forest alive, explaining his tribe’s use of medicinal plants, ancient hunting grounds and cave dwellings. It’s a fascinating insight into how the hunter-gatherers lived in the jungles of Gal Oya.

Superior

Sri Lanka • Trincomalee & the East

Gal Oya Lodge

Take your time enjoying this natural paradise with boat safaris, jungle drives, bicycle tours, riverside picnics, naturalist treks and even a walk with the Vedda neighbours, one of the last remaining communities of the forest-dwelling, indigenous people of Sri Lanka.

• Board Includes:
• Breakfast
• Lunch
• Dinner

Day 7 – Gal Oya

In the morning you will take a boat safari to watch the birds, swimming elephants and wildlife of Gal Oya. This is only park in Sri Lanka where you can take boat trip to watch the wildlife and swimming elephants. Enjoy the only experience in Sri Lanka that allows you to spot wildlife from the water. It’s a unique way to immerse yourself in the animals’ habitats. With a little luck you could spot elephants swimming between islands or bathing at the lake’s edge. A 2-3 hour safari by boat and a scenic 40 minute drive from the lodge to the lake is perfect to explore the national park and surrounding villages.

Gal Oya National Park lies south-east of the Kandy in the eastern district. The park was closed during the war for three decades. This park was established to protect the catchments area of the Senanayake Samudraya (lake). This wildlife richness of this wetland, the park is a natural habitat for a wide range of fauna and flora consisting of dry mixed vegetation including savannah grass and an extensive green cover. About 45% of the vegetation is evergreen forest, 33% savanna, 9% grassland, 2% cheina cultivations and the balance is water bodies dominated by Senanayake Samudraya. The park is host of medicinal shrubs and trees, while a number of locally known trees such as Vevarana, Halmilla, Veera, Palu, Ebony and Mahogany are found in great numbers. The park with its thick green canopy is a haven for species of birds and nearer to the Samudraya even migratory birds such as Painted Storks, Pelicans, Cormorants and Teals could be seen. A host of local birds such as the Grey Dove, Malabar Horn Bill and Grey Horn Bill, Koel and a number of water birds are found in this jungle habitat. January to May is the green season, with chance of afternoon and night time showers. The lake is at its fullest, amazing bird life as all the migratory species are in residence and stunning early morning views of cloud engulfed mountains. June-December is the dry season, as the year goes on the lake subsides and exposes the lake floor where fresh grass grows and attracts large herds of elephant. Hot days cool nights. The days are hot and the nights are cool.

Superior

Sri Lanka • Trincomalee & the East

Gal Oya Lodge

Take your time enjoying this natural paradise with boat safaris, jungle drives, bicycle tours, riverside picnics, naturalist treks and even a walk with the Vedda neighbours, one of the last remaining communities of the forest-dwelling, indigenous people of Sri Lanka.

• Board Includes:
• Breakfast
• Lunch
• Dinner

Day 8 – Gal Oya → The Cultural Triangle

In the morning you will travel to the Cultural Triangle of Sri Lanka. Travel time is approximately 3 hours. One of the Asia’s major archaeological centres, home to 4 of the UNESCO World Heritage sites the ruins and temple date back to 4th century B.C. The area is full of culture, history and wildlife. Here the ancient Kings have developed the sophisticated and advanced civilisations of Sri Lanka.

En route you will visit Polonnaruwa, it was the medieval capital of Sri Lanka, and today it is one of the most beautiful centres of Sri Lanka’s cultural heritage and UNESCO Heritage site. With its comparatively brief history and a dozen rules, it is far more completely preserves ruin than Anuradhapura. Visit the ancient ruins and Gal Vihara complex, where 3 gigantic Buddha’s statues are carved out of a single rock. You also will be able to see the toque macaque monkeys found only in Sri Lanka.

In the evening enjoy a romantic dinner under the stars.

Mid-range

Sri Lanka • The Cultural Triangle

The Other Corner

Situated within the cultural triangle, an area rife with paddy fields and natural beauty, of thatched roofs and friendly natives, where wild life abounds and the appeal of the wild will leave you breathless.

• Board Includes:
• Breakfast
• Dinner

Day 9 – Sigiriya → Negombo

In the morning you will visit Sigiriya which is a UNESCO World Heritage site and is proposed to be the 8th wonder of the world. Sigiriya, a massive rock in the green scrub jungle, is perhaps the most memorable place for visitors to Sri Lanka. The site was known from ancient times as a hermitage for Buddhist monks. A well-planned monastic complex included caved temples, bathing pools, lovely ponds and Asia’s oldest surviving landscaped gardens. The “Lion stairway”, the “mirror wall” and the “water gardens” are its other highlights. The ruins of the capital built by the parricidal King Kassapa I (477–95) lie on the steep slopes and at the summit of a granite peak standing some 370 m high also known as ‘Lion’s Rock’, which dominates the jungle from all sides.

Afterwards enjoy an Ayurveda massage to rejuvenate your bodies. Ayurveda is the ancient health care system in South Asia that has been passed down from father to son and based on herbs and diet. It is one of the world’s oldest forms of healing and treatment. You will find some of the best Ayurveda practitioners in Sri Lanka. Ayurveda is a well known treatment for stress, diabetes, migraine, asthma, arthritis, immune system and high blood pressure. Ayurveda is derived from Sanskrit for life (ayuh) and knowledge (veda), means ‘the science of life’. Therefore, Ayurveda is one of the oldest medical sciences of the world and its origins date back as far as 5,000 years South Asia.

Afterwards you will travel to Negombo. Travel time approximately 3 hours.

Mid-range

Sri Lanka • Negombo & the Northwest

The Notary’s House

Traditional and contemporary Sri Lankan architectural and design elements compliment the property's heritage.

• Board Includes:
• Breakfast
• Dinner

Day 10 – Negombo →Airport →Maldives

Today you will travel to the Colombo Airport. Travel time approximately 45 minutes.

Upon arrival in Male International Airport you will be transferred by sea plane to your resort. Transfer takes approximately 25 minutes.

You will spend the next 5 nights in the beautiful Maldives.

Deluxe

Maldives

Constance Moofushi

Relax and let the crystal clear turquoise waters replenish your soul. Enjoy as much or as little seclusion to make you happy. Either way, euphoria abounds.

• Board Includes:
• Breakfast
• Lunch
• Dinner

Day 11, 12, 13 & 14 –  Maldives

Full days at leisure.

Deluxe

Maldives

Constance Moofushi

Relax and let the crystal clear turquoise waters replenish your soul. Enjoy as much or as little seclusion to make you happy. Either way, euphoria abounds.

• Board Includes:
• Breakfast
• Lunch
• Dinner

Day 15 – End of Tour

You will travel to Male Airport to fly home.

• Board Includes:
• Breakfast