Explore the best of Sri Lanka on an 8-day journey with our Highlights of  Lanka tour. Begin with an arrival in Katunayake and visit the elephant  orphanage in Pinnawala on your way to Kandy. Continue to lush Nuwara  Eliya and Yala National Park, where you'll have the chance to spot  wildlife. After a scenic drive along the coast, end your trip with a  city tour of Colombo before departing.

Warmly welcome to Sri Lanka! Our tour guide will pick you up from the  Bandaranayke International Airport at the scheduled hour and will be there with you throughout the stay being your guide, driver and your friend. 

Transfer to the hotel at Katunayake (Approximately 15 min / 6 kms) 

Check in to the hotel 

Dinner and overnight stay at Katunayake. 

Breakfast at the hotel 

Moring proceed for Kandy via Pinnawala (Approximately 03 hours / 120kms) enroute visiting Pinnawala and visit Pinnawala Elephant Orphanage.

The Pinnawala Elephant Orphanage was established in 1975 by Sri Lanka Department of Wildlife Conservation  to care and protect abandoned wild baby elephants found in the forests of Sri Lanka. It was originally established with 5 baby elephants at the Wilpattu National Park, then moved to the Bentota tourist complex near, Galle then to the Dehiwela Zoo and finally moved to its present location on the banks of the Maha Oya River in Kegalle in central Sri Lanka. The present facility which occupies an area of 10 ha, sometimes also referred to as the Pinnawala Zoo, is managed by the Department of National Zoological Gardens. 

Afternoon, proceed for Kandy. This evening, visit the Kandy Temple of the Tooth Relic. The main attraction of the city and also the most sacred Buddhist establishment in Sri Lanka is where one of Buddha’s Tooth is being kept. Built in the 16th century but improvements and additions have been done to this structure until the fall of the Kandy kingdom. A golden canopy was added recently. Daily rituals are being carried out at various offering times to the shrine. A dress code applies for entering the temple. The magnificence has been enhanced by the octagonal pavilion. 

Overnight stay at Kandy. 

Breakfast at the hotel.

After breakfast, proceed to visit Peradeniya Botanical Garden. 

Peradeniya is one of the best botanical gardens in Sri Lanka, and one of the most beautiful in Asia. It is located just 6 km from Kandy, and has more than 300 varieties of Orchids, spices, medicinal plants and palms trees attach it is the National Herbarium. Total land mass of the botanical garden is 147 acres. In the center of the gardens is an artificial lake in the shape of the island of Sri Lanka, beside which a white-domed rotunda commemorates George Gardner, superintendent of the gardens in the mid 19th century. 

Continue your drive to Nuwara Eliya (Approximately 03 hours / 100kms). 

Upon arrival Nuwara Eliya, check in at your hotel and rest of the day at leisure for independent activities.  

Overnight stay at Nuwara Eliya. 

Breakfast at the hotel. 

Morning, check out and proceed for a visit to a tea garden where in you will have a guided tour of the tea factory. 

Tea tourism has been long-established in Sri Lanka and almost every tea factory offers a tea tour of some sort. Visit a working Tea Factory and be enlightened on the tea manufacturing process. Watch the tea pickers as they nimbly climb up the mountainside with their large baskets and pick the tea leaves, then visit the factory and you will be taken around by a friendly staff member who will explain the process of fermentation, rolling, drying, cutting, sieving and grading of tea. There are machines for almost every part of the process except of course the all-important tea tasting at the end of the process to determine the quality of the tea. 

Afternoon, proceed to Yala (Approximately 04 ½ hours / 170kms) 

Overnight stay at Yala.

Early morning proceed for a jeep safari at Yala National Park.  

Yala national park is being the most famous and second largest wildlife sanctuary in Sri Lanka. An area of 979 square kilometers (378 sq mi) belongs to the park  Actually, this wildlife sanctuary holds five blocks out of which two are now open to the public.​ Yala national park is best known for its variety of wild animals while the population of leopards could be considered as the most interesting feature of the park. The Ruhuna/West Park consists of 125 species of birds, some migratory and 32 species of mammals with a large density of Leopards, as high as 35, though they are sometimes difficult to spot due to their nocturnal lifestyle 

Return to your hotel for breakfast.  

After breakfast, day will be at leisure for independent activities at the resort or you may like to go for another jeep ride into the national park. 

Overnight stay at Yala. 

Breakfast at the hotel.

After a leisurely breakfast at hotel, proceed to Galle (Approximately 02 ½ hours / 150kms). 

Afternoon, proceed for city tour of the Galle city. Galle Fort explores this magnificent UNESCO World Heritage Site, which is a spellbinding mixture of Dutch, Portuguese and British history. The tour is part driven and part walking and covers the important highlights within the fort.  This tour generally covers the whole Galle Fort area. This includes amazing views, knowledge on colonial history, interesting back stories, and detailed insights. You also get to know about the modern Sri Lankan culture and its connection with the colonial era. The main sites that you will cover in Galle are The Fort of Galle- A UNESCO World Heritage Site, Galle Museum, Galle International Cricket Stadium & Galle Lighthouse. 

Afternoon, proceed for Colombo (Approximately 02 ½ hours / 150kms). 

Overnight at Colombo.

Breakfast at the hotel. 

After breakfast proceed for a city tour of Colombo. 

Colombo the commercial capital of Sri Lanka and the largest city in Sri Lanka. Heavily influenced by its diverse populace and its rich history, Colombo’s culture, architecture, cuisine and historical attractions make for a multi-cultural melting-pot. Colombo was probably known to Roman, Arab, and Chinese traders more than 2,000 years ago. Muslims settled there in the 8th century and controlled much of the trade between Sinhalese kingdoms and the outside world. The Portuguese arrived in the 16th century and built a fort to protect their spice trade. The Dutch captured the city in the 17th century. The British made the city the capital of their crown colony of Ceylon in 1802. 

Evening in time transfer to the international airport for your flight to onward destination. 

Departure flight to onward destination.