Depart from Los Angeles and arrive in Colombo, Sri Lanka.  The stunning beauty and friendly people alone are worth a visit!

Arrive in Colombo this evening. Upon arrival and after clearing Immigration and Customs procedures, the group will be met by your national guide in the arrivals hall for the transfer to your local hotel and overnight.

The Kingsbury Hotel is one of the finest five-star Colombo hotels located in between Galle Face Green, the World Trade Center and the Dutch Hospital Precinct. The hotel has easy access for shopping, entertainment and your business needs, and all the amenities of a first-class property. The hotel has onsite dining, spa, outdoor pool, minibar, tea & coffee maker, digital in room safe, iron & board, hairdryer, free bottled water, free Wi-Fi, clock radio and upscale bathroom amenities.

Overnight:  Kingsbury Hotel (or similar)
Meals: n/a

All travelers will gather this morning with your national guide and receive further information on the program and today’s activities during a welcome briefing.

This morning the professional members of the group will meet with their professional counterparts for an introduction to healthcare and medical systems in Sri Lanka. Meet with faculty at the University of Colombo this morning to learn about their medical education system and how it compares to the U.S. Also visit a local hospital like the National Hospital of Sri Lanka this afternoon to discuss how health care is provided and how they optimize access to health care.

Guest program:
Guests will spend the day exploring Colombo with a local guide. The trade capital has long been the traditional gateway to the orient.  Today, Colombo is a fascinating city with a happy blend of east and west, past and present, with a charm of its own. The main seaport of Sri Lanka is in Colombo and adjoining it is Pettah, which is the local bazaar and trading area. Today you will pass by or visit areas of interest including the beautiful Buddhist and Hindu temples, historic Wolfendhal Church, main residential area and cinnamon gardens, BMICH - International Conference Hall, and the commercial district known as Fort.

Enjoy a welcome dinner at a local restaurant. 

Overnight:  Kingsbury Hotel (or similar)
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner 

This morning the group will enjoy a panoramic tour of Colombo to see a few of the main highlights of including Old Parliament, house of the Presidential Secretariat of Sri Lanka. Visit Galle Face Green, an integral part of Colombo’s colonial history and once used by the British for various sports such as horse racing, golf, rugby, and cricket. See the Galle Face Hotel, the first hotel in Sri Lanka. Visit the most famous temples in Sri Lanka, Gangaramaya Temple and Seema Malakaya.

Lunch will be provided this afternoon before you head onward to Habarana via bus (four-hour drive). The city is Sri Lanka’s cultural triangle and the most convenient base for exploring the district. It has hundreds of lakes and reservoirs connected by an elaborate network of canals making up a fascinating irrigation system which also provides some of the most breathtakingly beautiful scenery and fertile habitat for Sri Lanka’s incredible biodiversity. Stop for a photo opportunity at the famous Athugala Buddha Statue. The statue is located on the Ethagala rock and stands a height of 1100 feet.

Check into your hotel where dinner is by individual arrangement (own expense).

Overnight: Cinnamon Lodge (or similar)
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch

Today, drive to Polonnaruwa, the second most ancient of kingdoms. It is one of the best planned archaeological relic sites in the country, standing testimony to the discipline and greatness of the Kingdom’s first rulers.

In route, the group will visit a local rural school to understand the prevailing educational system in the country and how government schools manage the transition of schooling efforts from rural communities to main cities.

Later, visit Minneriya National Park. The Park covers 8,890 hectares and consists of a mixed forest of evergreen shrubs, a favorite habitat for animals, which include, deer, crocodiles, and wild elephants. In more recent times it has been discovered that the park boasts the largest elephant gathering in the world. You can also see huge flocks of birds, including cormorants and painted storks, that come to fish in the shallow waters. Enjoy a Jeep safari to explore the park with a skilled park guide or naturalist.

Dinner will be on your own this evening. The hotel’s fine-dining restaurant serves the most delicious Sri Lankan fare, the organic way. They source the main ingredients from their farm and give you the opportunity to pick your vegetables from there too.

Cinnamon Lodge is a gorgeous property close to nature, history, and culture. Located on forested land with an organic garden, it’s home to serpent eagles, kingfisher monkeys and butterflies, with unique experiences to offer like dining by the lake, cycling acres of greenery, or just relaxing. They have an onsite spa and several dining options. Guest rooms have complimentary toiletries, hairdryer, pillow menu, tea and coffee making facilities, minibar, and Wi-Fi.

Overnight: Cinnamon Lodge (or similar)
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch

This morning drive to Anuradhapura – a UNESCO World Heritage Site located in the north central part of the Island. It was the first capital (5th century BC - 9th century AD) and the center of the island's Buddhist civilization and undoubtedly the grandest city of ancient Sri Lanka. The oldest historically documented tree on earth (over 2,200 years old), the Sri Maha Bodhi, was brought as a sapling of the tree under which the Buddha attained enlightenment. Visit some of the island's oldest Buddhist shrines, many dating back to the 3rd century BC. The site has impressive white 'dagabas' (relic chambers) and monuments embellished with handsome stone carvings or sculpture, pleasure gardens, beautifully executed stone baths and ponds and a superb irrigation system of reservoirs and canals.

Next, visit the historical site of Mihintale where Buddhism started in Sri Lanka (time permitting we can arrange a meditation session).

Mihintale – a little away from Anuradhapura, the forest clad mountain is of great spiritual significance to Buddhists because it was the place where Buddhism was introduced to Sri Lanka in the 3rd century BC. Mihintale has many different points of interest – the 1840 ancient granite steps, dagaba’s the relic house and monk’s refectory, the assembly hall, meditation rock, caves and ponds. The climb to the summit is also interesting from a scenic aspect for stunning views of the surrounding countryside.

Lunch and dinner will be provided today. 

Overnight: Cinnamon Lodge (or similar)
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner 

This morning, depart for Kandy, traveling via Matale and the Dambulla Cave Temples. The Royal Rock Temple complex in Dambulla consists of five separate caves containing well over one hundred Buddha statues and paintings. Adjoining the Dambulla Rock Temples is the Golden Temple, said to date back to the 5th century BC.

After exploring Dambulla, take a tour of the Ranweli Spice Gardens, where you’ll be able to learn about the great variety of spices grown in Sri Lanka. Join a local chef in a cooking class to try your hand at the local cuisine. Enjoy your creations after your class in the paddy field.

After arriving in Kandy, check-in at the hotel and enjoy some time at leisure.
Mahaweli Reach Hotel is nestled beside the mighty Mahaweli River. The lovely property combines a sense of refined luxury with the old-world charm of an ancient kingdom. Guest rooms have a private balcony, free Wi-Fi, luxurious soaking bathtub, AC, minibar, coffee and tea making facilities, safe, upscale bathroom toiletries, hairdryer, iron & board, pillow menu, alarm clock and bathrobe. The hotel has onsite dining, an outdoor pool, gym facilities and a lovely garden.  

Later today visit the sacred Temple of the Tooth. The temple houses one of Buddhism’s most sacred relics – the left canine tooth of the Buddha himself – and over the millennia since his death, wars have been fought for the possession of this sacred symbol of the Buddha’s power and protection. The Royal Complex, situated around the temple and Kandy Lake, represents the zenith of ancient Sri Lankan architecture.

Return to the hotel for dinner.

Overnight: Mahaweli Reach Hotel (or similar)
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Professionals will visit the University of Perdeniya, the largest and oldest university in the country. Discuss funding of the universal health care system in Sri Lanka; the major public health issues in the country; and the role of nurse practitioners and physician assistants in the health system.

Guest program:
Guests will visit the Royal Peradeniya Botanical Garden this morning. Home to nearly 4,000 species of plants and encircled by a river, the gardens boast an impressive avenue of coconut palm trees, a fragrant spice garden, giant bamboo plants, an orchid collection and a gargantuan Javan fig tree.

After lunch on your own, the group will enjoy a walking tour of the historic Kandy City, the last fortification of Sri Lankan monarchy and the capital of Buddhist worship in Sri Lanka. Walk through Kandy’s streets - passing rustic shops with vendors who are on the lookout to haggle with you! These shops sell items ranging from gemstones and antiques to arts and crafts, and handlooms.

In the late afternoon, attend a Kandyan dance performance, including the cobra dance, the mask dance and the gini sisila, a dance demonstrating power over fire. The entire frenetic and colorful spectacle comes to a climax with an amazing fire-walking act.

Enjoy a farewell dinner at a local restaurant this evening.

Overnight:  Mahaweli Reach Hotel (or similar)
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner