Grand Tour of Sri Lanka
If you want to see everything Sri Lanka has to offer, our Grand Tour of Sri Lanka package is the perfect choice. This package includes visits to all the major historical, cultural, and natural attractions in Sri Lanka, from the ancient cities of Anuradhapura and Polonnaruwa to the beautiful beaches of the south coast.
Welcome to our Sri Lanka tour package, which includes an array of exciting activities and comfortable accommodations. We offer to meet and assist services upon arrival and departure, with a round tour in an air-conditioned micro van/car accompanied by an English-speaking chauffeur guide. Your stay will be in hotels listed on a DBL sharing basis, with meal plans on a bed and breakfast basis. We cover entrance fees to Sigiriya, Polonnaruwa, Dambulla Cave Temple, Kandy Tooth Relic Temple, Cultural Show, and Minneriya and Yala National Parks. We also provide private jeeps for visits to Minneriya National Park. Additionally, you will receive 500ML mineral water bottles for each day of excursions and a mobile SIM card with data facilities. Our tour package includes applicable local government taxes.
However, please note that our package excludes tips, bar, laundry, telephone calls, and other personal expenses not specified above. Lunch and dinners are not included, and entrance visa fees or visa authorization and air tickets, both domestic and international, are also not covered.
Upon arrival at Bandaranayake International Airport (BIA), you will be greeted by an NF TRAVELS representative who will then escort you to your hotel in Negombo. The remainder of the day is free for leisure activities, with an overnight stay at Heritance Negombo Hotel.
After breakfast at the hotel, proceed to Sigiriya to visit the Sigiriya Lion Rock Fortress. This UNESCO World Heritage Site is a spectacular rock fortress and one of Sri Lanka’s major attractions. The complex features a water garden, frescoes of beautiful maidens, a mirror wall with ancient graffiti, a lion platform, and a summit of 1.6 hectares, which was completely covered by buildings during the period of Sigiriya’s glory. Built by King Kashyapa (477-495 A.D), the Lion Rock is a citadel of unusual beauty rising 200m from the scrub jungle. The rock was the innermost stronghold of the 70-hectare fortified town, and the base is ringed by a moat, rampart, and extensive gardens. The world-renowned frescoes, originally 500 of which only 19 remain today, are in a sheltered pocket of the rock, approached by a spiral stairway and painted in earth pigments on plaster. The old stairway to the top led through the mouth of a crouching lion, but today only the huge paws remain, indicating the massive proportions of the head. Remains of the handsome royal citadel are on the summit, and several caves for meditation, audience platforms, and baths complete the unique site. After completion, return and overnight stay at the hotel.
After breakfast at the hotel, you will proceed to visit the Sigiriya Lion Rock Fortress in Sigiriya. This UNESCO World Heritage Site is a spectacular rock fortress and one of Sri Lanka’s major attractions. The complex features a water garden, frescoes of beautiful maidens, a mirror wall with ancient graffiti, a lion platform, and a summit of 1.6 hectares, which was completely covered by buildings during the period of Sigiriya’s glory. Built by King Kashyapa (477-495 A.D), the Lion Rock is a citadel of unusual beauty rising 200m from the scrub jungle. The rock was the innermost stronghold of the 70-hectare fortified town, and the base is ringed by a moat, rampart, and extensive gardens. The world-renowned frescoes, originally 500, of which only 19 remain today, are in a sheltered pocket of the rock, approached by a spiral stairway and painted in earth pigments on plaster. The old stairway to the top led through the mouth of a crouching lion, but today only the huge paws remain, indicating the massive proportions of the head. Remains of the handsome royal citadel are on the summit, and several caves for meditation, audience platforms, and baths complete this unique site. After the tour, you will return to your hotel, for an overnight stay.
After breakfast at the hotel, you will leave for Kandy. En route, you will visit the Dambulla Cave Temple, which was donated by King Walagambahu to Buddhist monks in the 1st century BC. Dambulla is a world heritage site and is the most impressive of Sri Lanka’s cave temples. The complex has five caves with over 2000 square meters of painted walls and ceilings, making it the largest area of paintings found in the world. The caves contain over 150 images of Buddha, with the largest figure carved out of rock spanning 14 meters.
After exploring the temple, you will proceed to Kandy, stopping en route to visit the spice garden in Matale. Here, you will see the different spices for which Sri Lanka is famous and learn how they are grown and processed. Finally, you will check in to a hotel in Kandy for an overnight stay.
After breakfast at the hotel, proceed on a city tour of Kandy. This lovely exotic city, the hill capital and stronghold of Sinhalese kings, is also a UNESCO World Heritage Site that still retains an aura of grandeur. Encircled by hills, with a tranquil lake in its center, it is the site of a renowned temple that enshrines the tooth relic of the Buddha, and the Royal Botanical Gardens, home to one of the world’s best collections of orchids. A cultural sanctuary where many legends, traditions, and folklore are still lovingly kept alive, Kandy and its satellite villages are the center of the island’s handicraft industry (items of wood, brass, and silver), exquisite silver or gold jewelry, and precious gems of many varieties, including the world’s best blue and star sapphires. In the evening, proceed to visit the Temple of the Tooth Relic, the Buddhist temple in the city of Kandy, Sri Lanka. It is located in the royal palace complex of the former kingdom of Kandy, which houses the relic of the tooth of Buddha. Then, witness a cultural dance show in Kandy. After the completion of the successful end-of-the-day program, return to the hotel for an overnight stay in Kandy.
After breakfast at the hotel, leave for Nuwara Eliya. En route, visit a tea plantation and a tea factory where the best tea in the world is produced. You will learn all about the process of manufacturing tea, how tea is graded, and have the opportunity to taste a cup of pure Ceylon tea at the factory. Check in at the hotel in Nuwara Eliya and enjoy an overnight stay at Hotel.
Have breakfast at the hotel and then proceed to Nanuoya railway station to catch the country’s local train to Ella. Your chauffeur will meet you at the Ella railway station after completing the scenic train journey. From there, you will be transferred to the hotel in Ella for an overnight stay.
After breakfast at the hotel, proceed to Ella. Ella is blessed with some of the most beautiful views you could find in Sri Lanka. Sights in Ella include the Ravana waterfall, Little Adam’s Peak, and Bambaragala Peak among other stunning scenery. The Ravana Ella was named after the demon ruler of Sri Lanka. Ravana is the main antagonist in the renowned epic Ramayana. It is believed that he hid Sita whom he kidnapped in India in the caves situated behind the falls. Thereafter, check-in and overnight stay at hotel in Ella.
After breakfast at the hotel, proceed to Yala. En route, visit Rawana waterfalls, and continue to Yala. Check-in and stay at the hotel in Yala. In the evening, do a Jeep safari in Yala National Park. The park, which is approximately 1,259 sq. km in extent, is the second largest national park in Sri Lanka and is located in the southeastern corner of the island. It has the bonus of a scenic ocean frontage. The park is home to wild elephants, wild boars, wild buffaloes, leopards, bears, and crocodiles. Large flocks of migratory and indigenous birds are also found here. After completion of the Jeep safari, overnight stay at a hotel in Yala.
Breakfast at the hotel. Leave for Galle and check in at the hotel. Rest of the day at leisure. Overnight stay at the hotel..
After breakfast at the hotel, proceed on a city tour of Galle. Galle Fort, located in the bay of Galle on the southwest coast of Sri Lanka, was built first in 1588 by the Portuguese and then extensively fortified by the Dutch during the 17th century from 1649 onwards. It is a historical, archaeological, and architectural heritage monument, which even after more than 423 years maintains a polished appearance due to extensive reconstruction work done by the archaeological department of Sri Lanka. The fort has a colorful history, and today has a multi-ethnic and multi-religious population. The heritage value of the fort has been recognized by UNESCO, and the site has been declared a UNESCO world heritage site for its unique exposition of ‘an urban ensemble which illustrates the interaction of European architecture and South Asian traditions from the 16th to 19th centuries.’ The Galle Fort, also known as the Dutch Fort or the ‘Ramparts of Galle,’ withstood the Tsunami in 2004 which damaged part of the coastal area of Galle town. Return and spend the evening at leisure, and overnight stay at the hotel.
Breakfast at the hotel and proceed to the Airport for your departure.