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Savour tea and sacred cities on the ‘Teardop Isle’
Sri Lanka has just about everything a traveller could want – superb ancient sites, magnificent scenery, amazing wildlife, delicious cuisine, incredibly welcoming people and palm-fringed, white sandy beaches. Add to this a history touched by Portuguese, Dutch and British influences and a society with a strong and devout adherence to the Buddhist faith and we find an island-nation of incredibly rich diversity with much to offer. We discover all of this and more on a comprehensive journey of what has been affectionately called, due to its shape, the 'Teardrop Isle'.
- Start
- Seeduwa, Sri Lanka
- Finish
- Colombo, Sri Lanka
- Destination
- Sri Lanka
- Style
- Peregrine
- Theme
- Wildlife
- Code
- PISJ
- Physical rating
- Trip rating
- 116 reviews
- Ages
- Min 15
- Group size
- Min 1, Max 12
Why you'll love this trip
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Climb the narrow steps that wind around the cliff-carved rock fortress of Sigiriya, emerging triumphant at the world’s oldest landscaped gardens that sit 200 metres high.
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Sip on fresh Ceylon tea in Dambulla and Nuwara Eliya, tasting lovely brews with even lovelier views of rolling, evergreen hillside.
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Search for crocodiles, elephants, monkeys and buffaloes under cover of darkness during an evening safari tour of Yala National Park.
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With a history touched by Portuguese, Dutch and British influences and a society with a devout adherence to the Buddhist faith, this island-nation has incredible diversity.
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Included trips to key sites and plenty of free time to discover Sri Lanka yourself, this trip is the perfect balance between guidance and space.
Is this trip right for you?
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The recent terrorist attacks were a tragic event and have had a serious impact on tourism in the country. Intrepid has a strong commitment to our local staff and the communities we visit and are continuing to operate all our trips in Sri Lanka. While the security situation is now much more stable, you will still see a high police presence in towns and cities and many check points are still in place. We continue to follow government travel advisories and local authorities in operating our trips in Sri Lanka. We don't anticipate major changes to your itinerary at this time, however it’s important to be aware that the country is still recovering and things like travel times between destinations and time taken to go through security at the airport may be affected.
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Though its equatorial position means fairly constant temperatures, the summer months in Sri Lanka are very hot with short, sharp monsoons in the southwest. Be sure to use adequate sun protection and drink plenty of water.
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The Rock Fortress – or Lion Rock – of Sigiriya is spectacular. However, those with a fear of (or even an aversion to) heights may wish to sit the excursion out. Scaling the rock involved walking up lots of rough, narrow steps and tight walkways.
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This trip involves one long journey by private vehicle at around 4.5 hours.
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Tourism in Sri Lanka is booming, resulting in a huge increase in visitors to Yala National Park. Overtourism and lack of sustainable management practices are of major concern to Peregrine, so in order to reduce our impact on wildlife and the environment we are trialling visits in a less-touristed section of the park known as Block 5 or Veheragala. If we determine that Block 5 is also too crowded to visit responsibly, we will change our itinerary to visit Udawalawe National Park. Udawalawe is home to wild elephants, wild buffalo, sambar deer and leopards. This is the same itinerary we follow from September to mid-October when Yala National Park is closed annually for infrastructure development and rejuvenation.
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Itinerary
Accommodation
- The Gateway Hotel or similar (1 night)
Meals Included
There are no meals included on this day.Accommodation
- Aliya Resort & Spa (Feature Stay) or similar (1 night)
Included Activities
- Sigiriya - Lion Rock
- Negombo - Fish market
Meals Included
- Breakfast
Special Information
The visit to Lion Rock takes around 3.5 hrs. Start late afternoon, reaching the Lion Paw in around an hour and a half. On the way visit the water garden, boulder garden, Sigiriya Frescoes and the mirror wall. After the Lion Paw its a steep climb with plenty of steps and walkways along the side of the rock. This part of the climb takes around 30 minutes. Those not wanting to go to the top can rest at the Lion Paw until the rest of the group return.Accommodation
- Aliya Resort & Spa (Feature Stay) or similar (1 night)
Included Activities
- Anuradhapura - Bodhi Tree Temple
- Anuradhapura - Ancient site
- Anuradhapura - Isurumuniya Temple
Meals Included
- Breakfast
Accommodation
- Aliya Resort & Spa (Feature Stay) or similar (1 night)
Included Activities
- Giritale - Polonnaruwa Site
- Dambulla - High Tea
Meals Included
- Breakfast
Accommodation
- Ozo Kandy Hotel or similar (1 night)
Included Activities
- Matale - Spice Garden
- Dambulla - Cave Temples
Meals Included
- Breakfast
Accommodation
- Ozo Kandy Hotel or similar (1 night)
Included Activities
- Kandy - Botanical Gardens
- Kandy - Temple of the Tooth
- Kandy - Cultural performance
Meals Included
- Breakfast
Accommodation
- Melheim Resort or Akway Resort or similar (1 night)
Meals Included
- Breakfast
Special Information
TRAIN TICKETSTrain tickets from Kandy to Haputale are in very high demand, especially over high season (December - April, and August).While we always try our best to secure tickets, on the rare occasion that we cannot you will be provided with a private vehicle.
Due to high demand we have added extra departures on November 10th & 24th, and December 26th, 2019 for this trip. Please note that these departures will not be staying in Haputale on Days 7 & 8 due to the unavailability of rooms at the Melheim Resort. We will instead stay at The Golden Ridge Hotel (or similar) in Nuwara-Eliya for those days.
Accommodation
- Melheim Resort or Akway Resort or similar (1 night)
Included Activities
- Tea Factory Visit
Meals Included
- Breakfast
- Lunch
Accommodation
- Kithala Resort or similar (1 night)
Included Activities
- Yala/Bundala National Park - Wildlife safari
Meals Included
- Breakfast
Special Information
From September to mid October the Wildlife Conservation Department of Sri Lanka close Yala National Park for the development of infrastructure as well as for plant and wildlife rejuvination. Today we instead go on a jeep safari in Udawalawe National Park. Udawalawe is home to wild elephants, wild buffalo, sambar deer and leopards.Accommodation
- Kithala Resort or similar (1 night)
Included Activities
- Yala/Bundala National Park - Wildlife safari
Meals Included
- Breakfast
Special Information
From September to mid October the Wildlife Conservation Department of Sri Lanka close Yala National Park for the development of infrastructure as well as for plant and wildlife rejuvination. During this time our jeep safari will be in Bundala National Park. Bundala National Park is home to elephants, crocodiles, monkeys, and wild boar.Accommodation
- Pinnacle Boutique Villas or similar (1 night)
Optional Activities
- Kataragama - Kataragama Temple - Free
Meals Included
- Breakfast
Accommodation
- Pinnacle Boutique Villas or similar (1 night)
Included Activities
- Galle - guided walking tour
Meals Included
- Breakfast
Accommodation
- Wonder Hotel Colombo or similar (1 night)
Included Activities
- Colombo - City Tour
Meals Included
- Breakfast
Optional Activities
- Colombo - Colombo by Tuk Tuk Urban Adventure - USD55
- Colombo - Eat, Eat, Repeat Urban Adventure - USD55
Meals Included
- Breakfast
Meals
13 breakfasts, 1 lunchTransport
Private vehicle, Safari Vehicle, Taxi, TrainAccommodation
Comfortable Hotel (10 nights), Spa Resort Feature Stay in Sigiriya (3 night)Included Activities
- Sigiriya - Lion Rock
- Negombo - Fish market
- Anuradhapura - Bodhi Tree Temple
- Anuradhapura - Ancient site
- Anuradhapura - Isurumuniya Temple
- Giritale - Polonnaruwa Site
- Dambulla - High Tea
- Matale - Spice Garden
- Dambulla - Cave Temples
- Kandy - Botanical Gardens
- Kandy - Temple of the Tooth
- Kandy - Cultural performance
- Tea Factory Visit
- Yala/Bundala National Park - Wildlife safari
- Galle - guided walking tour
- Colombo - City Tour
Dates & availability
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Important notes
1. A Single Supplement to have your own room is bookable on this trip, subject to availability, and is applicable for all nights on tour.
2. Tourism in Sri Lanka is booming, and with it has come a huge increase in visitors to Yala National Park. Overtourism and lack of sustainable management practices have become a major concern for us in continuing to visit Yala. In order to reduce our impact on wildlife and the environment we are trialing visiting a less touristed section of Yala, known as Block 5. Should we determine that high tourist numbers at Block 5 also make it difficult to continue visiting responsibly we will change our itinerary to visit Udawalawe National Park, where wild elephants, wild buffalo, sambar deer and leopards also reside.
3. From September to mid October when Yala National Park is closed annually for infrastructure development and rejuvenation we follow the alternate itinerary of Udawalawe NP.
4. An airport arrival transfer is included. Please provide your flight details at the time of booking.
5. The Sri Lanka Railway Department has enforced new regulations and we now require passport numbers in order to secure train tickets. We require your passport details no later than 60 days prior to departure.

Essential trip information
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