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The leading specialists in cultural walking tours
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We specialise in guided cultural walking tours with music festivals, opera, art & architecture, birdwatching, wildlife and gourmet food & wine.
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Sri Lanka ~ Serendipitous Strolls …
The tropical island of Sri Lanka offers travellers a wealth of ‘happy discoveries’, including walks on the scenic highland plateau, ambles through spice gardens
and forests rich in endemic species of orchids and birds, and exploratory
strolls amidst the magnificent Buddhist temples, fortresses and palaces of
World Heritage sites at Kandy, Sigiriya, Anuradhapura and Polonnaruwa. Raj era
plantation houses give a taste of colonial life on tea estates in the hill
country; we search for leopards and elephants on safari in Yala National Park;
take a boat trip looking for blue whales; explore the 17C Dutch walled town of
Galle; and enjoy marvellously varied birdlife, particularly in the gardens of
some exceptional hotels.
TRIP ITINERARY
DAY 1
D included
After meeting at Colombo airport in the afternoon, a brief road transfer north
brings us to our award-winning eco hotel which has thatched individual cottages
(airconditioned) set back from the private beach and a pool and extensive
gardens in which to relax.
DAY 2
B, L, D included
A day to enjoy the coastal surroundings, swimming, walking along the coconut
palm-backed beach, taking a boat trip along a quiet canal to observe egrets, kingfishers and herons, or possibly choosing a bicycle ride. Sri Lanka’s intriguing cuisine and its use of exotic spices and unusual vegetables and fruit is explained to us in an informal demonstration before dinner.
DAY 3
B, L, D included
Travelling by airconditioned vehicle, we head inland to visit Dambulla, the most
impressive cave temple on the island, with hundreds of painted and gilded
statues. We settle into our 4 star hotel for the next three nights - set in
beautiful grounds by a lake, it has won international awards for responsible
tourism. A birdwatching stroll introduces the ubiquitous green barbets,
parakeets and monkeys to be found amongst the stands of mature trees.
DAY 4
B, L, D included
This morning we drive to the World Heritage site of Anuradhapura, a great
Buddhist monastic city, capital of the island for over a thousand years, then
explore on foot. This vast, peaceful site, peppered with shady ornamental
gardens and ‘tanks’ (ancient reservoirs), contains a huge dagoba (pagoda) surrounded by a wall of full-size elephant statues, and the Sacred Bo
Tree (descended from the tree under which Buddha received enlightenment in
India 23 centuries ago). After lunch in a colonial resthouse we return to our
hotel for time by the pool or an optional elephant-back ride.
DAY 5
B, L, D included
We drive to nearby Polonnaruwa where the impressive remains of the 11C- 13C
Royal Palaces are dominated by a mighty recumbent carved Buddha. After visiting
the museum, we have lunch overlooking a large reservoir with omnipresent
Brahminy kites and fish eagles, then return to our hotel.
DAY 6
B, L, D included
In the cool early morning we climb the great fortress rock of Sigiriya,
ascending past the famous frescoes of elegant women to emerge to splendid views
of the jungle and a series of beautiful water gardens. Heading into the hill
country, paddy fields are replaced by magnificent tropical trees. We visit the
unusual small temple of Nalanda; then a profusion of cinnamon, cardamom, nutmeg
and vanilla orchids announces the ‘Spice Gardens’. Lunch is a Sri Lankan traditional banquet, cooked on open fires. Our 4 star
hotel (for 3 nights) has magnificent views, a good pool and gardens, and the
opportunity to try a traditional Ayurvedic treatment at the health centre.
DAY 7
B, L, D included
The hill country conservation area offers superb walking with extensive views
and we hope to find the many butterflies and endemic birds such as the dusky
blue flycatcher and the yellow-eared bulbul. After lunch we travel by road to
Kandy, capital of the Highlands and historically the last bastion of Buddhist
political power against the colonial forces. We visit the celebrated Temple of
the Sacred Tooth, one of the most important Buddhist shrines in the world,
witnessing the dramatic drumming and chanting amidst clouds of incense.
DAY 8
B, L, D included
We spend the morning in the delightful Peradeniya Botanic Gardens near Kandy,
whose 150 acres contain a complete flora of Sri Lanka, a tropical orchid house,
birds such as Sri Lanka Hanging parrot and Tickell’s Blue Flycatcher and a large number of giant fruit bats (looking like untidy
umbrellas when roosting in the trees). During the Second World War the house
here was S.E. Asia Command H.Q. under Lord Mountbatten. A short drive takes us
to Pinnawela Elephant Orphanage to watch the young elephants being fed and
bathing in the river. After a light lunch we return to our hotel in the hills
for a relaxing afternoon.
DAY 9
B, L, D included
A 4 hour slow train journey, with a picnic lunch, takes us through a spectacular
scenery of green tea plantations and stands of trees, high up into the hill
country. Situated at 2,000m, Nuwara Eliya attracted British colonial settlers
(initially coffee planters) whose legacy can be seen in the Victorian
architecture and well-stocked trout streams. We take tea in the wonderfully
old-fashioned Hill Club, visit a tea factory, hope to catch a cricket match,
and walk through the town to the Anglican church. Drinks by the fireside in our
hotel, a stately colonial mansion, precede a candle-lit dinner and an early
night.
DAY 10
B, L, D included
We set off very early by vehicle, with a picnic breakfast, to reach Horton
Plains (a grassy upland plateau) for an extended walk, taking in both the
incredible views off the escarpment edge at World's End (cloud permitting) and
Baker’s Falls. Formerly a hunting reserve for British Governors and now the Park
Wilderness Sanctuary, Horton Plains contain herds of sambar deer, troupes of
Purple-faced Leaf monkey, Tennant's Giant Squirrel and black eagles - the open
landscape is characterised by small streams and stands of scarlet rhododendron.
Driving on down to the south coast, we take short stops to observe wildlife
along the way - common mongooses and striped squirrels are easily seen and any
open water has several kingfisher species. Our 4 star hotel for the next two
nights has new, very well appointed rooms with private verandahs and a pool for
a refreshing dip on arrival.
DAY 11
B, L, D included
We set off early with an expert tracker accompanying us on a jeep safari into
the nearby Yala West National Park, 500 square miles of mixed open plains,
rocky outcrops (harbouring the rare leopard) and thorn scrub which is ideal
Indian elephant habitat. Large herds of sambar and spotted deer are common and
buffaloes, mongooses and jackals may well be seen. The brackish lagoons are
home to marsh mugger crocodiles and flocks of wildfowl, including white-winged
black terns, painted storks, spoonbills and pheasant-tailed jacanas. The
afternoon is left free for a walk on the beach or time by the pool, though
indefatigable wildlife enthusiasts may opt to return again into the Park in the
late afternoon.
DAY 12
B, L, D included
After an earlyish start we travel along the south coast, pausing at Dondra where
the southernmost point of the island is marked by a tall octagonal lighthouse -
from here, the next land south is Antarctica. The photogenic stilt fishermen at
Weligama Bay also draw our attention before we reach Galle, the most
historically interesting town in Sri Lanka, now a UNESCO World Heritage site.
The Dutch Groote Kerk is the oldest Protestant church on the island and the
collections of the National Maritime Museum and the Historical Mansion Museum
are worth visiting. We stroll round the fort walls and bastions (partly built
of fossilised coral) before settling into our stylish 4 star hotel, set in
gardens on the seafront.
DAY 13
B, L, D included
It has recently become more widely known that the whale watching off the south
coast of Sri Lanka is amongst the best in the world and today we have the
option of a boat trip in search of the largest mammal on earth, the blue whale,
plus sperm whales and spinner dolphins. Alternatively, you may prefer a
relaxing day with a book in a hammock in the gardens, experiencing the hotel
spa, beach walking etc.
DAY 14
B, L, D included
En route north, we visit the Seenigama Village project, seeing at first hand the
work this charity is doing to re-build communities devastated by the civil war.
Our final destination is a luxury private hideaway near the capital, Colombo,
where we stay for our last night in a colonial manor house set amidst
delightful private gardens. We take the opportunity to shop for silks at the
exclusive ‘Barefoot’ before lunch, then settle into our hotel for some final pampering. Our farewell
candle-lit dinner is a stylish tribute to Sri Lanka’s contribution to Asian fusion food.
DAY 15
B included
Our visit to Sri Lanka ends with a morning transfer to Colombo airport.
Price includes:
All accommodation for Days 1 through 15 on a double shared basis
All meals with local beer at lunch and wine at dinner as listed (chilled beer is
far more appropriate with Sri Lankan food and the tropical climate, and we have
found that wine is often spoiled by inadequate storage, so wine is only
provided where it is possible)
All land transportation in private airconditioned vehicles (plus train journey
in the hills) as described except during free periods
Boat trip on the river/canal and whale watching trip
All entrance and sightseeing fees except during free periods
Services of an expert local guide and a driver throughout (plus Kudu Travel tour
leader)
Services of specialist guides in National Parks and reserves
Tips for porters, restaurant and hotel staff
Visa and Health Requirements
Visitors from the UK and USA receive a 30-day tourist visa upon entry. If you
are a national of any other country, please check visa regulations with your
nearest Embassy of Sri Lanka. A Yellow Fever vaccination certificate is not
required when arriving from Europe or the USA. Immunisation/boosters against
Hepatitis A, Tetanus, Typhoid and Polio are recommended - please consult your
doctor about this and also the latest situation on malaria prophylaxis. You may
also wish to check the advice given to travellers by the
Department of Health and the FCO.
Insurance
It is essential, and a condition of booking, that you protect yourself with a
suitable travel insurance policy as soon as you book a trip. Follow this link
for a quote for a policy available to UK residents.
If you are already insured or a non-UK resident, please inform us of your policy
at the time of booking.
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Kudu Travel Limited
Teffont Manor
Teffont Ewyas
Salisbury SP3 5RJ
Phone: 01722 716167
Registered in England
No. 03854049
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