Elephants, Leopards and Birds of Sri Lanka is created with the nature lover in mind, while it still covers a lot of the highlights of Sri Lanka this 12 night tour focuses on some of Sri Lanka’s best national parks where you will get the opportunity to discover the diverse wildlife and natural beauty of this land and discover for yourself the lure of the jungle.
The tour uses a selection of luxury accommodation where available and includes your personal vehicle and driver throughout the journey.
As is the case with everything on Footfalls we encourage you to use this as a guideline and allow us to custom design it to your personal specifications.
Day 01
Arrival and transfer to Colombo
The rest of the day will be at leisure to relax or explore Colombo on your own
Overnight The Cinnamon Grand, Colombo
Day 02
Leave after an early breakfast for Habarana the hub of Sri Lanka’s cultural triangle. Stop en route at Yapahuwa to explore the remains of one of Sri Lanka’s ancient capital cities.
Proceed to Habarana. Located in the north central part of the island, Habarana is a part of Sri Lanka’s dry zone. Thanks to the genius of our ancient kings dating as far as the 05th Century AD, the Sri Lankan Dry Zone is any thing but dry, with hundreds of lakes and reservoirs which are connected by an elaborate network of canals making up an old but great irrigation system. Aside from the benefit for agriculture and industry, the waterworks of the dry zone provide some of the most breathtakingly beautiful scenery and fertile habitat for the islands incredible bio-diversity.
Stop en route at Dambulla to visit the Cave Temples of Dambulla
Overnight The Cinnamon Lodge, Habarana
Day 03
After breakfast proceed to the ancient ruins of Polonnaruwa where a collection of rich architecture and extraordinary irrigation methods can be seen.
Polonnaruwa rose to fame as the capital after the decline of Anuradhapura. Its period of greatness was from the 10th - 12th centuries AD. The entire landscape of the region is punctuated by huge man-made reservoirs, veritable inland seas the most famous of which is the Prakrama Samudra or the Sea of Parakrama, larger in size than the Colombo harbor. The monuments of this medieval city are relatively well preserved and give clear evidence of the glory of Sri Lanka's past. See the Royal Palace complex, the Quadrangle with its concentration of ancient heritage and the spectacular Gal Vihare complex of four massive images of the Buddha, cut from a single slab of granite – a highlight of ancient Sri Lankan rock carving.
Return to Habarana stopping en route at Minneriya National Park for a Jeep Safari. Minneriya National Park is well known for its migratory herd of over 250 elephants
Overnight The Cinnamon Lodge, Habarana
Day 04
After an early breakfast visit the Sigiriya and climb the rock fortress.
Sigiriya - A mighty 600 ft high rock-fortress of a 5th century King is famous for its entrancingly beautiful frescoes which are found in a sheltered pocket of the rock. One cannot fail to marvel at the masterful execution of the sinuous forms of these women (originally 500, of which only 19 remain today). The old stairway to the top led through the mouth of a huge crouching lion, carved from the rock- today only the paws remain. Remains of the handsome royal citadel are on the summit.
Leave in the afternoon for a second safari of Minneriya National Park or a safari of Kawudullawewa National Park.
Overnight The Cinnamon Lodge, Habarana
Day 05
Leave after an early breakfast for Kandy visiting a spice garden in Matale to see Sri Lankan spices growing in their natural habitat
In the afternoon take a walk through the Udawatta Kele Forest Reserve which overlooks the Kandy town and is a great place for birdwatching.
Overnight The Chaaya Citadel
Day 06
Leave after breakfast for Nuwara Eliya driving via the Ramboda Waterfall. In the evening visit a Tea Plantation and factory to witness the process of turning the raw green leaf in to the familiar black/brown finished product
Overnight The Grand Hotel (Golf Wing), Nuwara Eliya
Day 07
Leave after an early breakfast for Horton Plains
Sri Lanka's highest plateau 7200 ft above sea level in the central mountain country. This ‘Fen” is a very scenic region with an astounding variety of scenery from mountains to grasslands, from marshes to trout streams. Sri Lanka's best-flavored high grown teas are grown in the surrounding areas. Spectacular view from 'Worlds End' where the plateau plunges a thousand feet in a straight sheer drop. Cool and bracing climate, excellent for trout fishing and very good hiking country. Distinctive flora (many English field flowers grow on the plains) colourful butterflies and many rare highland birds.
Proceed to our location close to the Sinharaja Rainforest
Overnight The Rain Forest Edge or Boulder Garden
Day 08
Full day excursion in to the Sinharaja rainforest, which is home to most of Sri Lanka’s endemic birdlife
Overnight The Rain Forest Edge or Boulder Garden
Day 09
Leave after breakfast for Yala stopping en route at Uadawalawe for an afternoon jeep safari – prime elephant time!
Udawalewe National Park is an area of 31,800 hectares, which was declared a protected sanctuary with full national park status in 1972. The park area which falls within two provinces of Sri Lanka has a annual rainfall of 1,520 mm and an average temperature of 29.4 C. Surrounded by mountain ranges, the terrain of the park is a mixture of grassland, which of all Sri Lanka’s wildlife reserves, best rivals the Savanna of Africa and shrub jungle. Teak plantations, water holes and two important factors make this park special - the large Udawalewe Reservoir and the Walewe River, which ensure a supply of water for the fauna within. Internationally renowned for its large herd of elephants, the park is also known for several species of Deer, Wild Boar, the dangerous Wild Buffalo, Jackal and very rare sightings of Leopard.
Overnight The Yala Village
(This is a chalet style hotel located at the border of the Yala National Park. As the national park has no boundary, guests can literally enjoy the wildlife of the park from the sanctuary of their rooms).
Day 10
Morning and evening jeep safaris of Yala National Park – 01 chances to track the illusive Sri Lankan leopard…
Yala – Sri Lanka’s best known national park is popular for Elephant, Leopard, Bear, Crocodile and Wild Boar. More than three times larger than Udawalawe at 97,800 hectares, this is the second largest of Sri Lanka’s national parks. Its open undulating terrain made it famous for elephants for many years, but recently the park has also received much fame through publicity by National Geographic and the Discovery TV channels, which focused on a leopard research/conservation and identification project. Claims have subsequently been made that Yala National Park has the world’s highest concentration of leopard per square kilometer. This park is primarily shrub jungle with several salt and fresh water lagoons. The areas popular with leopard are rock strewn hillocks with dense shrub in which the animals hide.
Overnight The Yala Village
Day 11
Leave after an early breakfast for a jeep safari of Bundala National Park.
Proceed along the south and southwest coast to the beach resort Bentota
Overnight The Bentota Beach Hotel, Bentota
Day 12
At leisure to relax and enjoy the beach
In the evening take a boat ride along the Madu River and explore the wetland habitat
Overnight The Bentota Beach Hotel, Bentota
Day 13
Leave for the airport to meet your departure flight
Price includes
- 12 Nights accommodation. Half board at all hotels except while in Colombo where accommodation will be on bed and breakfast basis.
- All transfers as per the itinerary in an air-conditioned vehicle with the services of an English speaking chauffeur guide for groups of 06 pax or below and a English speaking guide lecturer for groups of 07 pax and above
- Jeep hire for 02 safari of Minneriya National Park, 01 safari of Udawalawe National Park, 02 safaris of Yala and 01 safari of Bunadala
- Jeep hire for excursions to The Horton Plains and Sinharaja Rainforest
- Hire of boat for Madu River excursion
- All entrance fees to cultural sites, national parks and places of interest as per the itinerary
- Hotel service charges and VAT
Price excludes
- Optional tours and excursions
- Tips and other expenses of a personal nature
*The price guide provided is indicative pricing and should only be used as a guide, it is possible that pricing may reduce or increase based on various factors for instance, but not limited to, group size or time of travel
