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Wild Sri Lanka

This 15 day/14 night private guided tour takes in the outstanding biodiversity and wilderness of Sri Lanka. The island offers a great mix of big game, bird and marine life together with a remarkable geographical diversity of rainforests, grassland savannah, rolling green hills and a stunning coastline.

 

15days/14 nights | Prices from £3,549 per person

Including international return flights with Sri Lankan Airlines, private transfers, the services of  English–speaking representatives and guides, and all accommodation on half board basis.

Highlight of the trip

Seeing elephants swimming across the immense Senenayake Samudra reservoir in Gal Oya National Park, trekking through the Sinharaja Forest Reserve and searching for elusive sloth bears in Wilpattu and leopard in Yala National Park.

 

Route

Kalpitiya for 2 nights

Wilpattu  for 2 nights

Sigiriya for 2 nights

Knuckles for 2 nights

Gal Oya for 2 nights 

Yala for 2 nights  

Deniyaya (Sinharaja) for 1 night

Galle for 1 night

Day 1 – Arrival into Colombo

Be met by our English-speaking Travel Design representative and chauffeur guide at Colombo airport and be transferred (140km, 3 hours 30 mins) to your hotel in Kalpitiya.

Enjoy the rest of the day at leisure, and dinner and overnight at your hotel.

5 star tour stay at: The Blue Lagoon Resort, Kalpitiya for 2 nights on half board basis

4 star tour stay at: Dolphin Beach Resort, Kalpitiya for 2 nights on half board basis

Day 2 – Kalpitiya

Start the day with a morning of dolphin watching. See large pods of dolphins, usually the acrobatic spinner dolphins swimming alongside and diving under your boat, riding waves and jumping out of the water in a magical and unforgettable display.

Rest of the day at leisure. Dinner and overnight at hotel.

Please note that the best time to observe dolphins is usually from November to April when the seas are calmer.

Day 3 –  Kalpitiya to Wilpattu (90km, 2 hours)

Travel from Kalpitiya to Wiplattu, and check into your camp. Rest of the day at leisure.

5 star tour: Stay at Leopard Trails, Wilpattu for 2 nights on all-inclusive basis

4 star tour: Stay at Mahoora Tented Safari Camp, Wilpattu for 2 nights on half board basis

Day 4 – Kalpitiya, Wilpattu National Park  

After an early breakfast enjoy a jeep safari at Wilpattu National Park. Sri Lanka’s largest, and one of its oldest, national parks is home to around sixty lakes and water basins.  Set off in your 4×4 vehicle to spot elephant, sloth bear, deer, crocodile and a large variety of birds, and if you’re lucky, leopard.

Rest of the day at leisure. Dinner and overnight at your camp.

Day 5 – Wilpattu via Anuradhapura to Sigiriya (100km, 2 hours 10 mins)

The sacred city of Anuradhapura was established around a cutting from the Buddha’s fig tree, known as the tree of enlightenment, brought there by Sanghamitta, the founder of an order of Buddhist nuns, in the third century BCE. Anuradhapura, flourished as a religious and governmental capital for 1,300 years.  Following an invasion in 993, the city fell out of favour and over many years became hidden in dense jungle. The splendid site, with its palaces, monasteries, monuments, intricate sculptures and imposing stupas is a perfect testament to ancient Sri Lankan culture and is accessible once more.

Day 6 – Sigiriya

An early morning start to hike the Rock Fortress of Sigiriya, an ancient and exceptional architectural, artistic and engineering landmark. Carved into the rock on the orders of King Kashyapa, he used the rock to build a fortress to provide the ultimate protection against attack. Near vertical granite walls soar above the canopy of the rainforest to the ruins of an almost impregnable ancient fortified palace. Having scaled the vertiginous staircases attached to sheer rock walls, the rewards are unforgettable: spellbinding views of mist-wrapped forests, water gardens and cave shrines.

Return to your hotel before joining a moonlit tour to spot the elusive grey slender loris, a nocturnal primate known for its nimble limbs and protruding eyes. It can be found hidden in the scrubland in this area of Sri Lanka. The loris scavenges for insects and berries at night, and this evening trail has been carefully designed to allow observation in their natural habitat.  Accompanied by a resident naturalist, a quiet evening walk takes you across bamboo bridges and over streams and bamboo bridges of this conservation area. Equipped with harmless reflective lights that illuminate the eyes of the resident loris population, your search may result in an unforgettable close-up encounter.

Dinner and overnight at the hotel.

Day 7 – Sigiriya to Knuckles (120km, 3 hours 30 mins)

Drive to the pristine wilderness of the Knuckles Forest Reserve.

Rest of the day at leisure. Dinner and overnight at the camp.

5 star tour: Stay at Wild Glamping, Knuckles for 2 nights on half board basis.

4 star tour: Stay at Wild Glamping, Knuckles for 2 nights on half board basis

Day 8 – Knuckles

Leave for the early morning trek in the Knuckles Mountain Range, a name given by the colonial British owing to its resemblance of the knuckles to a clenched fist.  Locally it’s known as Dumbara Kanduvetiya,  the mist-laden mountain range. Situated in Central Sri Lanka, this unspoilt area with its diversity of flora and fauna is perfect for nature lovers, birdwatchers and hikers with over 130 species of birds and numerous species of mammals.

Rest of the day at leisure. Dinner and overnight at the camp.

Day 9 – Knuckles to Gal Oya (130km, 3 hours 30 mins)

For the next two days your home will be a romantic lodge in the Gal Oya National Park.  A rarely visited national park it surrounds the immense Senenayake Samudra, a reservoir,  where the highlight is sightings of elephants swimming across from one island to the next in search of food. The park is also home to langur, toque macaque, sloth bear, water buffalo, deer, wild boar, leopard and exotic birds.

In the evening enjoy a walk through the forest, guided by a chief of the Veddah tribe, who will share  in-depth knowledge and  stories of the Veddah way of life.  The forest is home to a huge variety of medical plants.

5 star tour: Stay at Wild Glamping, Gal Oya for 2 nights on half board basis.

4 star tour: Stay at Wild Glamping, Gal Oya for 2 nights on half board basis

Day 10 – Gal Oya

Leave early for a leisurely morning walk through the village of Rathugala. With a local naturalist discover Kiri Oruwa Lake; full of abundant bird life, and sometimes elephants, this is perfect territory for birdwatchers.  Return to the camp for breakfast.

In the late afternoon enjoy a boat safari on Sri Lanka’s largest lake. This unique wildlife experience gives you the chance to observe elephants as they gather close to the water to drink, and on occasion, swim from island to island. The reservoir is also home to abundant birdlife, crocodile, deer and many more mammals which can be spotted during the boat safari.

Dinner and overnight at the camp.

Day 11- Gal Oya to Yala (170km 3 hours 40 mins)

Before travelling to Yala enjoy a short walking tour of the Wild Glamping Gal Oya Farm, with the Head Gardener. Discover the many types of vegetables grown in the garden and participate in some of the lighter farming activities.

Following the tour, head to Yala.

Day 12– Yala

Relax at the hotel in the morning and enjoy a late afternoon wildlife jeep safari through Yala National Park. The park borders the Indian Ocean and has a very diverse ecosystem with different types of forests, as well as savannah grassland, fresh and saltwater wetlands, waterholes and mangroves. Wildlife to look out for include elephants, deer, wild buffalo, wild boar, bear and monkeys, as well as crocodile, hundreds of species of birds, and with the park’s high density of Sri Lankan leopard there is a good chance you get to see one.

Dinner and overnight at the hotel.

Day 13 – Yala to Deniyaya (140km, 3 hours 40 mins)

Depart for Deniyaya and the Sinharaja Forest Reserve, UNESCO-listed as a World Biosphere Reserve as well as a World Heritage Site. On arrival check in to your eco lodge set on a former tea plantation on the Enselwatte Estate and where your chalet, designed using recycled shipping containers, features a floor to ceiling glassed wall for viewing the surrounding landscape. Rest of the day at leisure, dinner and overnight at the lodge.

5 star tour: Stay at Rainforest Eco Lodge, Deniyaya for 1 night on half board basis.

4 star tour: Stay at Rainforest Eco Lodge, Deniyaya for 1 night on half board basis.

Day 14  – Deniyaya to Galle (100km, 3 hours)

Rise for an early breakfast before setting out on a trek through the virgin, age-old rainforest Sinharaja. Out of the island’s three rainforests it contains the highest concentration of Sri Lanka’s endemic species of plants and animals, some of which are rare or endangered, including the purple-faced leaf monkey, small flying squirrel and the nocturnal golden palm civet. The birdlife is particularly abundant with the presence of up to 48 mixed species in some foraging bird flocks. Some of the rarer birds include the red-faced Malkoha, ashy-headed babbler and white-headed starling.

Return to the lodge and then set out on the 100km drive to Galle.

Check into the hotel and spend the rest of the time at leisure. Dinner and overnight at the hotel.

5 star tour: Stay at The Fortress Resort and Spa for 1 night on half board basis.

4 star tour: Stay at Coco Bay, Unawatuna for 1 night on half board basis.

Day 15 – Return to the UK

Transfer to Colombo airport (150km, 2 hours) for your return flight to the UK.

  • Porterage and tips are paid locally
  • Camera and video permits are paid locally
  • Lunches on tour are paid locally
  • Daily tour durations vary between 1 & 6 hours
  • We recommend travelling light with no more than one piece of hold luggage and a day bag
  • Single travellers – please call us for prices if you wish to book a single room or twin for sole use
  • On Poya day, and other religious days, alcohol will not be served in hotels and restaurants
  • Please dress respectfully when visiting religious sites; cover arms, and legs to the ankle
  • A visa needs to be obtained online (http://www.eta.gov.lk) before traveling to Sri Lanka at a cost of $35 USD. Visa on arrival is allowed but we do not recommend it as it can be time consuming.
  • Local Covid-19 insurance ($ 12) underwritten in Sri Lanka is MANDATORY for all travellers for the moment irrespective if vaccinated or not or whether travellers already have a travel insurance from their country of origin. This insurance can be purchased – https://portal.pionline.lk/covidinsurance/ (We recommend purchasing 2 weeks before departure as regulations can change)

Includes:

  • Accommodation in hotels as per itinerary
  • Meals as per itinerary
  • Transportation by car for 1 – 2 Pax with an English speaking chauffeur (or for small group tour 3 – 6 Pax in a people-carrier type van with an English speaking chauffeur (including pickup and drop-off at the airport).
  • Entrance fees to all sites mentioned in the tour
  • Local government taxes & service charges

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