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Lanka & Kerala Explorer |
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About this holiday
This 14-night holiday that offers the
highlights of Sri Lanka and Kerala, two exotic and fascinating
lands that have so much to appeal, including ancient cities,
lush tea-growing hills, palm-fringed beaches, 400-year-old
walled cities and serene backwaters.
Holiday highlights
• Palm-fringed sandy beaches
• Spectacular hill country
• A proud cultural heritage
• The most genial of welcomes
• Exotic and historic Kochi
• Kerela’s serene backwaters
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Day
1:
Upon arriving in Sri Lanka, no doubt bleary-eyed, you will be
met by a Red Dot Tours representative and transferred to Ranweli
Lodge. A 15 minute drive and a short ferry ride a cross a scenic
river glides you to an eco-hotel situated in a peninsula surrounded
by two rivers, a lagoon and the Indian Ocean.
Accommodation profile:
Ranweli is situated in a coastal wetland estuary, amid mangroves,
about 10 miles north of the beach resort of Negombo. This isolated
wo oden environment is reached by a short paddle-ferry trip
which glides you to a peninsular surrounded by two rivers, a
lagoon and the Indian Ocean. Its ecological commitment has been
officially recognised by the World Tourist Organisation. Its
72 chalet-style bungalows and 12 family rooms blend sensitively
with the natural environment. |
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Day 2, 3 & 4:
Sri Lanka's famous cultural triangle offers plenty to fire both
mind and body over the next three days. The ruined capital of
Polonnaruwa, the lion rock of Mount Sigiriya and Dambulla’s
Buddhist Cave Temples are all UNESCO world heritage sites and
are included in your package. En route, you also have the option
of visiting Yapahuwa, an ancient temple and place built on a
rock described by the Insight Guide to Sri Lanka as "one
of the great architectural wonders of the island”, and
Aukana, where the Buddha stands 42 feet high, the best-preserved
statue in Sri Lanka.
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Accommodation profile:
Not all development spoils a landscape. The Deer Park is a true
luxury eco resort, subtly enhancing the beauty of its surroundings.
It has a tranquil, natural feel, with the sound of birdsong
and rushing waterfalls. Since being taken over by Angsana Resorts
& Spa - one of Asia's leading boutique and contemporary
hotel chains - the entire property has undergone a major refurbishment
with considerable care taken over interior design. The result
is a chic, contemporary, exotic and peaceful retreat - a perfect
place to unwind and relax away from the outside world. |
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Day 5 & 6:
The journey from the cultural triangle
to Sri Lanka's hill capital - the small lakeside city of Kandy
- will occupy most of the morning. In the afternoon, a city
tour includes such delights as the fabulous botanical gardens
and the Temple of the Tooth, which is said to hold a holy relic
of the Lord Buddha. We have recommended spending one night at
Tree of Life.
Acommodation profile: The
Tree of Life lolls on the site of an old estate bungalow, where
it has become one ofnthe most individualistic of Sri Lankan
hotels. Its sprawls across 64 acres of woody, hilly terrain,
a haven of solitude where guests prefer dawn nature walks to
noisier pleasures. The hotel even has a resident nature guide
to assist with hikes further afield. Cottages and standard rooms
are built into the hillside, while the new wing commands splendid
views over open country. |
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Day 6 & 7:
Today you head for Nuwara Eliya, a former British hill station
that has retained its popularity as a hill-country retreat.
The 80km drive from Kandy to Nuwara Eliya winds deeper into
the hill country, through a succession of tea estates. Check
into the Tea Factory Hotel. The next morning you have the option
of rising early, armed with a picnic breakfast, and being driven
to Horton's Plains for a trek amid the wild scenery of this
mountain plateau. Visit the famous viewpoint at World's End
and watch out for Sambur deer, and a profusion of endemic bird
life.
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Acommodation profile: The
Tea Factory lies, alone and unique, on the slopes of the tea
plantations at Kandapola, high above the hill-country town of
Nuwara Eliya. the largest and most popular town in the highlands.
It was once exactly as it claims - a tea factory built in the
1930s by British planters. The gentle howl of the night-time
breezes is likely to lull the most troubled mind to sleep. There
is no more luxurious way to explore Sri Lanka's history of tea
making. |
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Day 8 & 9:
After breakfast, transfer to the west coast and the fine wide
Bentota beach, one of the best beaches in the island about two
hours drive from the international airport. Spend two days of
sheer indulgent relaxation at Club Villa before your flight
to Kerala. You may also like to visit the Bawa Brief Gardens.
Acommodation profile: This
elegant 19th century villa rests in a small coconut plantation,
two hours south of Colombo, close to the broad, sandy beach
of Bentota, one of Sri Lanka's most popular family resorts.This
refined, spotlessly clean small boutique hotel offers a perfect
place for some simple relaxation. Lie by the poolside in the
beautiful gardens, wander along the beach and play in the Indian
Ocean and enjoy delicious candlelit dinners under the stars. |
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Day 10:
Leave early and mid-morning in Kochi, an ancient trading port
since at least Roman times. The journey from the airport will
take approximately one hour before you check-in to Malabar House
in the fort. After resting at the hotel, dipping into the cool
courtyard swimming pool and enjoying you first taste of Kerela’s
distinctive, spicy cuisine, we recommend exploring the Fort
with a guided tour: the highlights of which include Mattancherry
Palace, a gift to the Raja of Kochi back in 1557, St. Francis
Church, first built in 1510 and the resting place of Vasco de
Gama, and a magnificent synagogue dating back to 1568. During
the evening you can watch a Kathakali dance performance –
a noisy, colourful and spellbinding 400-year dance-drama.
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Acommodation profile: Fort
Heritage is basic, good-value 12-bedroom hotel with an old-world
feel and a sli ghtly brooding atmosphere. It is not luxurious
– not even the three two-roomed suites can reasonably
claim to be that – but it has some soul having been reconverted
from a 17th Century Dutch mansion. It also boasts very spacious
bedrooms with dark-wooden floors and antique furnishings. |
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Day 11 &
12:
After breakfast depart for Alappuzha,
a town surrounded by a large network of canals and is most famous
for its annual ‘snake boat’ races in August. The
drive from Kochi will take about 90 minutes and you will board
your traditional Kettuvallum houseboat (reconverted rice barges)
at noon for one of the highlights of your holiday – a
two-day water journey through Kuttanad country, a land of shimmering
waterways, dense tropical greenery and age-old village livelihoods
so vividly described in Arundhati Roy’s remarkable novel
The God of Small Things.
Your comfortable houseboat, fully staffed
with a friendly and attentive crew, will chug slowly through
the tributaries, lakes and creeks allowing you to relax and
unwind. Hours slip by easily as you gaze ashore, soaking up
a myriad of views as you pass homes, farms, paddy fields, fisherfolk
in traditional dugouts, children playing and bathing buffaloes.
See fish eagles circling for prey and wise comorants perched
on the riverbank. |
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Day 13:
After breakfast you will have another two hours to cruise as
you head for Kumarakom, an island on the large Lake Vembanad
that is blessed with an idyllic location. The area has attracted
several exotic hotels offering backwater and Ayurveda holidays.
There is also a wonderful bird sanctuary. We head straight for
Coconut Lagoon, one of Red Dot’s favourite properties
in Kerala for a relaxing one-night stay.
Acommodation profile: Coconut
Lagoon is an architectural triumph, a boutique hotel that has
been cleverly crafted from the fragments of ancient village
homes and palaces. The result is the ultimate backwater resort,
a property where fine traditional craftsmanship and the stunningly
beautiful natural surroundings make it utterly impossible not
to relax, unwind and dream. The Keralan cuisine is delicious
and the staff are friendly and attentive. Like the other Casino
Hotels, there is a special emphasis on caring for the environment.
In fact, they are so serious about the natural environment that
there is a fulltime director in charge of there environmental
policies, which include comprehensive waste management schemes
and a breeding programme to protect the endangered Vechoor cows. |
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| Day 13:
Unfortunately, you have to leave. Your late morning flight connects
with a lunchtime flight from Colombo and an arrival in the UK
by the early evening. |
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Cost: TBC
Package price includes:
• 11 night’s hotel accommodation on twin-sharing
BB basis
• 2 night’s houseboat accommodation (non a/c)
• Airconditioned car and English-speaking driver for
tour and transfers
• Entrance fees: Dambulla Cave Temples, Sigiriya Rock,
Polonnaruwa, Yapahuwa, Aukana, Temple of the Tooth,
St. Francis Church, Mattancherry Palace, Synagogue,
Kathakali dance performance
• Jeep hire and entrance for Horton Plains
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