Day 1:
Upon arriving in Sri Lanka, transfer to Villa Talangama,
a secluded and luxurious private villa located in the suburbs
of the city of Colombo – an hours drive from the airport.
This is an ideal haven for acclimatising to Sri Lanka’s
tropical climes and relaxing after the long flight.
Accommodation profile: Set on
a quiet lakeside where sights and sounds of nature reign supreme,
it’s hard to imagine that Villa Talangama is located within
a suburb of Colombo, just a 20 minute drive to the heart of
the city. The property is an ideal first stop on your holiday
itinerary, a place where you can relax and unwind. The setting
is best described as a `village in the city’ surrounded
by paddy fields, lotus filled lakes and birds. It is a luxurious
Sri Lankan home meticulously layed out from its architecture
and furnishings to the caring service of its staff. Villa Talangama
is typical of Sri Lankan architecture infused with contemporary
touches: columns and verandas that skirt around the villa, large
doors and windows opening out to the swimming pool, the gardens
and the wetlands beyond, cooling cement floors, timber ceilings
and clay tiled roofs.
Day 2 & 3:
Your next destination is the Sabaragamuwa Province
also known as the wet zone. Located in the western foothills
of the central highlands, this is an area with tropical rainforests,
winding rivers and an undulating terrain. The area is also famous
for its precious gemstones. Some of Sabaragamuwa’s popular
destinations include Kitulgala - a hotspot for white water rafting
and kayaking; the Sinharaja Rainforest and Ratnapura, also known
as the `city of gems’. You will be staying for two nights
at the Boulder Gardens close to the Sinharaja. This tropical
rainforest, a UNESCO-protected World Heritage Site and an International
Biosphere Reserve, is a biological treasure trove, which provides
diverse habitats for numerous species of endemic fauna and flora
not found anywhere else in the world. The reserve covers an
area of about 11,000 hectares of lowland rainforest and is a
valuable storehouse of scientific knowledge. Trekking through
this magnificent jungle, the last surviving stretch of virgin
rainforest on the island, is truly a rewarding experience.
Accommodation profile: Boulder Garden is
a special delight offering unexpected luxury and committed to
its natural environment. Here, winding steps will take you around
trees with long roots, rock pools where you least expect it,
flowing water and the music of birdcalls. Although just off
the road to Sinharaja, you will feel that you are enclosed in
the depths of an ancient forest, where monkeys and wild squirrels
make malarkey in the trees, and occasional jackal may prowl
and eagles and hornbills are regularly seen. The hotel has six
stylish suites and two large comfortably furnished bedrooms
with rock walls and all modern luxuries.
Day 4 & 5:
Travel on to the foothills of Buttala in the southeastern
corner of Sri Lanka, a dry zone area famous for its wide open
savanna-like plains and home to some of the best national parks
in the country including Yala and Uda Walalwe. To the north
the area is dominated by the green foothills of the central
highlands and to the south the land is flat and dry, filled
with dry zone forest, thorny scrub jungle, open plains for paddy
farming and gigantic sugar cane fields fed from large ancient
reservoirs. We recommend a unique luxury camping experience
at Uda Walawe for your accommodation for the next two nights,
offered by Kulu Safaris. The Uda Walawe National Park covers
an area of 31,000 hectares of protected wilderness and is home
to over 500 Asian elephants that often roam in herds of up to
100. Leopards, buffalo, deer and sloth bears keep them company
along with mongooses, bandicoots, foxes, water monitor lizards
and crocodiles. The Elephant Transit Camp at Uda Walawe run
by Sri Lanka’s Wildlife Department provides protection
to about 22 young elephants, mostly babies that have been orphaned
or recovering from injuries prior to releasing them back to
the wild.
Accommodation profile: Kulu Safaris
is a high –end wildlife company that specializes in luxury
camping safaris inside three of Sri Lanka’s main sanctuaries
including Uda Walawe. The Kulu safari campsites have no permanent
structures. Prior to your arrival, all the necessary gear is
brought into the park for your convenience. The campsite is
beautifully laid out with canvas tents, sturdy hammocks, hot
and cold showers, and wooden table and chairs. Whether looking
out over a water hole at breakfast, snoozing in a hammock after
lunch, stargazing over dinner or a jeep ride into the thick
jungle accompanied by a specialist wildlife expert, the Kulu
Safari is an experience not to be missed.
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Day 6 & 7:
Leave first thing in the morning for Yala, the national park
at Sri Lanka's southeast tip. En route visit Buduruvagala
to see Sri Lanka's tallest rock-cut Buddha statue (51 ft. in
height) and other Mahayana Buddhist statues that dates back
to the 8th-century AD. Check into the Galapita eco retreat for
a two nights stay. Yala, a nature reserve and national park
with a total protected area of 126,768 hectares, consists of
scrub plains, lagoons, and rocky sections and is home to a variety
of animals including Leopard, elephants, sloth bears, sambar
deer, spotted deer, wild boar, crocodiles, monkeys and buffalos.
If time permits, we also recommend a visit to the jungle shrine
of Kataragama, an ancient sacred pilgrimage site that is venerated
by people of all faiths - Hindus, Buddhists, Muslims, and Christians.
It is believed that King Dutugemunu the warrior king and Sinhala
folk hero built this jungle shrine for the worship of the Kataragama
God in the 2nd century BC. There is also an ancient Buddhist
Dagoba - `Kirivenhera’ at this site. The `Mahadewala’
– main Hindu shrine of God Skanda, the Hindu war God,
and several other adjoining Hindu shrines conducts daily religious
rituals (poojas).
Accommodation profile: The Galapita Eco Retreat sits
on the banks of the Menik (Gem) River. It is an idealistic rural
retreat where life can hardly be more natural. After crossing
Galapita Bridge, a world of natural beauty unfolds. Your bedroom
on stilts will be one of four huts perched on the rocks by the
river. It will have a straw roof, bamboo walls, a futon bed,
mosquito nets and a bit of driftwood furniture - nothing much
else. You can opt for the Tree House that peers over paddy fields.
Each hut is powered by solar energy making Galapita an eco retreat
in purpose and practice as well as in name. Galapita only offers
vegetarian food but the rice and curries are mouth-wateringly
good.
Day 8, 9, 10, 11, 12 & 13:
After an adventurous seven days of the wilderness, you journey
to the west coast where endless sunsets and the turquoise blue
waters of the Indian Ocean provide an idyllic setting for a
perfect beach holiday. You will spend the next six nights at
Sri Villas, a small boutique hotel on the west coast. Bentota’s
lagoon is ideal for jet skiing, water skiing, and boat trips
along the river. Experience the vibrant coastal lifestyle -
cultural heritage, folklore, music, and dance forms as well
as architectural influences of the Dutch period. Cottage industries
such as basket weaving, mask carving, and small shops selling
Dutch antiques - furniture, lamps and ornaments, makes for interesting
way side shopping. We recommend a day’s excursion to the
historic city of Galle. Several hours can be spent exploring
the 17th century Galle Dutch Fort, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
The Fort covers 36 hectares and includes many well preserved
buildings from the Dutch period, ramparts overlooking the cricket
stadium and the lighthouse. There are several newly renovated
interesting boutique hotels with excellent cafes and restaurants
within the Fort where you can stop for a meal. Lunuganga, the
country home of the late Geoffrey Bawa, Sri Lanka’s architecture
guru, is also an interesting excursion. Lunuganga, is a beautiful
garden retreat that was originally an old rubber plantation
that Bawa transformed into a haven of peace – a lifelong
project cherished by Bawa and designed with numerous varieties
of foliage, many pavilions and statues. The Brief Gardens, in
Bentota, a two-hectare fascinating landscaped gardens created
by Bewis Bawa, brother of Geoffrey, is also well worth a visit.
Accommodation profile: Sri Villas
consisting of three separate villas, is a luxurious and cozy
boutique hotel with more of a homely feel, making it a perfect
getaway for a family holiday or even a romantic escape. Situated
on a beautiful and unspoilt stretch of beach in Induruwa, where
occasionally the sounds of the ocean waves are mingled with
songs of the fishermen bringing onto shore their bountiful catch
of the day, Sri Villas offers a perfect blend of comfort, style,
good home cooking and service with a smile.
Day 14: Travel along the coast to the
capital city of Colombo for your final night where you will
be staying at the Galle Face Regency. Centrally located, the
hotel is a short ride away from some of the more interesting
shops in Colombo such as Barefoot, Paradise Road, and ODEL.
We recommend dinner at the Paradise Road Gallery Café
– one of Asia’s most atmospheric and relaxing restaurants.
Accommodation profile: Galle Face
Regency is the new Regency wing of Galle Face Hotel, and will
only enhance its reputation for a contemporary colonial feel.
The hotel has an unrivalled position at the foot of Galle Face
Green looking out across the Indian Ocean. The Galle Face's
new up market Regency wing offers a remarkable transition between
old and new. Although completed in early 2006, there is no sense
of glitzy modernity. Its stately wooden paneling and floors,
and staunchly Victorian rooms, the Regency, like the older part
of the hotel, retains the dignified and polite atmosphere that
gave it such fame in the colonial age.
Day 15: Depart in good time for your flight
home. |
This journey let’s you experience some of Sri Lanka’s
unique destinations - the magnificent wilderness and the
west coast beaches in luxurious comfort. An adventurous
safari through the wilderness ends with a week of relaxation
on the beautiful west coast beaches of Bentota. We have
selected unique accommodation – secluded private villas,
eco retreats, and luxury camping in the wilderness –
to ensure a journey filled with memorable experiences.
