The Experience

Explore the beautiful land once known as Ceylon on this private guided journey. Visit a plethora of UNESCO World Heritage Sites and learn the secrets of tea production at a plantation visit.

Day 1: Arrive in Sri Lanka Upon arrival in Sri Lanka, transfer to Wallawwa and your hotel. The Wallawwa

Day 2: Colombo | Indian Ocean Vistas Spend your morning at leisure. This afternoon, explore the port city of Colombo, an innately beautiful city shaded by mango trees and situated on the Indian Ocean. The Wallawwa | Meals: B

Day 3: Cultural Triangle | History Meets Tradition Travel the back roads to the Cultural Triangle, winding through vast coconut and pineapple plantations en route. Pause to sample a thambili, a sweet Sri Lankan coconut, and have lunch overlooking Kandalama Lake. Pay a guided visit to the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Dambulla Cave Temples, a network of caves painted with colorful designs and religious imagery; the site has been a place of spirituality since the first century BC. Proceed to Thiripane and your beautiful resort hotel. Ulagalla Resort | Meals: B L

Days 4-5: Sigiriya | UNESCO Wonders Explore a plethora of UNESCO World Heritage Sites, beginning with a climb to Sigiriya Rock Fortress, a massive monolith of red stone rising 600 feet from the green scrub jungle below. A palace once crowned the site, long ago, guarded by a massive stone lion whose enormous paws still exist. Continue north to the medieval capital and ruins of Polonnaruwa, abandoned following a series of conquests and not rediscovered until the 19th century. Spend the next day exploring UNESCO World Heritage Sites around Anuradhapura, the first royal capital of Sri Lanka. Hidden away in dense jungle for many years, the splendid site encompasses several miles with its palaces, monasteries and monuments. Ulagalla Resort | Meals: B L

Days 6-7: Kandy | Inspiring Gardens Depart for Kandy, stopping to visit a working spice garden and at the private home of Ena de Silva, a renowned batik maker whose creations hang in front of Sri Lanka’s parliament building, for lunch. End the day drinking tea with a local artist in his home overlooking the mountains. The next day, visit the Royal Botanical Gardens with a professor from Peradeniya University, followed by a stop at the British Garrison Cemetery, where the tombstones record the fates of British colonists who succumbed to sunstroke or tropical disease. Experience afternoon tea at the Queens Hotel, one of the oldest hotels in Asia, and then head into the Temple of the Tooth, Sri Lanka,™s most sacred site. Religious services are held daily at dawn, midday, and in the evening and can be viewed by visitors. The services are accompanied with traditional music and drumming. Kandy House | Meals: B L

Days 8-9: Tea Country | Scenic Train Travel Depart by train for tea country, enjoying vistas of dense jungle, glassy lakes, cloud forests, dramatic ravines and undulating tea bushes en route. Visit a tea plantation in Nuwara Eliya, where remnants of the colonial past can be seen in British-style pubs and Tudor-style furnishings. The next morning, visit a tea factory and plantation with a resident planter, one of the foremost tea experts in Sri Lanka, and learn the history of Sri Lanka’s largest export a crop that literally changed the world. Trek the tea trails in the afternoon. Heritance Tea Factory | Meals: B

Days 10-11: Galle | Trekking Through Plantations Travel to the French fort of Galle, pausing for lunch where Bridge Over the River Kwai was filmed. This afternoon is at leisure; you are welcome to spend time with the resort chefs for a lesson in Sri Lankan cooking. The next day offers a guided visit to Galle Fort with a published author and local resident. Built in the 16th century, the fort is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Amangalla | Meals: B L (Day 10); B (Day 11)

Day 12: Colombo | Country Estate En route to Colombo, visit Lunuganga, renowned architect Geoffrey Bawa’s house and gardens. On arrival in Colombo, enjoy leisure time accompanied by an optional guide or personal shopper. Galle Face Hotel | Meals: B L

Day 13: Depart Colombo Transfer to the airport and board your international flight. Meals: B