Ultimate Sri Lanka Adventure Tour With One Life Adventures

WELCOME TO THE PEARL OF THE SOUTH SEAS – SRI LANKA!

Arrive on day one and be greeted at the airport by your tour guide, who will load your luggage into a tuk tuk as you ride through the tree lined and sunbaked streets of Negombo to your first hotel. Today is your day, explore the canals, the lagoons or get your base tan on the beach, for in the evening we meet as a group and hit the town for your welcome dinner and drinks.

TODAY THE ADVENTURE REALLY BEGINS!

Fill up on a delicious breakfast in the hotel before we hop on our private bus to take a quick tour around Negombo’s famous market and lagoon. Your local tour guide will amaze you with tales and secret information of Sri Lanka so you can really feed your sense of wonder. We then drive into the heart of the island, stop off for a delicious buffet lunch before checking into your stunning hotel in Sigiriya, the jewel of the Cultural Triangle. Take the afternoon to dip in the pool or walk the dusty streets, before we meet in the evening to explore the magnificent Dambulla Caves. History and religion bounce off every painted wall and stone buddha statue, leaving you with a unrivalled sense of spirituality.

SIGIRIYA ROCK

An early wake up time today as we put on our hiking shoes, grab our camera and head out to climb the incredible Sigiriya Rock. Protruding proudly out of the earth, ruins of a grand palace provide evidence all around the grounds of a once violent and noble Sri Lankan history. View the ancient wall paintings, the sanskript marked mirror wall and the huge stone lion paws guarding the ascent to the summit. The views from the top are unrivalled as you travel through time examining the ruins. After descending we then head over to the quiet buddhist monastery of Pidurangula to get an open and unobstructed shot of the rock you have just climbed. From here you can view the national parks of Minneriya and Kaudulla where Elephants and Leopards patrol the land and where you have the option to go explore in the afternoon. To fill those hungry bellies, we stop by a local family who prepare a traditional feast for us before taking a well deserved rest on a lounger in the afternoon sun.

LETS TRAVEL SOUTH – KANDY

Today we say goodbye to Sigiryia and embark on our travels down south towards Sri Lanka’s second largest city, Kandy. Here we traverse the hills that provide a stunning view of the artificial but now notoriously beautiful Kandy Lake. Our hotel sits in the hills where monkeys swing on trees close by (unless you want a midnight visitor, make sure to close your window at night). In the afternoon we head down to the lake to visit the most important temple in Buddhist Culture, the Temple of the Tooth. A magnificent, gold laden, royal temple houses this revered relic, where you can see buddhists and locals alike making offerings and praying to their God. After, we will have a sunset stroll around the lake, visiting the bustling bazaar and grabbing some food in a restaurant close by.

LEARN TO COOK

Eat your breakfast overlooking the hills of Kandy before we head into town for a tour around the spice markets. Here your sense of smell will be set alight with saffron, turmeric, cinnamon and cardamon, all of which you will use in your cooking class. Here, our local chef, will teach you how to make 4 different curries, as well as poppadoms and coconut sambal (only for those who dare!). After feasting on your cooking, we jump on the bus and travel through the mountainous region of the hill country. The hills are ablaze with small green tea plants which Sri Lanka is famous for. We stop by a functioning tea factory to learn how the tea is processed and ends up in your cup at home, whilst actually learning how 7 different types of tea are made all from the same plant! By late afternoon we will have arrived in Nuwara Eliya, where you will notice the cooler temperatures due to the high elevation. Locally known as Little England, the buildings and agriculture on display is similar to the fields of Britain. We’ll see you in the pub for dinner!

THE ‘WORLD’S END’

Not only is Nuwara Eliya a beautiful little town nestled in the mountains, it is also the gateway to the Horton Plain’s National Park which hosts the mind-blowing ‘World’s End’. After an incredible 5km walk, the pathway seemingly falls into the abyss leaving a stunning mountain vista in your sight. If a hike doesn’t strike your interest, you can spend the morning exploring the town, visiting the park and the racecourse before finishing up with High Tea in the Royal Grand Hotel. We’ll then meet up at noon and jump on the train to Ella. A trip to Sri Lanka is not complete without experiencing life on the train and the journey from Nuwara Eliya to Ella is dubbed as the best journey in the world. 180 degree views of tea plantations, waterfalls, lakes and local villages pass on by as your train traverses the tracks cut into the mountainside. Try the sweet milk tea on board, converse with friendly locals and take pictures to make you the envy of all your friends back home. After we check into our hotel, we’ll head into Ella for dinner and drinks in everyone’s favourite mountainous town.

FREE DAY IN ELLA

The morning is yours to do as you so please. Ella plays host to some of the best Ayurvedic massage parlours in Sri Lanka. A thousand year old technique which removes any aches or pains you may have, or simply as an excellent way to relax. We will meet in the afternoon to explore the hidden gems of Ella, such as the 9 arch bridge, Ella Gap and then hike up Little Adam’s peak for sunset. We recommend bringing a beer or two, you’ll see why when we get to the top.

SAFARI TIME!

Today we continue our way down South and check into our campsite, 45 minutes away from the stunning Uda Walawe National Park. Our hosts will greet us with welcome drinks and cook us a delicious Sri Lankan buffet lunch whilst you take a well earned dip in the river. After lunch we jump into jeeps and go on safari, searching the wilderness for herds of elephants, buffalo, crocodiles, monkeys, eagles, hawks, peacocks, mongoose and if you’re lucky, leopards. Truly a once in a lifetime experience, your day in the national park will be a tough one to beat. After driving round the park, we’ll head back to camp where our hosts will have a BBQ dinner waiting for us, best way to end an amazing day.

IT’S TIME FOR THE BEACH!

Wake up early to take a walk on the wild side with your personal local guide. He will teach you all about the flora and fauna in the area, whilst the campsite dogs follow you through the fields. Monkeys, elephants and peacocks roam the fields around the campsite, so be sure to be on the lookout. After breakfast we’ll drive to the South West Coast, arriving at the stunning beach side town of Hikkaduwa. A place where the world class waves hit the sand, where turtles inhabit the water and where the beer is ice cold. After a week in the hill country, this is exactly what you need.

WHALE WATCHING

Today we wake up early and head to the beautiful south coast. We jump on board one of THE best boats in the area to view the largest animals in the world. Watch as whales, jump, swim and dive around you and be blown away by their size. After an hour or two on the boat, we had back to Hikkaduwa where you’ll have the whole afternoon to lounge on the beach or learn how to ride the world class waves with a local surf lesson.

LEARN TO DRIVE A TUK TUK

After the early morning of the day before, today we get to lie in. After breakfast and a coconut juice on the beach, we’ll drive down the stunning Galle Fort. A city encased in walls, with Dutch, Portuguese and British Colonial buildings still stand proud. The cobbled streets lead to the sea, where crazy Sri Lankan locals swan dive into the ocean. This area is nice to get lost in on foot, however, today we’ll get to learn how to drive tuk-tuks so you can explore the area whizzing around in a traditional three wheeler! Afterwards, we’ll give you some time to take photos of the area or to buy souvenirs from one of the many boutique and unique stores. The perfect place to write a postcard and send it home with tales of your incredible time over the past 11 days.

TURTLE SANCTUARY AND COLUMBO

After your complimentary breakfast on the beach, we will pack up our things for the 2 hour drive along the coast to the bustling capital city of Colombo. On the way we stop off at small turtle sanctuary, where baby turtles learn to take that first swim and injured adults are rehabilitated back into the wild. Across the road we’ll view the humbling 2004 Tsunami Memorial, where you can listen to survival tales and view pictures of the event. We then arrive into Colombo and check into our boutique hostel, you’ll have some free time to visit the national museum or art gallery close by, or take a tuk tuk and run around the manic streets of the Pattah Markets for some final souvenir shopping. We’ll then meet together in the evening for a final dinner together before drinking the night away on one of the cities glitziest roof top bars.

TIME TO SAY GOODBYE

Time to say our final goodbyes with the friends you have just made over the course of an incredible 13 days. For some of you, this means continuing your holiday on the phenomenal beaches of the Maldives with our add on package, for others, its either back home or to continue your travels. Whatever your next destination may be, we hope we have educated you on a country that provides so much, that possess incredible variation in exploration and we hope we have inspired you to explore more.