SRI LANKA – WILD ESCAPES –

Day 1. Airport Colombo - Chilaw

Typically, you’ll have an overnight flight and arrive at Bandaranayake International Airport in Colombo early in the morning. On arrival you will be greeted by your personal guide / chauffeur and driven in approx. 2 ½ hours to your beautiful resort on Chilaw Beach. Relax for the next two days on the beautiful beaches and the beautiful lagoon of Chilaw.

Accommodation: Anantaya Resort & Spa, Chilaw, incl. Breakfast

Day 2. Chilaw

Leisure. Enjoy tropical landscapes of the pearl in the Indian Ocean while sunbathing and swimming in the Indian Ocean or with a cold beer by the pool. Tip: If you have already rested from your long flight and are in the mood for your first cultural experience, visit the Hindu Munneswaram temple complex.

Accommodation: Anantaya Resort & Spa, Chilaw, incl. Breakfast

Day 3. Chilaw - Wilpattu NP

After breakfast you check out and start at the agreed time (approx. 2 hours drive) into the jungle of Sri Lanka’s largest national park – Wilpattu. “Willu-Pattu” means “land of lakes” in the local language. According to the ancient Indian legend, the prince Vijaya married Kuveni, the queen of the Yakshini people, at Kudrimalai Point (Horse Point) and created the Sinhala people 543 years before Christ. Check into your camp by the lake, in close proximity to the wilderness of Wilpattu NP. Enjoy the background noise, far away from civilization, the rainforest and explore the unique flora and fauna around you.

Accommodation: Big Game Camp, Wilpattu, incl. Half board

Day 4. Wilpattu NP - Dambulla

Take your breakfast with you as a lunch box and go on a safari tour through Wilpattu NP early in the morning. The park is famous for its high numbers of leopards and Asiatic bears. During your 3 to 4-hour safari through the largest national park on the island, you will also discover an incredible number of tropical birds, reptiles and fantastic vegetation. After the safari it goes back to the camp to freshen up before continuing to the cultural triangle in Dambulla (approx. 2 ¼ hours drive). You will enjoy your stay. Experience an incredible 360 degree panoramic view of the native teakwood forests high up in the mountains in your resort and enjoy a fantastic sunset from your balcony or by the pool.

Accommodation: Dambale Boutique Chalets, including breakfast

Day 5. Cultural triangle

Today it’s pure culture. You will explore the UNESCO natural heritage in Polonnaruwa and Dambulla. First you go to the old royal city of Polonnaruwa, the historically second capital of Sri Lanka in AD 1,070. Go on an exploration tour through the old ruins of the royal palaces, water and parks from a long-gone dynasty. Then it’s back to your resort to relax a little before heading to the next UNESCO World Heritage Site.
The Golden Temple and the Cave Temples are the most beautiful and best preserved temples on the island. There is a reason for not going there at lunchtime. Under the vertical midday sun, it’s too hot to walk barefoot there (shoes and stockings must be removed before entering). You will not only experience the mystical and unique temple complexes, but will meet monkeys and monks on the way there and enjoy an incredible view over the varied landscapes of Sri Lanka up to the famous Lion Rock.

Accommodation: Dambale Boutique Chalets, including breakfast

Day 6. Dambulla - Digana

After breakfast, check out and make your way to another UNESCO World Heritage Site, the Lion Fortress of Sigiriya. The fortress was built in the 5th century by King Kassapa I on the monolith, a block of magma from an eroded volcano. Halfway up you will discover the frescoes of the “cloud girls”, images of the most beautiful women from all over the world, which the king had bare-breasted made there. Shortly before the northern plateau is the mirror wall, a rock wall that the king had polished to a high gloss during his lifetime. From above you will experience a breathtaking panoramic view of the Sri Lankan wilderness.
Then it goes to Polwaththa (approx. 2 ¼ hours drive). Experience authentic village life in the jungles of Sri Lanka and learn more about the traditional culture and everyday life of the locals. You spend the night in your Eco Lodge with a view of the dense jungle, in the middle of countless coconut palms.

Accommodation: Polwaththa Eco-Lodge, incl. Breakfast

Day 7. Digana/ Polwaththa

Freizeit.

Tip: Relax and enjoy the exotic background noise of the countless species of insects and birds and the untouched nature of the rainforest. Meet the local villagers and immerse yourself in their everyday life, cooking together, harvesting or excursions into the jungle.

Accommodation: Polwaththa Eco-Lodge, incl. Breakfast

Day 8. Digana - Ampara

After two days in the wilderness, today we go to Gal Oya NP in a new wilderness, but with a pool. Your very cozy and luxurious eco-lodge is located in the middle of the species-rich vegetation of the national park.
Explore the tropical flora and fauna with the local scientists, meet the Vedda people, the last indigenous people of Sri Lanka, go on a safari on foot or by boat. Your lodge offers many excursions included for you.

Accommodation: Gal Oya Lodge, Ampara, incl. Breakfast

Day 9. Ampara

Leisure. Tip: Get up early and go on a hike to the top of “Monkey Mountain”. After the 1.5 hour hike, reward yourself with a fantastic panoramic view over the national park and enjoy a unique sunrise. Back at the resort you will have enough time to have breakfast and relax.

Accommodation: Gal Oya Lodge, Ampara, incl. Breakfast

Day 10. Ampara - Udawalawe NP

Today it is about 4 hours drive to Udawalawe National Park. The park is associated with elephants in Sri Lanka as it is home to one of the largest populations of wild elephants. Udawalawe is also known for its elephant orphanage, which was established in 1995 to prepare orphaned elephants for their return to the wild. In the afternoon around 3:00 p.m. you drive to feed the elephant children. At a sufficient distance, these are not disturbed by tourists. Then it goes to your camp on the border of the national park. The border fence consists of three strong wire ropes and prevents dangerous wild elephants and water buffalo from entering the camp. Every smaller animal comes to visit regularly.

Accommodation: Big Game Camp, Udawalawe, incl. Half board

Day 11. Udawalawe NP - Bentota

Today you will experience the elephants in the wild. Take your breakfast with you to the national park. It is worth entering the NP as early as possible to watch the gentle giants and their babies eating and bathing in the water holes. With a little luck you can spot leopards too. After the safari, you will first drive back to your hotel to shower and freshen up before you check out and continue to your beach hotel.
After so many adventures in the different vegetation zones with the unique culture, flora and fauna of the island it is about 4½ hours to Bentota. The dreamlike location between the Indian Ocean and the lagoon offers you the ideal environment for relaxation. You can reach your resort by boat and is a special highlight in itself.

Accommodation: Centara Ceysands, Bentota, including half board

Day 12. Bentota

Leisure. Tip: Your chauffeur is free from today. However, you can (optionally) still book his services beforehand and take him to the Galle Fortress, for example. The World Heritage Site, established by the Dutch in 1663, is the largest surviving European fortress in South Asia. The rampart encloses 14 bastions of the fortress over a length of 3 kilometers, which was built mainly from corals and granite stones.

Accommodation: Centara Ceysands, Bentota, including half board

Day 13. Bentota

Leisure.

Tip: Bentota with its picture-perfect beaches invites you to relax and sunbathe without limits. The four-kilometer-long, snow-white and fine sandy beach, lined with countless palm trees, is the perfect final destination for your dream vacation. For water sports enthusiasts, Bentota offers the best conditions for snorkeling, diving, surfing or sailing. The location at the mouth of the Bentota Ganga is home to countless species of birds and is worth exploring during a boat tour through the species-rich mangrove forests.

Accommodation: Centara Ceysands, Bentota, including half board

Day 14. Bentota - Airport Colombo

Enjoy your last hours in paradise before you are driven to the airport in Colombo on time. Then it’s time to say goodbye to your chauffeur / guide and the pearl in the Indian Ocean.

We would be happy to adapt this travel example to your individual wishes and ideas …