Sri Lanka Classic

Day 1. Depart London

Depart for Colombo.

Day 2. Kandy [D]

On arrival you will be met and transferred to Hotel Suisse in the Royal City of Kandy for a 2-night stay. The Hotel Suisse overlooks Lake Kandy and provides comfortable accommodation in air-conditioned rooms, each with en-suite facilities. Public areas include a bar, restaurant and lounge areas, and there is also a swimming pool. From here you may wish to visit the Peradiniya Botanical Gardens en-route where you will find over 4,000 species of plants, with 300 species of orchid! With Sri Lanka's longest river the Mahaweli as its boundary, this magnificent park is also home to 55 species of bird, including the Blossom-headed Parakeet, Emerald Dove, Common Hill Myna and Shikra. Kandy meanwhile is a charming town and was once the capital of the Kandyan Kingdom. Situated at an altitude of 465 metres, it is surrounded by hills, valleys, rivers, lakes, cascading waterfalls and forests which may provide an opportunity to see the endemic Sri Lanka Hanging Parrot and Layard's Parakeet.

Day 3. Millennium Elephant Foundation [B, D]

After breakfast you visit the Millennium Elephant Foundation which functions as a 'hospital' for domesticated Elephants in need of veterinary care. You will have the chance to get involved in their day's activities.

Days 4 to 6. Nuwara Eliya

This morning visit Udawattakele Rainforest Reserve on the lookout for Mouse Deer, jackals, porcupines and civets, as well as Yellow-browed Bulbul, White-rumped Shama and Tickel's Flycatcher.

Later, you continue to Nuwara Eliya by road, once a popular hill station of the British, situated in the heart of 'tea country'. Your stay here will include visits to Hakgala Gardens, Victoria Park and Galways Reserve. A full day at Horton Plains, Sri Lanka's highest plateau of over 3,000 hectares, will also give you ample opportunity to see Wild Boar, Sambar, and Giant Squirrel, as well almost all of the endemic bird species in the country. Supporting grassland together with dense montane cloud forest, Horton Plains is perhaps most famous for the precipice at 'World's End', where there is a sheer drop of 1,050 metres to the plains below. You spend three nights at Galway Forest Lodge.

Days 7 to 9. Yala National Park [B, L, D]

Head south to Yala National Park visiting Tissamaharama for a 1-night stay en-route at the Priyankara Hotel. At Yala, you stay at the Yala Village Beach Hotel for two nights. Spend a full day at Yala enjoying the varied terrain and incredible wildlife. Flat plains, dense jungle, lagoons and stunning beaches are home to large herds of Indian Elephant, Chital, Wild Boar, Leopard and Marsh Mugger Crocodiles.

Days 10 & 11. Bundala/Kalametiya Reserves [B, L, D]

Today you transfer on by road to Hambantota where you spend two nights at the Oasis Hotel. Spend time exploring the important wetland areas of Bundala Lewaya and the Kalametiya Reserve, home to almost all water birds resident in Sri Lanka, as well as countless migratory birds between November and March. Elephant, Chital, Grey Langur, Water Monitor and crocodile are often seen, with Olive Ridley, and Leatherback Turtles nesting on the beaches from April to June. The evening of Day 11 will spent at the Centauria Hotel in Embilipitiya.

Day 12. Udawalawe National Park [B, L, D]

Today you visit the Walawe Reservoir en-route to Ratnapura, which is surrounded by open plains and hills at the foot of the prominent Kaltota Escarpment and spectacular Diyawinne Falls. Sambar, Chital, Indian Elephant and Wild Boar may all be seen together with Black-winged Kite, Pygmy Woodpecker, Chestnutheaded Bee-eater, Malabar-pied Hornbill and Velvetfronted Blue Nutcatcher. Spend three nights at the Ratnaloka Hotel in Ratnapura.

Days 13 & 14. Sinharaja Forest [B, L, D]

Based at Ratnapura, a visit to Sinharaja, the last remaining primary lowland tropical rainforest in Sri Lanka, is a must. It is home to many endemic plants, animals and birds, and some 139 varieties of Sri Lanka's 830 endemic trees! Rufous-bellied, Crested Serpent, Black, and Mountain Hawk Eagle, Red-faced Malkoha, Asian Paradise Fly-catcher, Sri Lanka Blue Magpie and White-faced Starling may also be seen here.

Should you prefer to spend a night closer to Sinharaja rather than returning to Ratnapura for the second night - just let us know! Blue Magpie Lodge is situated three kilometres from the entrance to Sinharaja Forest and offers comfortable accommodation with twelve rooms, each with a fan and en-suite facilities.

Day 15. Muthurajewela Swamps [B, L, D]

Return to Colombo for your final night at the Airport Garden Hotel, taking a boat safari through the mangrove swamps of Muthurajewela en-route.

Day 16. Homeward [B]

Extension ideas

Sigiriya

Should you wish to visit the impregnable rock fortress of Sigiriya and spend a day exploring the ancient city of Polonnaruwa, why not extend your trip for a couple of days. A 2-night stay at Hotel Sigiriya including transfers from/to Colombo and guided activities is only £250 per person.