Flight: EY264 Abu Dhabi - Colombo 09.40 - 15.45

Meet & Greet: On arrival in Colombo, you will be welcomed to Sri Lanka by your private driver and transferred to your hotel in Colombo city to check in and relax for the rest of the day.

Accommodation: Stay tonight at the Taru Villas - Lake Lodge (Double Room)

Morning Colombo city tour: This morning drive through the commercial and city centre area known as the “Fort”, built by the Portuguese in the 16th century where grand colonial era buildings stand alongside the huge modern office structures of this fast moving city. Drive past the Town Hall and the Independence Square. Visit the famous Gangaramaya Buddhist Temple and a Hindu Kovil to experience the diversity of religion, ethnicity and customs of the people. Finish your morning with a visit to the National Museum, home to a large collection of important Sri Lankan regalia.

Afternoon at leisure: This afternoon is at leisure to relax at your hotel or explore the city independently.

Accommodation: Stay tonight at the Taru Villas - Lake Lodge (Double Room)

Meals: Breakfast

Road journey from Colombo to Wilpattu National Park: After breakfast you will be met at your hotel by your driver and will set off on the journey north to Wilpattu National Park. Depending on traffic conditions and refreshment stops, this is a journey of around 5-6 hours. On arrival, settle-in to your tented camp before heading out on a game drive in the afternoon.

Afternoon safari in the Wilpattu National Park: Depending on your time of arrival today, you will be taken on a safari tour of the Wilpattu National Park in a private open-air jeep. Wilpattu has recently re-opened after the end of the civil war and offers visitors a wonderful nature experience with fewer visitors than Yala. After being hit during the war, the wildlife numbers are now on the rise again so keep your eyes peeled for elephants, deer, wild boar, wild buffaloes, monkeys, sloth-bears, crocodiles and leopards, as well as a huge variety of exciting bird and reptile life.

Accommodation: Stay tonight at the Big Game Safari Camp (Tent)

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner

Wilpattu National Park Safari: Early this morning you will be taken on a wildlife safari drive in the National Park with your expert guide in an open-air safari jeep. The early morning time is one of the best time to see some of Wilpattu's wildlife including rare birds, deer and if you are lucky, leopards. Return to your accommodation in the mid-morning for a delicious breakfast and some time to rest in the peaceful surroundings whilst the sun is at its hottest. In the afternoon there will be another safari drive in the National Park. As dusk approaches, much of the animal and birdlife can be seen bathing and drinking by one of the park's natural lakes. Return to you camp in the evening for dinner.

Accommodation: Stay tonight at the Big Game Safari Camp (Tent)

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner

Morning safari in Wilpattu National Park: Early this morning you will be taken into the national park on another game drive for a last chance to see some of Wilpattu's exciting wildlife. Return to your camp in the mid-morning and enjoy breakfast before departure.

Road journey to Mannar: After breakfast at your camp, depart by road with your driver to Mannar Island. Depending on the road conditions, this is a journey of around 3 hours. On arrival, settle in to your hotel and spend the rest of the day exploring or enjoying the comfortable surroundings. Dinner is included at your hotel.

Accommodation: Stay tonight at Palmyrah House (Standard Room)

Meals: Breakfast & Dinner

Full day tour of Mannar Island: Today you have a full day to explore the fascinating Mannar Island.  Probably the most famous sight here is Adam's Bridge, the series of islets and shoals stretching from Sri Lanka all the way across to India. Legend says the bridge was built by Lord Rama, as part of his efforts to rescue his wife Sita from the demon King Ravana. Depending on local weather conditions it is sometimes possible to take a boat trip out to some of the closest islands and see the bridge up close. Mannar Island is also famous for being a great bird-watching destination. Visit Vankelai Pond for the chance to see a variety of birdlife, but which is most particularly known for being a gathering place for hundreds of flamingos. Some other points of interest you will visit today include the Mannar Fort, built by the Portuguese but subsequently occupied by the Dutch and the British; the ruins of the Doric House, the former home of Sir Frederick North, first British Governor of Ceylon; and finally the Baobab Tree, believed to have been planted by Arab traders several hundred years ago the tree has the largest circumference of any tree in Sri Lanka.

Accommodation: Stay tonight at Palmyrah House (Standard Room)

Meals: Breakfast & Dinner

Road journey to Annuradhapura: This morning, you will be transferred south-east from Mannar Island to Annuradhapura. Depending on road conditions, this is a journey of around 3-4 hours.

Guided tour of Mihintale & Anuradhapura: On arrival, visit the ancient remains of Mihintale, a sacred place which is regarded as the cradle of Buddhism in Sri Lanka. The rock is dotted with shrines and rock dwellings. A grand stairway of 1840 steps made of granite slabs, 5 meters wide, leads to the summit with its splendid views of the surrounding countryside. Unless otherwise requested, your driver will take you to a point about half of the way up to cut out the walking. The most interesting and important sights of Mihintale are at the top. Please be aware that a good level of fitness is required to reach the summit and some of the viewpoints when you get there are up further flights of steep and narrow steps.

After exploring Mihintale, continue to the ancient city of Anuradhapura itself. Founded in the 4th century B.C., Anuradhapura has been a UNESCO World Heritage site since 1982. It has the largest number of ancient monuments of the great Sinhala civilization which has flourished in Sri Lanka. You will see some of the most famous as well as the tallest Dagobas of Sri Lanka, Ruwanweliseya Dagoba, built in the 2nd century BC and famous for its elephant walls and the Thuparama Dagoba, built in the 3rd century. The ‘Sri Maha Bodhi' or the sacred Bo tree at the heart of Anuradhapura is over 2200 years old and reputed to have grown from a branch of the very tree under which "The Buddha" attained enlightenment - making it the oldest historically documented tree in the world.

Accommodation: Stay tonight at the Palm Garden Village Hotel (Deluxe Room)

Meals: Breakfast

Train journey from Anuradhapura to Jaffna: This morning you will be taken to the train station in central Anuradhapura in time to board your train heading north to Jaffna. This line was re-opened in late 2014 after a closure of 25 years, brought on by the lengthy civil war. Much of the conflict was focused in the areas which you will be travelling through: this humbling thought gives way to optimism as you roll into Jaffna's lovingly restored station - itself reopened in 2014 after an enthusiastic renovation. This journey should take around 3 hours, and on arrival at the station would be taken straight to your hotel to check in.

Please note that train tickets are only available to book around 2 weeks prior to your journey and so cannot be guaranteed and if we are unable to secure tickets for you this journey will be done with your driver by road. Also, whilst we will endeavour to get the best available seats for you on the train, the facilities on board will not be as comfortable as you are used to on western trains.

Accommodation: Stay tonight at the Jetwing Jaffna (Deluxe Room)

Meals: Breakfast

Full day tour of Jaffna: After breakfast, take a brief city tour starting with a drive through the city centre to view the Jaffna Library, which was burnt down on the night of the 31 May 1981, the Dutch Fort which was initially built by the Portuguese in 1619 and then re-built, and expanded, by the Dutch during the second half of the 17th & 18th centuries, and the Thuraiyappa Stadium which is named after the late Mayor of Jaffna. You will also see the Nallur Kandaswamy Kovil which is one of the most important Hindu temples in Sri Lanka. Originally founded in 948AD, the present building dates back to the 18th Century. The original temple used to stand on the site presently occupied by St. James Church about a quarter mile from the present temple, but this was destroyed by the Portuguese in 1620. The modern day temple plays host to the most important religious festival of the Jaffna Peninsula – the 26 day long annual chariot festival which ends on the August full moon. 

After lunch at a local restaurant, take a tour around Jaffna peninsula. Your first stop will be at the ‘Kadurugoda Stupas’ (Kantharodai Vihara), a Buddhist site consisting of 60 Dagobas believed to contain holy relics of Arahant monks. It is also believed that the Lord Buddha visited this site during his second visit to Sri Lanka. Afterwards move on to the ‘Nilavarai Bottomless well’. Villagers narrate stories as to how numerous experiments have been carried out to determine the depth of the well: according to one, a cord was dropped down with a video camera fixed to it. The experiment was aborted when the cord marked a depth of 500m yet the bottom was not reached. Hindu devotees believe this well to be a ‘handiwork’ of Lord Rama, who could not find a drop of water to quench His thirst thus took the form of an arrow and hit the ground creating this bottomless well. From the bottomless well move on to the ‘Keerimalai Natural Pond’ which is believed to possess miraculous curative effects. According to legend, the pond dates back to ancient times when a man whose face resembled a horse, due to a deformity, took a dip in this pond and found himself cured! This legend is commemorated by a statue that stands by the side of the pond inviting visitors to bathe. Next you will proceed to ‘Dambakolapatuna Vihara', a Buddhist site that dates back to the era of the King Dewanampiyatissa (307 BC to 267 BC). Here the king went down chest-deep to the sea to welcome Arahant Sangamitta Thero who had sailed from India with a sapling of the holy Bo-Tree ‘Jaya Sri Maha Bodhi’ under which the Lord Buddha attained enlightenment.  As well as the above sites you will also have a chance to visit Casuarina Beach and the Point Pedro Lighthouse.

Accommodation: Stay tonight at the Jetwing Jaffna (Deluxe Room)

Meals: Breakfast & Lunch

Guided visit to Delft Island: Rise early, collect your packed breakfast and leave for Kurikadduvan jetty to catch the ferry to Delft Island. The ferry journey takes around 30 minutes to reach the island which is just 50 square kilometres in size and is surrounded by shallow waters. Locally-hired transport will take you on an excursion around the island. Roots of the Dutch era are still clearly visible with scattered ruins of the Dutch Fort and Court House located in the grounds of Delft Hospital. This hospital plays an important role in the lives of the islanders as snake-bites are responsible for a high number of fatalities here. On the tour you will also see a giant hollow 'baobab tree' big enough for about five people to stand comfortably in its cavity, the old stables of the Dutch era and 'giant foot prints' which Hindus refer to as the foot prints of Lord Hanuman (the monkey god of Ramayana mythology). Other sites include ancient Buddhist ruins at one end of the island and to the west of the island temple ruins that were designed in South Indian Chola style. You may also see a pigeon house designed by the Portuguese, when pigeons were used as a mode of communication, and groups of wild ponies as you travel around. After the sightseeing you can have lunch at the missionary school (often the pastor will join you) before making your way back to Jaffna on the ferry.

Please be aware that the ferry to Delft Island is operated by the Sri Lankan Navy and the schedule is liable to change at any time without notice. Facilities on-board the ferries are very basic and you might find yourselves without a comfortable seat.

Accommodation: Stay tonight at the Jetwing Jaffna (Deluxe Room)

Meals: Breakfast & Lunch

Road journey to Trincomalee: After breakfast set out on the 4 1/2 hour drive to Trincomalee on the east coast of Sri Lanka. Trincomalee is located on a peninsula and with its clear, and inviting, aquamarine waters and beautiful white sandy beaches, it is renowned as a great location for swimming, wind surfing, scuba diving, fishing and whale watching.

Accommodation: Stay tonight at the Nilaveli Beach Resort (Cabana)

Meals: Breakfast

Days at leisure: These days are at leisure to relax on the beach or make the most of your location on Sri Lanka's East coast with a range of activities that can be arranged through your resort (and paid for locally). Great snorkelling and diving is available just off the coast, with the water around nearby Pigeon Island particularly enjoyable, Jetskiing and other watersports are also popular. Whale and dolphin-watching trips can also be arranged and can make for a spectacular day out at the height of the season. There are a number a great walking trails available immediately from the resort, and spa facilities and yoga classes are available on site. Sightseeing tours around Trincomalee can also be easily arranged.

Accommodation: Stay these nights at the Nilaveli Beach Resort (Cabana)

Meals: Breakfast

Road journey to Negombo, via Sigiriya: At the agreed time today you will be met by your driver at the hotel and transferred back to west coast, stopping at Sigiriya on the way. After around 3 hours driving, you will arrive at the famous Sigiriya Rock. On arrival, if you wish, you can commence the climb with an expert local guide who will explain the ancient history of this unique rock fortress. Walk through the extensive gardens, ringed by an intimidating moat, and up the steep steps, passing through the famous Lion's Paw to the summit where you will enjoy the jaw-dropping views out over the Sri Lankan countryside. After some time to rest, descend the rock and meet up with your driver to continue your drive. Visitors should be aware that sections of the climb are steep and the upmost care should be taken when ascending and descending the rock. The last section up to the summit is on a narrow metal staircase and to reach the summit requires a good level of fitness. Many people decide to stop by the Lion's Paw, about two-thirds of the way up and enjoy the view from there. After a local lunch near Sigiriya (payable locally), the journey to Negombo will take another 3 to 4 hours, depending on traffic conditions. On arrival check into your hotel and relax for the rest of the day.

Accommodation: Stay tonight at the Jetwing Lagoon (Deluxe Room)

Meals: Breakfast

Day at leisure: Today is at leisure to relax on the beach or explore Negombo independently. A guaranteed 6pm room check-out has been included for you at the hotel so that you can relax in the afternoon, before transferring to the airport for your flight home this evening.

Private transfer to Colombo airport: At the agreed time this evening, you will be met at your hotel and transferred to the airport in time to check in for your flight.

Flight: EY265 Colombo - Abu Dhabi 21.10 - 00.20 (overnight)

Meals: Breakfast