Heritage, Nature and Cultivated Gardens of Sri Lanka

Upon arrival, you will be transferred to your hotel in Colombo. Enjoy a Welcome Dinner this evening to meet your fellow travellers.

This morning, visit the Seethawaka Wet Zone Botanic Garden, a research and conservation area for Sri Lanka’s wet zone flora, including threatened and vulnerable endemic plant species of the Sinharaja Rain Forest region. Return to Colombo and join passionate photographer Mark Forbes on a gentle walking tour through Colombo. Follow Mark along the city’s streets as he recounts stories of the island’s capital. Your journey starts at the Old Dutch Hospital, a colonial treasure and former hospital from the 17th century which is now home to high-end restaurants and boutiques. Continue to the commercial hub of Colombo Fort, away from the tourist hotspots, and learn about the colonial buildings and important monuments whose stories have helped shape Colombo. Perhaps stop for a refreshing cup of Ceylon tea during a visit to the bustling Pettah Bazaar.

Depart Colombo for the Umandawa Global Buddhist Village, which is thriving with lush greenery and an abundance of fruits, vegetables and flowers. The Ashramaya here is home to around 15 bhikkus and bhikkunis (Buddhist monks and nuns) and while here we may have the unique opportunity to follow them as they go about their daily rituals. This afternoon, visit Diyabubula, a lush man-made woodland area with scenic gardens and bodies of water. Based on the theme ‘Jungle, Water & Art’, it has been designed to celebrate Sri Lanka’s wilderness, as well as the works of one of its most renowned artists, Laki Senanayake.

Visit the Ritigala Monastery, where legend has it that Lord Hanuman, or the Monkey Lord, dropped medicinal plants from Himalaya while passing through Ritigala. Climb stone steps and pathways, beneath a thick canopy of trees, to see rock caves, ponds and stone inscriptions. Further on lies the monastery’s hospital wing, where remains of grinding stones, used to prepare medicinal herbs, and huge stone-cut Ayurvedic oil baths can be found. This afternoon, visit Dambulla, the largest and best-preserved cave temple complex in Sri Lanka. The rock from which the temples have been carved towers 160 metres over the surrounding plains. And while more than 80 caves have been documented throughout the surrounding area, the five main caves here contain statues and paintings depicting Gautama Buddha and his life.

Today, we visit the Sigiriya Rock Fortress. A UNESCO World Heritage site, Sigiriya is an enormous rock, rising almost 200 metres above the surrounding jungle. Built by King Kashyapa I in the fifth century, the fortress served as a royal citadel for more than 18 years. The gardens at Sigiriya are not only the best-preserved water gardens in South Asia, but they are also some of the oldest landscaped gardens in the world, also dating back to the fifth century. This evening, enjoy a private dinner within a secluded cave.

Continue your journey to Kandy, stopping en route to visit a spice garden in Matale, where we see a variety of spices, of which Sri Lanka is most famous. The gardens here are a delightful place to stroll among the fragrant greenery, while learning about nutmeg, pepper vines, clove trees, curry, cinnamon, and precious cardamom. Next, we meet a professional horticulturist at his ancestral home of Eladetta Walauwa. Well-known for its family-friendly environment, Eladetta Walauwa boasts traditional Kandyan architecture, with its unique concept of indoor courtyards and extensive outer gardens. The horticulturist hosts us for tea, enlightening us about his experiences, before escorting us on a walk through the garden.

Today, visit the Royal Botanic Gardens of Peradeniya, accompanied by an experienced botanist. They share stories of the garden’s history, as we see precious live collections, which have been gathered over centuries. He relates how this ancient royal pleasure garden was transformed into a botanic garden in 1821. See more than 300 varieties of orchid and learn about the history of the building, which dates back to World War II. Next, visit the Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic, one of the most important Buddhist temples, as it houses the Sacred Tooth Relic of Buddha. The Tooth Relic is kept within a two-storey inner sanctum. The ‘Thevava’, or auspicious offering to the Sacred Tooth Relic, takes place three times a day and a visit here during these times is quite an experience. The resident monks demonstrate this age-old tradition. Immersed in the sound of drums, and the smells of lotus and jasmine flowers, and incense, we observe the sacred ceremony.

On our way to Nuwara Eliya, we drive before spectacular mountain scenery, including gushing waterfalls, vast tea terraces, old tea factories, and expansive vegetable fields. Upon arrival at Nuwara Eliya, we may notice a sudden drop in temperature. The log fires and blankets within Victorian-style bungalows, along with the beautifully kept lawns and flower gardens here, are in keeping with the region’s moniker of ‘Little England’. Joined by a local expert, we proceed on a walking tour to observe the historic buildings and architectural monuments that helped shape the area. Some of the sites included on this tour are the Holy Trinity Church; St. Xavier’s Church; the Hill Club, which was built as a club house for British coffee planters; and the former home of one-time governor, Edward Barnes. The red-brick, Tudor-style post office building stands in the town’s centre. Enjoy panoramic views of the extensive gardens at the ‘Queens Cottage’ a sophisticated colonial manor house and previously a holiday home to prominent personalities. Today it serves as the official residence of the country’s president during visits to the hill country.

Visit the famous Victoria Park, which boasts an extensive array of flowering plants in full bloom, along with rare endemic flora and migrant, as well as resident, birdlife. Proceed to Galway’s Land Nature Park, a montane, or mountainous, ecosystem. The park is well-known for its wildlife, including the Sri Lankan wild boar and the barking deer, as well as impressive birdlife and valuable floral species. Enjoy some free time to relax and explore Nuwara Eliya on your own this afternoon.

Today, we visit the Belipola Arboretum and Research Centre, the World’s First Analog Forest – a system where the restored environment mimics the natural ecosystem. Established in 1983, upon a 20-acre degraded tea plantation, the forest is a tropical haven comprising native, endemic and endangered species. After our visit, we continue our drive to Udawalawe, where we check into our hotel.

This morning, we take a game drive within Udawalawe National Park, accompanied by a local trekker. The park is a wonderful place to see wild Asian elephants in their natural habitat. During our game drive, we admire the undulating countryside, open grassland, teak forest, and the Udawalawe Reservoir, spotting elephants along the way. As we drive, also be on the lookout for sambar deer, water buffalo, jackals, and monkeys, including the grey langur and endemic toque macaque. A total of 183 bird species have been recorded here, including resident and migratory species. This afternoon, visit the Elephant Transit Home, established to care for orphaned elephants, which are released back into the wild.

Today, we visit the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Galle, a city which mixes the exotic with the colonial. Proceed to the Lunuganga Country Estate, which was the country house of the renowned Sri Lankan architect, Geoffrey Bawa. Explore Bawa’s vision with your guide, pausing to admire carefully considered architectural flourishes, leaf-framed lake vistas and expansive gardens, created over a period of 40 years. Continue to the Brief Garden, by Bevis Bawa, brother of Geoffrey. Explore the landscaped gardens which are home to the landscape design practice, Brief Garden Designs. We then continue to our hotel.

Spend a full day at leisure today, enjoying our hotel’s facilities or relaxing on the beach. This evening, we reconvene for our Farewell Dinner.

 Enjoy breakfast at our hotel, before being transferred to the airport.