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Blessed with a wonderful tropical climate, Sri Lanka is one of the most beautiful destinations in the world and home to an extraordinary culinary heritage. On this tour, you will see ancient sites and modern day attractions, enjoy specially designed culinary experiences and take part in unique cultural experiences along the way. For those who love to explore and discover, this trip is perfect to uncover, through food and culture, the charms and diversity of this Emerald Isle.
Colombo - Negombo - Sigiriya - Polonnaruwa - Sigiriya – Minneriya National Park - Sigiriya - Dambulla -Matale – Kandy - Nuwara Eliya - Galle - Colombo
12 Days/11 Nights
Highlights
- Lively market visits, interactive cooking demonstrations and tastings
- Guided sightseeing of the Cultural Triangle, Kandy and the Dutch Galle Fort
- Learn the story of tea in the hill country
- Discover the history of Cinnamon
- Take a walking tour of old Colombo
Inclusions
-
Accommodation
-
Transport
-
Guide
-
Entrances
Not included is travel insurance, tips and any expense of personal nature
Extensions
Destinations
Trip Plan
Day 1
Colombo - Negombo
Day 2
Negombo
Day 3
Negombo - Sigiriya
Day 4
Sigiriya - Polonnaruwa
Day 5
Sigiriya – Minneriya National Park
Day 6
Sigiriya - Dambulla -Matale – Kandy
Day 7
Kandy
Day 8
Kandy - Nuwara Eliya
Day 9
Nuwara Eliya
Day 10
Nuwara Eliya – Galle
Day 11
Galle
Day 12
Galle – Colombo, Depart
Upon arrival at the Bandaranaike International Airport you will be met and assisted by a Sri Lankan Airlines' staff who will hold a board with your name as you exit the aircraft. You are accompanied through passport control, customs, baggage collection and money changers, all the way to the arrival lounge where the Luxe representative will meet you, address any last minute questions you have about the itinerary and introduce you to your private chauffer guide who will be your travel companion and explorer guide around Sri Lanka. Your destination tonight is Negombo. Transfer directly to your hotel and check-in. Located within a fairly close range to Bandaranaike International Airport, Negombo - the cinnamon hub of the Colonization of Dutch - offers some of the most exiting diving stretches in the country. Today, Negombo also boasts of a great nightlife scene with bars, disco bars and clubs making it a very popular destination. Overnight at hotel.
Today you will discover the history of Cinnamon.
The gentle coastal hills of southern Sri Lankan are especially suited to the growth of the cash crop, cinnamon.
The Portuguese were led to this part of world in search of cinnamon, cutting out the Arab middlemen.
Cinnamon remains a major export of Sri Lanka, and its use in both cooking and medicine are being increasingly appreciated.
You will be met by a local cinnamon planter who takes you on yet another walking tour through a working cinnamon plantation where you will learn how Sri Lanka’s southern province produces the best cinnamon in the world.
You also have the option of a nearby factory visit to experience the processing and packaging methods of the spice.
The evening is at leisure.
Overnight at hotel.
This morning enjoy a poolside breakfast in the company of the hotel’s executive chef followed by a visit to the Lellamat Fish Market. Here you will select the fish of your choice, to be used in this afternoon’s seafood cooking class with a famous local chef.
After lunch, you check out and drive approximately four hours north to the Cultural Triangle and the cliff top citadel of Sigiriya where you check in to your hotel
Overnight at hotel.
Start the day with a visit to a local family home where you learn the art of cooking kiri bath (milk rice) and its associated dishes.
Late this afternoon you visit the ancient city of Polonnaruwa – a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Here, you'll see 12th-century palace ruins, religious and royal statues, stupas and more. For a proper understanding of the site, you'll visit the Archaeological Museum.
Overnight at hotel.
The 5th century rock citadel of King Kasyapa and World Heritage Site – Sigiriya –boasts of ancient Sri Lankan engineering and urban planning supremacy and is acclaimed as one of the finest monuments of art and culture. Step through the gigantic ‘Lion Paws’ – overlooking the symmetrical royal gardens below – to comprehend the absolute splendor that once dominated this rock fortress.
Walk in the shade of an eminent ‘mirror wall’ embracing the Western face of Sigiriya representing an artistic hundred meters laminated with graffiti. Wander into the museum downstairs for an epic journey of yesteryear's to realize how the citadel floated above citizens with the castle, ponds and irrigation systems that pumped water right onto its summit with an ingenious hydraulic system describing a colossal masterpiece of the great king which remained a wonder in Asia for centuries.
After lunch at a local restaurant you visit Minneriya National Park for an afternoon game drive. The park forms part of an elephant corridor, guaranteeing sightings of elephants throughout the year.
Overnight at hotel.
Today, visit the World Heritage site of Dambulla, known for its richly-painted cave temples. This is a sacred site with cave shrines containing ancient statues and paintings. Most caves feature effigies of the Buddha, but some pay tribute to Hindu gods, such as Vishnu and Ganesh. There are five main caves, the oldest dating back to the 1st-century BC.
After your visit you set out by road for Kandy. En route visit the renowned Matale Spice Gardens.
Transfer to your hotel on arrival in Kandy and check in.
Last ruled by King Sri Wickrama Rajasinghe before it was brought under the British rule in 1815, Kandy is a World Heritage Site and the last royal capital of Sri Lankan kings. The city offers an array of culture, history and heritage which you will get a chance to discover during your stay here.
This evening take a stroll around Kandy and its pretty lake.
Overnight at hotel.
Spend the day exploring the scenic town.
Start with a visit to the Spice garden followed by a tour of the Kandy Royal Botanical Garden in Peradeniya. Conceived as a Queen’s pleasure garden in the 14th century, and a Kandyan Prince’s residence in the 18th century the gardens were formally opened under their current guise in 1821. Do not miss the Orchid House that has more than 300 varieties of exquisite orchid from the rare indigenous Foxtail and Vesak orchids.
In the afternoon, visit the Temple of the Tooth.
Tradition relates that a sacred tooth relic of the Lord Buddha was brought to Sri Lanka in 4th Century A.D. and was enshrined within the Dalanda Maligawa, or the Temple of the Tooth. This sacred relic has ever since been the symbol of sovereignty for the Sinhalese kings and always enshrined in great splendour. Kandy’s Dalada Maligawa is a magnificent shrine, with decorative walls, golden roof and fine woodwork. Religious services (pooja) are held daily at dawn, midday, and in the evening and can be viewed by visitors. The services are accompanied with traditional music and drumming.
This evening, join the hotel’s chefs in a hands-on cooking class where you will learn to make traditional kottu roti and Sri Lanka’s famous egg hoppers before sitting down to enjoy your creations with some other delicious dishes served for dinner.
Overnight at hotel.
Today, take a memorable railway journey through a truly beautiful landscape of mist-covered mountains and scenic waterfalls, widely considered one of the most scenic in the highlands of Sri Lanka. Catch glimpses of plantation-workers as you pass through lush green tea estates.
Enjoy a picnic lunch on board before arriving into Nuwara Eliya and transferring to your hotel.
The evening is at leisure
Overnight at hotel.
Start after breakfast for Horton Plains.
Horton Plains is located in the central highlands of Sri Lanka at an altitude of 2,100 to 2,300 meters. Lush greenery and wide-spread grasslands add to the beauty of Horton Plains. The country is second and third tallest mountain peaks, Kirigalpoththa and Thotupola Kanda are located on the west and north of the plains.
The key attraction at Horton Plains is the World’s end a sheer drop of over 2,800 feet.
The beautiful Baker’s Falls is another famous attraction in this region. The Horton Plains Park is home to mammals such as samburs, leopards, bears, monkeys and endemic lizards and also many birds and plants.
Return to your hotel and rest your tired feet, perhaps even indulge in a spa treatment.
Overnight at hotel.
Today after a leisurely start to the morning you are driven southwest to seaside Galle, enjoying a picnic lunch en route.
Arrive by evening and transfer to your hotel. The evening is at leisure.
Overnight at hotel.
This morning experience the quintessential sight of Sri Lankan stilt fishermen perched over swirling waters on slender poles waiting for their daily catch.
After lunch at the hotel, enjoy a unique walking tour with a local expert.
Expect the unexpected on one of eccentric Galle Fort walking tours which will take you into a maze of hidden backstreets, revealing secret unknown spots, extravagant 18th century merchant houses complete with ostentatious gold bedrooms, lavish pools and characters akin to Hemmingway.
This evening, enjoy sunset cocktails and Sri Lankan canapés before a farewell dinner
The menu features the best of Sinhalese food that is most prevalent in the south of the island. Broadly speaking, the cuisine relies heavily on the core ingredients of coconut, vegetables, rice, fresh chillis, spices, and curry leaves, all of which grow in abundance on this part of the island.
Overnight at hotel.
The morning is at leisure.
Based on the timings of your international flight, our colleague will meet you in the hotel lobby and assist in your transfer to the airport. The drive to Colombo airport takes approx. 3 hours.
SEE ALL
Day 1
Colombo - Negombo
Upon arrival at the Bandaranaike International Airport you will be met and assisted by a Sri Lankan Airlines' staff who will hold a board with your name as you exit the aircraft. You are accompanied through passport control, customs, baggage collection and money changers, all the way to the arrival lounge where the Luxe representative will meet you, address any last minute questions you have about the itinerary and introduce you to your private chauffer guide who will be your travel companion and explorer guide around Sri Lanka. Your destination tonight is Negombo. Transfer directly to your hotel and check-in. Located within a fairly close range to Bandaranaike International Airport, Negombo - the cinnamon hub of the Colonization of Dutch - offers some of the most exiting diving stretches in the country. Today, Negombo also boasts of a great nightlife scene with bars, disco bars and clubs making it a very popular destination. Overnight at hotel.
Day 2
Negombo
Today you will discover the history of Cinnamon.
The gentle coastal hills of southern Sri Lankan are especially suited to the growth of the cash crop, cinnamon.
The Portuguese were led to this part of world in search of cinnamon, cutting out the Arab middlemen.
Cinnamon remains a major export of Sri Lanka, and its use in both cooking and medicine are being increasingly appreciated.
You will be met by a local cinnamon planter who takes you on yet another walking tour through a working cinnamon plantation where you will learn how Sri Lanka’s southern province produces the best cinnamon in the world.
You also have the option of a nearby factory visit to experience the processing and packaging methods of the spice.
The evening is at leisure.
Overnight at hotel.
Day 3
Negombo - Sigiriya
This morning enjoy a poolside breakfast in the company of the hotel’s executive chef followed by a visit to the Lellamat Fish Market. Here you will select the fish of your choice, to be used in this afternoon’s seafood cooking class with a famous local chef.
After lunch, you check out and drive approximately four hours north to the Cultural Triangle and the cliff top citadel of Sigiriya where you check in to your hotel
Overnight at hotel.
Day 4
Sigiriya - Polonnaruwa
Start the day with a visit to a local family home where you learn the art of cooking kiri bath (milk rice) and its associated dishes.
Late this afternoon you visit the ancient city of Polonnaruwa – a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Here, you'll see 12th-century palace ruins, religious and royal statues, stupas and more. For a proper understanding of the site, you'll visit the Archaeological Museum.
Overnight at hotel.
Day 5
Sigiriya – Minneriya National Park
The 5th century rock citadel of King Kasyapa and World Heritage Site – Sigiriya –boasts of ancient Sri Lankan engineering and urban planning supremacy and is acclaimed as one of the finest monuments of art and culture. Step through the gigantic ‘Lion Paws’ – overlooking the symmetrical royal gardens below – to comprehend the absolute splendor that once dominated this rock fortress.
Walk in the shade of an eminent ‘mirror wall’ embracing the Western face of Sigiriya representing an artistic hundred meters laminated with graffiti. Wander into the museum downstairs for an epic journey of yesteryear's to realize how the citadel floated above citizens with the castle, ponds and irrigation systems that pumped water right onto its summit with an ingenious hydraulic system describing a colossal masterpiece of the great king which remained a wonder in Asia for centuries.
After lunch at a local restaurant you visit Minneriya National Park for an afternoon game drive. The park forms part of an elephant corridor, guaranteeing sightings of elephants throughout the year.
Overnight at hotel.
Day 6
Sigiriya - Dambulla -Matale – Kandy
Today, visit the World Heritage site of Dambulla, known for its richly-painted cave temples. This is a sacred site with cave shrines containing ancient statues and paintings. Most caves feature effigies of the Buddha, but some pay tribute to Hindu gods, such as Vishnu and Ganesh. There are five main caves, the oldest dating back to the 1st-century BC.
After your visit you set out by road for Kandy. En route visit the renowned Matale Spice Gardens.
Transfer to your hotel on arrival in Kandy and check in.
Last ruled by King Sri Wickrama Rajasinghe before it was brought under the British rule in 1815, Kandy is a World Heritage Site and the last royal capital of Sri Lankan kings. The city offers an array of culture, history and heritage which you will get a chance to discover during your stay here.
This evening take a stroll around Kandy and its pretty lake.
Overnight at hotel.
Day 7
Kandy
Spend the day exploring the scenic town.
Start with a visit to the Spice garden followed by a tour of the Kandy Royal Botanical Garden in Peradeniya. Conceived as a Queen’s pleasure garden in the 14th century, and a Kandyan Prince’s residence in the 18th century the gardens were formally opened under their current guise in 1821. Do not miss the Orchid House that has more than 300 varieties of exquisite orchid from the rare indigenous Foxtail and Vesak orchids.
In the afternoon, visit the Temple of the Tooth.
Tradition relates that a sacred tooth relic of the Lord Buddha was brought to Sri Lanka in 4th Century A.D. and was enshrined within the Dalanda Maligawa, or the Temple of the Tooth. This sacred relic has ever since been the symbol of sovereignty for the Sinhalese kings and always enshrined in great splendour. Kandy’s Dalada Maligawa is a magnificent shrine, with decorative walls, golden roof and fine woodwork. Religious services (pooja) are held daily at dawn, midday, and in the evening and can be viewed by visitors. The services are accompanied with traditional music and drumming.
This evening, join the hotel’s chefs in a hands-on cooking class where you will learn to make traditional kottu roti and Sri Lanka’s famous egg hoppers before sitting down to enjoy your creations with some other delicious dishes served for dinner.
Overnight at hotel.
Day 8
Kandy - Nuwara Eliya
Today, take a memorable railway journey through a truly beautiful landscape of mist-covered mountains and scenic waterfalls, widely considered one of the most scenic in the highlands of Sri Lanka. Catch glimpses of plantation-workers as you pass through lush green tea estates.
Enjoy a picnic lunch on board before arriving into Nuwara Eliya and transferring to your hotel.
The evening is at leisure
Overnight at hotel.
Day 9
Nuwara Eliya
Start after breakfast for Horton Plains.
Horton Plains is located in the central highlands of Sri Lanka at an altitude of 2,100 to 2,300 meters. Lush greenery and wide-spread grasslands add to the beauty of Horton Plains. The country is second and third tallest mountain peaks, Kirigalpoththa and Thotupola Kanda are located on the west and north of the plains.
The key attraction at Horton Plains is the World’s end a sheer drop of over 2,800 feet.
The beautiful Baker’s Falls is another famous attraction in this region. The Horton Plains Park is home to mammals such as samburs, leopards, bears, monkeys and endemic lizards and also many birds and plants.
Return to your hotel and rest your tired feet, perhaps even indulge in a spa treatment.
Overnight at hotel.
Day 10
Nuwara Eliya – Galle
Today after a leisurely start to the morning you are driven southwest to seaside Galle, enjoying a picnic lunch en route.
Arrive by evening and transfer to your hotel. The evening is at leisure.
Overnight at hotel.
Day 11
Galle
This morning experience the quintessential sight of Sri Lankan stilt fishermen perched over swirling waters on slender poles waiting for their daily catch.
After lunch at the hotel, enjoy a unique walking tour with a local expert.
Expect the unexpected on one of eccentric Galle Fort walking tours which will take you into a maze of hidden backstreets, revealing secret unknown spots, extravagant 18th century merchant houses complete with ostentatious gold bedrooms, lavish pools and characters akin to Hemmingway.
This evening, enjoy sunset cocktails and Sri Lankan canapés before a farewell dinner
The menu features the best of Sinhalese food that is most prevalent in the south of the island. Broadly speaking, the cuisine relies heavily on the core ingredients of coconut, vegetables, rice, fresh chillis, spices, and curry leaves, all of which grow in abundance on this part of the island.
Overnight at hotel.
Day 12
Galle – Colombo, Depart
The morning is at leisure.
Based on the timings of your international flight, our colleague will meet you in the hotel lobby and assist in your transfer to the airport. The drive to Colombo airport takes approx. 3 hours.
