After breakfast you will proceed to Habarana, visiting Pinnawela Elephant Orphanage en route.

A visit to this fantastic Elephant Orphanage near Kegalle is a must! 20 km (12 miles) west of Kandy on the Colombo Highway, this is where young orphaned or abandoned elephants are cared for. The herd numbers are usually around 50, from tiny infants (tiny in elephant terms, that is) to hefty adolescents and young adults.

Dinner and overnight Chaaya Village Habarana

After breakfast, you will visit the Rock Fortress of Sigiriya.

Known as ‘The Mount of Remembrance’ and considered by some as the eighth Wonder of the World, Sigiriya contains the ruins of an ancient palace complex, built during the reign of King Kasyapa (477 – 495 AD). on the west of the rock are ponds, the remains of summer palaces and other structures, and the first part of the ancient road, which lead to its impressive summit.

Your afternoon will then comprise an afternoon tour of Polonnaruwa

Polonnaruwa rose to fame as the capital after the decline of Anuradhapura. The entire landscape of the region is punctuated by huge man-made reservoirs. These resemble veritable seas, the most famous of which is the Parakrama Samudra or the sea of Parakrama, which is larger in size than Colombo harbour! Be sure not to miss the Gal Vihare complex, with fine sculptures of the recumbent, standing and seated Buddhas.

Dinner is included at Deer Park Hotel.

After breakfast you will depart for Kandy visiting the following places en route:

Rangiri Rock Cave, Temples of Dambulla
This vihara known in ancient times as the Jambukolalena vihara is situated on top of the rock of Dambulla and has inscriptions dating back to 2nd century BC. Inside the Vihara are many seated, standing and recumbent Buddha statues and statues of gods. on the walls of the image houses are paintings. Most of the images and paintings belong to the Kandy period.

Spice Garden in Matale
Sri Lanka has been famed through the ages for its spices and aromatics like cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, cardamom, pepper, vanilla and citronella. There are a number of private spice gardens along the Kandy-Matale road, which can be visited by tourists.

Kandy
You will then arrive in Kandy, which was the last independent kingdom of the Singhalese kings and is the most important place for modern-day Buddhists because of the sacred tooth relic temple. Kandy is also the most beautiful city in Sri Lanka with its picturesque lake built by its last king, its picturesque rolling hills surrounding the city.

Temple of the Tooth
This is where the Tooth Relic of the Buddha is enshrined. This shrine was built by King Vimaladharma uriya in 17th century when Kandy was the capital of Ceylon. The last king of Ceylon, Sri Wickremarajasinha added the Octagon to the shrine and built the moat at its boundary. As the tooth relic was considered the palladium of royalty, the Temple of the Tooth was always built beside the King's place.

Dinner and accommodation at Chaaya Citadel, Kandy.

After breakfast you will depart for visit to Royal Botanical Gardens.

Located 460 m above sea-level close to Kandy and surrounded from three sides by the river Mahaveli, Peradeniya Botanical Garden was founded in the year of 1824 and has one of the most extensive and valuable collections of plants and trees in the world (more than 4000 species, indoor and outdoor). Giant Ficus, Bamboo and Palm trees of the world, rare Ayurvedic plants, Orchid House, spice garden, timber trees such as Ebony, Teak, Satinwood, Mahogany, Tamarind and Jak can be seen here.

In the afternoon we recommend you transfer to a beach hotel of your choice to complete your voyage of discovery in beautiful Sri Lanka.