Highlands of Sri Lanka

The group flight arrives at Colombo's Katunake Airport and we transfer to our

hotel at Dambulla (160km, 4hrs drive). Those not flying with the group can

meet us at the hotel or the airport in time for the transfer. Please be

aware if you are meeting the group at the airport for a transfer you might

need to purchase a ticket outside to enter the arrivals hall.

*Pelwehera Village Resort or similar*

After breakfast we visit the magnificent Cave Temple at Dambulla, one of the

most impressive sights in Sri Lanka. There are colourful and very well

preserved paintings and statues of Buddha inside the caves, which date back

to the 1st century BC. We then have a short, gentle, warm up walk which takes

us through villages and rice paddies and on towards Sigiriya, where we have

lunch. In the afternoon we visit the imposing 5th century rock fortress,

which rises 180m from the plains overlooking the surrounding countryside

giving far-reaching views. Used as a safe haven from invaders, the route to

the top is up a series of steep steps and gangways. From the base, where a

moat surrounds impressive water gardens, we ascend 200m and pass an

overhanging rock under which superb portraits of native maidens holding

flowers and temple offerings still adorn the walls. Crowning the flat-topped

summit are extensive remains of the King's Summer Palace from where there are

breathtaking views of the surrounding countryside. The descent is much easier

and we have a final 35 minute drive back to our hotel in Dambulla.



Approximate walking distance 6km. Alt. gain 395m, Alt. loss 395m

The next two days takes us across the famous Knuckles Mountain Range. We

start early with a three hour drive to the start of our walk, from where we

begin with an easy descent past rice paddies and through the villages of

Pitawala Patana and Etanwala. Descending to the river we cross a small bridge

and start to climb up through more farmland. Finally emerging at the top of

an escarpment we are rewarded with great views of the surrounding

countryside. An easy trail takes us along the top of the escarpment to

Manigala Top at 1115m, the high point of today. Next we descend to the

Mahalakotuwa village area which leads to the main road and then it’s a 20

minute walk to our campsite by the river where we can bathe in the cool,

refreshing water.

Today is the longest walk and is approx. 7 hours walking, 15KM, Alt gain

900m, alt loss 100mAlt. gain 240m, Alt. loss 450m

(Please note – occasionally due to high water levels we use an alternative

campsite. The alternative campsite is about 40 minutes’ drive from

Illikumbura).

We begin with a short half hour drive to the Narangamuwa Temple at

Ranamuregama. We then pass rice paddies and coconut groves before entering a

heavily forested area. The trail climbs gently for an hour and then levels

out before undulating though this lush forest. The only sound we can hear is

the birdsong all around us. Emerging from the forest in the village of

Meemure, make sure to look back for a spectacular view of the peaks of

Lakegala. Passing farms growing pepper and other spices, we come to a

small tea shop where we have lunch. After lunch, we take a truck or

rickshaws for a bumpy 90-minute ride to Corbetts Gap, a famous viewpoint.

Our bus will meet us here for the 1.5hr drive to our hotel at Orutota

overlooking the Victoria Reservoir.

A relaxing morning to enjoy the garden and pool at the hotel. Mid-morning we

have a short 18km drive to Kandy and have the afternoon to explore. The town

is located around a small lake and we can walk round to hopefully spot

several varieties of water birds and large water monitors. Later we visit the

Temple of the Tooth, which houses Sri Lanka's most important Buddhist relic -

The Tooth of Buddha, which was taken from the funeral pyre in India in 543 BC

and only found its way to Sri Lanka in the 4th century AD. There are

literally hundreds of worshippers who visit the temple each day and in

July/August the most spectacular ceremony takes place.

This morning we drive to Dickoya (3 hours), where we stay for two nights in

simple colonial tea planters bungalows, with wonderful view of the

Castlereagh Reservoir. On a clear day we can see the outline of Adams Peak in

the distance.

In the pilgrim season (December-May) we have the day to relax or you can take

a short walk around the lake (approx. 6km). We leave around midnight for the

walk up Adams Peak (approx. 14km). This will take around 4 hours and we

should reach the top, with the many pilgrims at sunrise. In the off season

(May – November) we spend Day 6 (Day 7 Ex London) at Dickoya and can walk

around the lake and on Day 7 (Day 8 Ex London) we will climb Adams Peak

during daylight hours.

Total accent 1211m, decent, the same.

(Day 6: B) (Day 7: B,L)

*Glencarin Bungalows or similar*

This morning we have a wonderful drive through tea plantation districts to

Nuwara Eliya. This was the favourite hill station during the British era,

situated in the cool highland air at 1890m and has a very British feel. Known

locally as 'Little England' it is dotted with British style houses, hotels

and a racecourse. There will be an optional walk into the hills around the

town and also time to explore the bazaar.

*Windsor Hotel or similar*

Today we drive to Horton Plains, a large plateau over 2,000m above sea level,

overlooked by the second and third highest peaks in Sri Lanka. The scenery is

beautiful and is best explored on foot. We trek through the rolling

grasslands, seeing forest and unusual wildlife, such as the sambar deer and

purple faced monkey, all the way to 'World's End', one of the most stunning

sights in Sri Lanka. Here the ground drops 1050m to the plains below. We then

catch the train from the highest railway station in the country; within two

hours we’ve dropped from 1889m to 1097m. The train travels through the

cloud forest into the tea plantations, the views are spectacular; we

disembark at Ella.

We drive to Kithalaella and climb up to a rocky area to enjoy stunning views

of the waterfalls. Continuing on to Ella Gap, we have dramatic views of the

coastal plain nearly 1,000m below. Almost the whole of the southern part of

the island is in view and on a particularly clear day the shimmering silver

of the ocean is visible (approx. 12km walk). We return in the late afternoon

to our hotel in Ella.

We now head south out of the hills to Tissamaharama down the plains stopping

en route to visit the spectacular Ravana Waterfalls as well as the Kataragama

Temple. This is a pilgrimage place for both Hindus and Buddhists, who come to

worship here in the early mornings and evenings. Colourful and noisy, the

temple is always busy. Tissamaharama will be our base for visiting Yala

National Park. Its open undulating terrain made it famous for elephants for

many years, but recently the park has become well known for leopard. The

park, which is primarily shrub jungle with several salt and fresh water

lagoons, has one of the highest concentrations of leopard per square

kilometre in the world. We will have a game drive in the afternoon. (Please

note that the sanctuary may be closed for 4-6 weeks from September to October

allowing the park authorities to check the animals. In this instance we will

go to an alternative area close by, usually the Udawalawe National Park).

This morning we drive to the beautiful Tissamaharama Lake where we walk for

approximately 3.5 hours (approx. 5km). This is an opportunity to see the day

to day life of the local people as well as a range of birdlife. In the late

afternoon we drive for approximately 4 hours to the coast.

*Insight Resort or similar*

Free day to relax on the beach or by the pool. There are also numerous

optional activities including a boat ride through mangrove swamps to a

cinnamon plantation, or from November to April you can go whale watching off

Dondra Head. This is one of the best places in the world for seeing Blue and

Sperm whales.

We set off today and drive along the coastal road to the historic port of

Galle, which dates back to the 17th century, and now a UNESCO world heritage

site. On the way we stop at a small folk museum inspired by the local

writer Martin Wickramasinghe. The museum is a typical house from the Koggala

region and is set amongst beautiful gardens. We continue along the expressway

to Colombo reaching our hotel in the late afternoon (the drives takes around

2-3 hours, plus stops).

If you are travelling on the group flight we will have a morning transfer to

the airport for the daytime flight to London. The arrangements for those not

flying with the group ends after breakfast.

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