Scenic Train Journey

DAY 1: ARRIVAL TO NEGOMBO

Fly to Colombo. Upon arrival, your Local Guide from DT Travels will meet you at the Bandaranaike Airport in the Arrivals Hall and transfer you to Negombo for an overnight stay. You will transfer 45 minutes to your hotel and check-in Negombo.

Overnight stay at Hotel in Negombo.

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DAY 2 & 3 : NEGOMBO TO SIGIRIYA

This morning a tour introduction will either be held in the hotel or on the coach. After breakfast, travel approximately 5 hours to Sigiriya for a three-night stay. This road is bumpy at times due to continual road  construction. Upon arrival, tour the Rock Fortress, also known as Lion Rock. There are many steps, most with railings leading up to the top of the Rock Fortress and the ascent involves a very steep climb so extra care is needed here. Please ensure you bring plenty of water with you today and you wear a hat for sun protection. Beware of local ‘helpers’ as they may charge a fee for their assistance. You will spend approximately 2 hours here climbing the Lion Rock and touring the surrounding gardens.

Overnight stay in Sigiriya 

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DAY 4 : POLONNARUWA

Drive approximately 2 hours and discover the UNESCO World Heritage listed site of Polonnaruwa this morning. There will be approximately 2 hours of easy sightseeing on foot while exploring the palace and temples - refer to Appropriate Dress section below.

Overnight stay in Giritale

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​DAY 5, 6 & 7 : KANDY

Depart Sigiriya this morning and drive approximately 45 minutes to view the Dambulla Rock Temple. The temple is made up of five decorated caves and has two main viewing areas consisting of approximately 800 steps. You will spend 1 and half hours sightseeing on foot. Continue 3 hours to the town of Kandy, stopping to visit a spice garden in Matale en route to enjoy lunch and a cooking demonstration, learning about Sri Lankan spices.

Overnight stay in Kandy.

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​DAY 8 & 9 :  NUWARA ELIYA

Say goodbye to Kandy as you begin the 3-hour drive to Nuwara Eliya, visiting a tea plantation and tea factory en route. In the afternoon explore the city centre to see the colonial buildings, race course, Hill Club Hotel, Gregory Lake and Sita Amman Kovil. Later, enjoy high tea at the Grand Hotel, the former residence of the governor during British colonial times.

Overnight stay in Nuwara Eliya.

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DAY 10 :  ELLA BY TRAIN

We have an early start this morning and take a 30km drive south to Horton Plains, a large plateau over 2,000m high, overlooked by the second and third highest peaks in Sri Lanka. The scenery is beautiful and the best way to explore is on foot. We take a guided walk through the rolling grasslands where we hope to see such as the Sambur and Purple Faced monkey. We also visit 'World's End', which is one of the most stunning sights in Sri Lanka where the ground drops 1050m to the plains. Following this, we catch a train from the highest railway station in the country - within an hour and a half we drop from 1889m to 1097m. The train travels through the cloud forest into the tea plantations, with breath-taking views of the lush valley below. Please note that due to current covid restrictions we will be driving to Bandarawela rather than take the train. We get off at Bandarawela, a town relatively untouched by tourism.

Overnight stay in Ella

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DAY 11 :  YALA NATIONAL PARK

Today we continue on to Ella Gap where we have spectacular views of the coastal plain nearly 1,000m below. Almost the entire southern part of the island is in view and on a particularly clear day the shimmering silver of the Indian Ocean is visible. Heading south out of the hills we travel to Kataragama on the plains; this is our base for visiting Sri Lanka's best known national park, Yala. The park is popular for elephant, leopard, bear, crocodile and Wild boar. At 97,800 hectares, this is the second largest of Sri Lanka's national parks. Its open undulating terrain made it famous for elephants for many years, but recently the park has also become better 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. (Please note that the sanctuary may be closed for 4-6 weeks from September to October allowing the park authorities to check the welfare of the animals. We therefore go to an alternative area close by, usually Udawalawe National Park)

Overnight stay in Yala.

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DAY 12 & 13:  Wadduwa

Today we leave for the coast, with its beautiful palm fringed bays. Stopping on the way at Hambantota and walking to a nearby farm house where you'll be offered tea in a coconut shell along with a local snack. We will mix with real Sri Lankan life and take part in some traditional Sri Lankan games, returning to our bus in tractors used by the farmers. Continuing on to Ahangama in the afternoon we arrive at our coastal hotel and you can relax for the rest of the day.

Overnight stay in Wadduwa

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DAY 14 :  COLOMBO

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. 

Evening you will enjoy a Farewell Dinner offered by DT Travels followed by a Cocktail Party.

Overnight stay in Colombo

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DAY 15 :  TRANSFER TO AIRPORT FOR DEPARTURE

***END OF THE TOUR***