SRI LANKA - Splendours of Sri Lanka with The Monash National Seniors 14 Days / 13 Nights - Fully Escorted Tour Departs: Thursday 17 August - Wednesday 30 August 2017. Tour Cost from: $4295.00 per person Twin Share ($1280.00 single supplement) (Plus Airport Taxes - approx $825.00) - Airport taxes/levies are subject to change until fully ticketed Tour prices are valid for travel in 2017 but are subject to International currency fluctuations until fully ticketed. Minimum 20 Paying Passengers Please note that itinerary is subject to change without notice. The Itinerary Day 1 Thur 17 Aug: Australia - Sri Lanka - Negombo Flight Meals Today we fly from Australia to Colombo where we are greeted by our Tour guide who will take care of us until completion of our Sri Lanka tour. We arrive late evening and transfer to our hotel for check in. Overnight Negombo: Jetwing Sea Hotel 4 star Day 2 Fri 18 Aug: Negombo Breakfast & Dinner After a leisurely breakfast we enjoy a relaxing morning at our beach-front hotel. This afternoon we board our coach and enjoy a highlights tour of Negombo which has several buildings that date back to the Dutch and Portuguese colonial days including the Dutch Fort and Catholic Church. The sandy beaches, sea, colourful wooden boats and markets provide a scenic backdrop. Later in the afternoon we arrive back at our hotel before dinner. Overnight Negombo: Jetwing Sea Hotel 4 star Day 3 Sat 19 Aug: Negombo - Pinnawala - Sigiriya Today we depart early from Negombo and travel up to the Central Province region which is dominated by Sigiriya Rock. We stop at the Pinnawala Elephant Orphanage, where we will see elephants at close range, in a natural setting bathing in the Maha Oya River. This 24 acres large elephant orphanage is a also breeding place for elephants. From 5 baby elephants since opening in 1975, the orphanage now has the greatest herd of elephants in captivity in the world. We enjoy lunch overlooking the Maha Oya River and the bathing elephants. After leaving Pinnawala we continue our drive into the Central Province to Sigiriya where we check into the beautiful Aliya Resort and Spa which offers wonderful views of Sigiriya "Lion Rock" and the sprawling paddy fields. Overnight Sigiriya: Aliya Resort & Spa 5 star Our guide will cover the history of Sigiriya "Lion Rock" which is one of the most valuable historical monuments of Sri Lanka. Referred by locals as the "Eighth Wonder of the World" this ancient palace and fortress complex has significant archaeological importance. The palace is located on a massive rocky plateau 370 meters above sea level and includes remnants of a ruined palace, surrounded by an extensive network of fortifications, vast gardens, ponds, canals, alleys and fountains. ** The journey to the top and return is some 3,000 steps and over some uneven terrain and takes a high level of fitness.
Day 4 Sun 20 Aug: Ancient City of Anuradhapura After breakfast we continue to one of the better kept ruins of Ancient Ceylon - the UNESCO World Heritage City of Anuradhapura. Re-founded in 4th Century BC, Anuradhapura became the capital of Ceylon and the sacred city of Buddhism, home to the most renowned relic, the sacred Bodhi tree, planted in 3rd Century BC. In the afternoon, our guide will introduce us to some of Anuradhapura s sacred sites such as the Siri Maha Bodhi, Ruvanveliseya Dagaba, the Samadhi Buddha and the Twin Ponds, all rich in Buddhist faith culture and practices. Later in the day we return to our resort for dinner. Overnight Sigiriya: Aliya Resort & Spa 5 star Day 5 Mon 21 Aug: Ancient City of Polonnaruwa - Minneriya Jeep Safari After breakfast at the hotel we proceed to the ancient City of Polonnaruwa which was built in the 11th and 12th centuries AD, and which is a world heritage site. Here we visit the ruins of the Royal Palace, the Gal Viharaya where 4 splendid statues of the Buddha in 'Upright', 'Sedentary' and 'Recumbent' postures carved out of rock can be seen. We also visit the Audience Hall, the Lotus Bath, the statue of king Parakramabahu, and the Parakrama Samudraya - a lake built by King Parakramabahu the great. There are also monuments of famous places of worship such as the Shiva Temple, the Lankathilake, the Watadage, the Galpotha, the Kiri Vehera and the remains of a former Temple of the Tooth Relic. After leaving the ancient city we visit the Polonnaruwa Woodcarving Factory before lunch. In the afternoon we proceed to the Minneriya National Park where we experience a jeep safari of the Minneriya National Park. The extent of the Minneriya National Park is about 8,889 hectares. Dry zone plant and animal species are common and elephants are in plenty. Unlike in other national parks, elephants could be spotted at a very close range. About 160 species of birds, 09 amphibians, 25 reptile species, 26 fish species and more than 78 butterfly species have been found in this area. There are also rare bamboo trees in this park which are not found in other parks. After our safari we return to our hotel to freshen up before dinner. Overnight Sigiriya: Aliya Resort & Spa 5 star Day 6 Tue 22 Aug: Sigiriya - Matale - Kandy An early start today as we travel to spiritual city of Kandy, surrounded by greenery and the great Mahaweli River. On the way to Kandy we stop in Matale, where we visit the Spice garden, to see the many different types of spices Sri Lanka is famous for. For centuries, spices have been one of Sri Lanka's celebrated exports. Spices are mostly grown in home gardens and used not only to flavour food but also in medicine and cosmetics. Take the opportunity to sample such scents and flavours as cinnamon, ginger, pepper, vanilla, cardamom etc. Next we visit the Matale Batik Factory to see true quality design, artistry and workmanship of Batik. Batik has been an ancient art of painting cloth, and today Sri Lanka is among the world leaders in the design of batik. Batik galleries and factories offer batik from simple single coloured designs to intricate multi-coloured masterpieces. If open we also visit the extraordinarily colourful and ornate Sri Muthumariamman Hindu Temple in Matale. After leaving Matale we continue down to Kandy where we check into our hotel. Late afternoon we enjoy a Cultural Kandyan Dance and Fire Eating performance. After the performance we make our way back to our hotel for dinner. Overnight Kandy: Earl`s Regency Hotel 5 star Day 7 Wed 23 Aug: Kandy Markets - Tooth Relic Temple - Botanical Gardens For an in depth flavour of Kandy we take a stroll with our guide through the Kandy Markets which is amass with colourful fresh vegetables, fruits, fish, meat and much more. We then stroll past the beautiful Kandy Lake on our way to the Temple of the Tooth (Dalada Maligawa), the most important shrine in the country, which houses a relic of a tooth of Buddha taken from his funeral pyre in 543 BC. It is renowned for its daily 'Thewawa' ceremony. Each evening, the day's worship culminates when the casket containing the tooth relic is put on display for devotees who have travelled from all over the Buddhist world. After leaving the Temple and museum we enjoy lunch at the Queen's Hotel which is one of Kandy's prime properties set on an extent of 217.5 perches of land. The hotel is one of the finest and grandest architectural buildings of its kind in Kandy, along with its 54 spacious rooms, and emphasis on its superb outlets the Queen's Hotel boasts of the King Narendrasinghe Hall (Mini Ball Room), the Queen of Hearts restaurant, the Lord Mountbatten Lounge Bar, Royal Ball Room and The Pub Royal, the latter being the only British Pub in the city that offers service with true colonial flavour. This afternoon we take a guided stroll through the lush Royal Botanical Gardens of Peredeniya. The gardens were established in 1821 and now covers 140 acres, smuggled in a loop in the Mahaweli River, the longest river in Sri Lanka. Its primary purpose was the testing and acclimatizing of plants for commercial use in Sri Lanka. Today the Gardens have one of the largest collections of around 4000 species of flora from sub tropical climates around the world. Among them, the Giant Bamboo, Double Coconut, over 180 species of gorgeous Orchids, and the Ehetu tree which spreads its branches and foliage out to staggering 2000 square meters. Later in the day we make our way back to our hotel for dinner. Overnight Kandy: Earl`s Regency Hotel 5 star Day 8 Thur 24 Aug: Kandy - Mackwoods Tea Factory - Nuwara Eliya After breakfast we take one last birds eye view of Kandy from the Kandy View Point Lookout before proceeding to Nuwara Eliya via the stunning Ramboda Falls and the Mackwoods Tea Factory. Our drive to Nuwara Eliya is a picturesque journey through the mountains and Sri Lanka s tea growing centre, where we will relish the endless views of tea carpeted valleys and the bright flash of female tea pluckers in their pimento, fuchsia and cerise coloured saris. Ramboda Ella is the 11th highest waterfall in Sri Lanka.
Day 8 continued After lunch at the Ramboda Falls Hotel we continue on to Mackwoods Tea Factory. Mackwoods is a pioneer in the management of tea estates and, has been involved since the inception of tea plantations in Sri Lanka. In recognition of the Company's proven track record in plantation management, the company was appointed as advisors to the Government of Zambia in respect of the agricultural and management aspects of the Zambian tea estates in the early 1970's and was also subsequently successful in its competitive bid to manage Agalawatte Plantations Ltd, consisting of 17 tea and rubber estates, spanning 27,000 acres. After arriving in Nuwara Eliya township we drive in past the picturesque 18-hole golf course, stunning English styled country homes and gardens before checking into our hotel before dinner. Overnight Nuwara Eliya: Araliya Green Hills Hotel 4 star Day 9 Fri 25 Aug: Nuwara Eliya - Yala From the Nuwara Eliya, we descend down through the panoramic hill country to the jungles of Yala. Our route takes us through stunning countryside littered with valleys of colourful houses and terraced veggie gardens. We arrive in the small village of Ella where we enjoy beautiful views of Ella Gap from the Ella Gap Hotel. We then continue our drive down to the south east coast to Yala enjoying a lunch stop at the Refresh Restaurant or at our hotel. After arriving in Yala we check into our hotel. Mid-afternoon we visit one of the foremost places to visit in Sri Lanka, the Yala National Park. The Park is famous for the elusive leopard, and has one of the highest densities of leopards in the world. While there, we can also spot the Sloth Bear, Crocodiles and the Asian Elephant. With some good luck we will witness all these creatures and more on our Jeep Safari accompanied by a naturalist guide. After our safari its back to the Jetwing Yala hotel to refresh before dinner. Overnight Yala: Jetwing Yala Hotel 5 star Day 10 Sat 26 Aug: Yala - Galle After breakfast and check out we travel up to Galle via Matara. Along the way, the road reveals new and unexplained beauty. It skirts the sea shore and for mile upon mile, bay succeeds bay, a curve of yellow sand, dazzling blue water and palm-crowned headlands. At the end of the south coast railway line lies the Matara, the most important settlement on the south coast. The town contains many remnants of Sri Lanka s colonial past and is divided by the island s third longest river, the Nilwala Ganga a beautiful wide expanse of water that splits the old town from the new. Matara was noted as an important destination during the Dutch period due to its strategic position for the trade of spices, gems and elephants and so the colonists built two forts called the city Mature while many other names among them Mahatara meaning Great Harbour and Maturai meaning Great Fortress both used by the Portuguese have been given to the city over the years. We arrive in the Galle Fort precinct and enjoy lunch at the historic hotel. Galle was once the chief port of Ceylon and a town rich in history. It was the centre of the Dutch regime in the 17th century and the majestic Galle Fort (spanning 90 acres) bears testimony to this fact. The city of Galle is one of the well preserved colonial-era cities in Southeast Asia and has been declared a World Heritage Site. The Dutch museum & the Dutch church are two famous tourist attractions within the Galle Fort. We then enjoy a leisurely walking tour through the cobbled stone pathways of the Galle Fort, which is an UNESCO World Heritage Site and urban ensemble which illustrates the interaction of European architecture and South Asian traditions from the 16th to the 19th centuries. This afternoon we visit the Tsunami Photo Museum and also the Tsunami Monument. On the 26th of December 2004 the tsunami hit different countries across the Indian Ocean with Sri Lanka also in its destructive path. It is impossible to tell all the tsunami stories, but by telling some the realisation of what took place on and after this devastating event will become evident. Late afternoon we check into the Centara Ceysands Resort with plenty of time to relax before dinner. Overnight Galle: Centara Ceysands Resort 4 star Day 11 Sun 27 Aug: Galle Free Day Breakfast & Dinner After breakfast we enjoy a leisurely day where we can relax at the hotel, take a stroll along the beach, enjoy some downtown shopping or a spa treatment or just relax by the pool. Tonight we all meet for dinner at the hotel. Overnight Galle: Centara Ceysands Resort 4 star Day 12 Mon 28 Aug: Galle - Colombo Breakfast & Dinner After breakfast we make our way up to Colombo enjoying stops at the Ambalangoda Wood Carving Factory where we have the chance to witness traditional masks and puppets being carved from kaduru, a light, pliable wood similar to balsa and sanded using rough leaves or shark skin. We also visit Amarasena`s Turtle Hatchery where several species of turtles, especially the endangered hawksbill are hatched, raised and released back into the sea. Most vulnerable of all are the turtle eggs which are left exposed and vulnerable to predators on beaches all around the coast. These eggs are brought to the hatcheries by the fishermen and volunteers. Visitors are shown the various stages of natural incubation, hatching, feeding and releasing. We then travel up to Colombo the capital of Sri Lanka. We arrive at the old Dutch Hospital Complex comprising cafés, restaurants and retail shops (lunch own cost). (Suggest booking a table at the Ministry of Crab). This afternoon we check into our hotel and enjoy the rest of the afternoon free. Tonight we enjoy our farewell dinner back at the hotel. Overnight Colombo: Cinnamon Lakeside Hotel 5 star Optional Extra: Those wishing make like to join us for a personalized city walk around the Port and Fort precinct of Colombo, where we can experience first hand the borrowed words from the Portuguese to the amazing architecture that the Dutch/English left behind. Mark Forbes walk is generally 3-4 hours and is conducted late afternoon allowing the body to battle the humidity levels and experience the wind-down time of island culture. And most of all, to give that photographer in our midst the opportunity to create a masterpiece of Colombo City.
Day 13 Tue 29 Aug: Colombo - Australia Breakfast This morning after breakfast we enjoy the sights of Colombo by bus where our guide will introduce us to some of Colombo s curious sites such the Vibrant markets of Pettah, Independence Memorial Hall, Town Hall, Nelum Pokuna Mahinda Rajapaksa Theatre plus more. The rest of the day is at leisure before our late evening check in or to enjoy some last minute shopping time. After a late hotel check out we transfer to the Colombo International airport for check in and a safe return journey home. Day 14 Wed 30 Aug: Australia After our overnight flight, we arrive back in Australia after our wonderful highlights tour of Sri Lanka with Trade Travel. Tour Highlights: Negombo Highlights; Pinnwalla Elephant Orphanage; History of Sigiriya Rock Fortress; UNESCO World Heritage City of Anuradhapura; Polonnaruwa Ancient City; Minneriya National Park Safari; Matale Spice Garden; Matale Batik Factory; Sri Muthumariaamman Hindu Temple; Cultural Kandyan Dance & Amazing Fire Eating Performance; Highlights Tour Kandy & Kandy Markets; Temple of the Tooth Relic; Queens Colonial Hotel; Royal Botanical Gardens of Peredeniya; Kandy Lake & Kandy View Point Lookout; Ramboda Falls & Tea Plantations; Mackwoods Tea Factory; English Styled Country Homes & Gardens of Nuwara Eliya; Ella Gap; Yala National Park Safari; Port City of Galle; Tsunami Photo Museum; Galle Fort Precinct; Ambalangoda Wood Carving Factory; Amarasena`s Turtle Hatchery; Colombo City Highlights; Colombo Port & Old Fort Precinct & much more. Optional Extra Tour Highlights: Colombo Fort & Port Walking Tour!
The Tour Price Includes: Return economy flights - Australia - Colombo (conditions apply) Luxury air-conditioned coach travel 12 Nights accommodation in 4 & 5 star hotels Breakfast, lunch & dinner as per itinerary (31 meals) All touring, entry fees, English speaking guides and attractions as per the Itinerary Gratuities for driver & tour director. The Tour Price Excludes: Visa - approx $40.00 AUD Tours listed as Optional Extra`s - POA Tips to porters, hotel staff, tour operators. For information, bookings & your Travel Insurance contact: Phone: 1300 139 715 E-mail: sue@tradetravelmelbourne.com.au Website: www.tradetravelmelbourne.com.au a member of
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