After breakfast, leave for Anuradhapura and visit the sacred ancient city of Anuradhapura, founded in the 4th century B.C., a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1982. It has the largest number of ancient monuments of the great Sinhala civilisation, which flourished in this region.

After sightseeing, leave for Habarana, a small village with excellent hotel accommodation and a central location for all the ancient city sites. Check in at your hotel on arrival and spend the rest of the evening at leisure.

Overnight Stay: Hotel in Habarana

• Free Drinks
• Awesome Breakfast
• 5 Star Accommodation

After breakfast leave for the ancient city of Sigiriya, a UNESCO World Heritage site since 1982. Begin the morning by climbing the rock fortress of Sigiriya – a 5th-century "Fortress in the Sky".

Then continue to one of the best-kept ruins of ancient Ceylon – the UNESCO World Heritage City of Polonnaruwa, which was the capital of Sri Lanka from the 11th to 13th centuries.

Overnight Stay: Hotel in Habarana

Travel from mainland Venice to the island, catching sight of St. Mark's Basilica, plenty of gondolas, and the spectacular Venetian skyline. See several historic churches and lose yourself in the narrow streets of Venice.

Today’s highlights

After breakfast, head for Dambulla and explore the famous Golden Rock cave temple, which has
been declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1991. A sacred pilgrimage site for 22
centuries, this cave monastery, a vast isolated rock mass with its five caverns, is the largest and best
preserved cave-temple complex in Sri Lanka.

Afterward, head on to the bustling hill capital of Kandy. Declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site
Since 1988, it has been the last capital of the Sinhala Kings. En route, you will visit a spice garden in
Matale. You will check in at your hotel on arrival and once you are rested, continue to your
tour of Kandy. In the evening, you will visit the sacred Temple of the Tooth Relic, and later enjoy
the Kandyan Cultural show at the Kandyan Arts & Cultural Centre. The show features the
graceful and rhythmic dancers and drummers, culminating in an impressive fire-walking display.
Overnight Stay: Hotel in Kandy

• Travel by bus to Milan with a pit stop in Verona.
• Pay a visit to Juliet’s famous balcony and get in touch with your inner romantic.
• Arrive in Milan and take an introductory walk of the area with your Tour Director.

After breakfast, leave for Pinnawala to visit the Elephant Orphanage. This orphanage was set up by the government to take care of baby elephants lost or abandoned in the wild.

On completion, commence a sightseeing tour of the city of Ratnapura. Ratnapura is the world’s richest treasure house of gems. Rare sparkling precious and semi-precious stones are found in the rich soil that covers the entire district. It is a city set amidst a mix of paddy fields, rubber, and tea plantations, which give a scenic backdrop to this legendary city of a thousand gems.

Overnight Stay: Hotel in Ratnapura

Before you head to the airport, enjoy your last few moments together. Take one more group photo. Grab that final drink. (Fine, maybe a couple of drinks.) But this isn’t goodbye. It’s “See you later.”

HIGHLIGHTS

After breakfast leave for Sinharaja Nature Reserve for a day of birdwatching and trekking through the forest. Declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site, it is the least disturbed and biologically unique lowland rain forest remaining in Sri Lanka. It is a treasure trove of endemic species, including trees, insects, amphibians, reptiles, birds, and mammals. Because of the dense vegetation, wildlife is not as easily seen as in dry zone national parks. Birdwatching is particularly interesting as it is home to 95% of the endemic birds of Sri Lanka.

After breakfast, leave for Galle. Galle is the capital of the Southern Province and is a city with a colourful history. A UNESCO-declared World Heritage Site, the magnificent Dutch fort is the most popular attraction of the town. A 300-year-old Dutch colonial atmosphere is still very much alive around the fort and amidst its many historical buildings, not invaded by the skyscrapers. Founded in the 16th century by the Portuguese, Galle reached the height of its development in the 18th century, before the arrival of the British.

Overnight Stay: Hotel in Unawatuna

After breakfast head for Mt. Lavinia.

Technical visit Moonstone Mind: Sri Lanka is famous for its gems, one of which is the moonstone. This pale blue, almost transparent stone is a type of feldspar known as adularia – the way the stone shimmers when it moves is known as adularescence. At Meetiyagoda, you can see how the stones are actually mined. The miners climb down a 10-metre-deep shaft on a frame made of strong coconut wood. A machine pumps out water, but all the digging is done by hand. The buckets of soil that are wound regularly to the surface yield around 50-100 rough moonstones a day, though not all of them are of saleable quality. The small adjoining factory cuts, polishes, and sets the stones into more glamorous jewellery. In the saleroom, you can see some beautiful examples of their art, along with other gems like topaz, garnets, tiger eye, and tourmaline.

On the way to the Madu River boat safari, visit the Turtle Farm in Kosgoda. Famed for its "Golden Mile" of beaches, Mt. Lavinia is a pleasant coastal town just a short distance from Colombo. On arrival, check in at your hotel, and if you have spare time, your chauffeur will show you the sights and sounds of Colombo city.

Overnight Stay: Hotel in Mt. Lavinia

Sri Lanka is famous for its gems, one of which is the moonstone. This pale blue, almost transparent,
stone is a type of feldspar known as adularia – the way the stone shimmers when it moves is known
as adularescence.
At Meetiyagoda you can see how the stones are actually mined. The miners climb down a 10-metre-
deep shaft on a frame made of strong coconut wood. A machine pumps out water, but all the digging
is done by hand.
The buckets of soil that are wound regularly to the surface yield around 50-100 rough moonstones a
day, though not all of them are saleable quality.
The small adjoining factory cuts, polishes and sets the stones into more glamorous jewelry. In the
saleroom you can see some beautiful examples of their art, along with other gems like topaz,
garnets, tiger eye and tourmaline.
On the way madu river boat safari Visit the Turtle Farm in Kosgoda.Famed for its "Golden Mile"
of beaches, Mt. Lavinia is a pleasant coastal town just a short distance from Colombo. On arrival
check in at you hotel, and if you have spare time your chauffeur will show you the sights and
sounds of Colombo city.
Overnight Stay: Hotel in Mt. Lavinia

Now that you are at the end of your journey with us, after breakfast, your chauffeur will comfortably take you to the international airport in time for your departure flight.