Sri Lanka Hill Country Holiday

Colombo

Your Sri Lanka Hill Country Experience begins when you touch down at Bandaranaike Airport in Colombo. Your personal chauffeur and guide will be waiting to help you with your luggage and drive you to your chosen hotel in Colombo, the colonial capital city. The transfer should take no more than an hour, depending on road conditions, allowing you time to relax and acclimatize after your long flight.

Kandy

Prepare for an early start as your diver collects you and your luggage and drops you at the nearby Fort railway station for the 7am train to Kandy. Your seats are reserved in the luxury carriage of the train. Settle yourself comfortably for this 2.5 hour epic railway journey which is the best way to appreciate the scenic hill country between Colombo and Kandy. The engine climbs steadily upwards along narrow ledges with vertiginous drops from this feat of Victorian engineering. Your ticket includes a complimentary breakfast onboard and unlimited tea and coffee. You can even send your family and friends some scenic photos by email, courtesy of the free wifi onboard, and make them truly envious! Your driver will be waiting to meet you at Kandy railway station and will whisk you off to see the sights of Kandy including the stunning Temple of the Tooth Relic. You can then explore Kandy’s shops, markets and sights independently and arrange for your driver to meet you at a prearranged rendezvous time. Relax and enjoy the facilities back at your Kandy hotel where you will be spending the next two nights.

Kandy

Enjoy a delicious breakfast before being picked up by your driver to visit the famous Pinnawala Elephant Orphanage. You can see cute baby elephants and watch adult elephants feeding and bathing in the broad river. Return to your hotel for a leisurely afternoon. An optional trip to see a Cultural Show can be arranged for a modest additional fee. This colourful show includes traditional music, dancing, drumming and fire-walking. Total driving time will be 1.5 to 2 hours.

Nuwara Eliya

Relax at the hotel during the morning or take the optional tour to the Peradeniya Royal Botanical Gardens, one of Kandy’s most popular attractions. See exotic plants and huge shady trees along with an impressive collection of orchids. Next stop is Peradeniya railway station in plenty of time to board the 12.30 train to Nanu Oya. Once again you will have specially reserved seats and will travel in first class luxury. This breathtaking 4-hour journey is said to be one of the most scenic railway journeys in the world as you travel through Sri Lanka’s lush hill country. Lunch, unlimited tea and coffee and wifi are included in your ticket. You driver will be ready to welcome you at Nanu Oya station and transport you the short journey by car to your comfortable hotel in Nuwara Eliya.

Nuwara Eliya

Energetic visitors can opt for hike with a local guide/naturalist in the Horton Plains National Park approximately one hour’s drive from your Nuwara Eliya hotel. An early start is required (5am) to avoid the heat of the day and there is an additional fee for this trip. The hike will take in Baker’s Falls and the famous World’s End, a sheer vertical drop of around 870 metres (2854 feet) with plenty of birds and wildlife. Nuwara Eliya is known as “Little England” and your guided City Tour of the area’s landmarks will show you why. The area is famous for its tea plantations, English-style gardens and architecture. Your tour will be followed by a visit to a working Tea Factory to see how tea is grown, picked and processed. Enjoy a tasting and pick up some quality tea as a souvenir gift to take home with you. Spend a second night at your chosen Nuwara Eliya hotel.

Colombo

After breakfast we leave the temperate mountain climate to return to the coast near Colombo. Sit back and relax on the 5.5 to 6 hour drive and appreciate the benefit of having your own private driver and spacious air-conditioned vehicle. You can stop for viewpoints, refreshments and photo opportunities as you wish along the way. There’s a further opportunity to visit a tea factory if you missed the previous visit. Check into your hotel in Colombo and enjoy the hotel amenities. Alternatively take a complimentary City Tour which can include some last minute souvenir shopping or not, as you wish.

Airport

They say time flies when you’re having fun, and your week-long Sri Lanka Hill Country Holiday is drawing to a close. After breakfast, your driver will collect you one last time and transfer you to the airport in plenty of time to check in 3 hours before your scheduled flight departure.

Alternatively, why not extend your amazing Sri Lanka experience by spending a few days in a luxury beachfront hotel on one of Sri Lanka’s beautiful sandy beaches? You’ll be surprised at how affordable such a stay can be. It will give you the chance to take scenic boat trips, go whale and dolphin spotting, visit a temple or see a local cricket match! It’s the perfect way to complete your memorable holiday in Sri Lanka before returning home