Christmas in Sri Lanka

On arrival to Colombo airport, you will be greeted and transferred to your hotel, where you have the rest of the day at leisure to settle in, relax and enjoy your surroundings.

After breakfast you will travel to Dambulla, visiting Sigiriya rock fortress late this afternoon. This impressive landmark is regarded as the world's eighth wonder amongst the locals. Enjoy magnificent views, colourful frescos and beautiful gardens when you reach the top.

Today you visit Hiriwaduna for a local village experience, enjoying a boat trip on the lake, a tuk-tuk trip to a local home and learning to prepare an authentic dish. Next is Polonnaruwa, an ancient capital and UNESCO World Heritage site, full of well-preserved stupas, statues and frescoes.

Set off for Anuradhapura, exploring this magnificent ancient city on foot. Visit the massive Buddhist shrines, splendid palaces, parks and pavilions of this sacred city, dating back to the 5th century BC.

This morning after breakfast you will be taken to visit Dambulla Cave temple. The transfer time is approximately 10 minutes and you have 1.5 hours to explore, before returning to your hotel where the rest of the day is at leisure.

Today you depart for Kandy, travelling for about 2.5 hours with a stop enroute at the spice garden in Matale. Your planter host will teach you about the trees, crops and local style of cooking as you journey around the farm. The Sri Lankan garden is a particularly picturesque farm spread over 15 and a half acres towards the top of a mountain so that it boasts incredible views of the Aluvihare Mountains. You are greeted by your host with farm sourced fresh juice and taken on a guided walk where you can learn about the garden’s collection of Sri Lankan produce, from pepper to papaya, cocoa to coconut and mango to mahogany. After observing these crops growing, enjoy the fruits of the planters’ labour with a traditionally prepared rice and curry lunch. Finally, you can enjoy the meal at the Kamatha overlooking the paddy field. Late afternoon you will visit the Temple of the Tooth. The temple can be very crowded during daily prayer services. This evening watch a cultural dance show.

Today after breakfast you will be taken to Nuwara Eliya by train. Train journey from Kandy to Nuwara Eliya (Nanu Oya) is approximately 4 hours. You will be transferred from the station and taken to the hotel in Nuwara Eliya, to check in relax for the rest of your day enjoying the hotel facilities before your Christmas Eve dinner.

Merry Christmas! After breakfast you will be taken for a tea plantation experience dressed in handmade, traditional silk sarees which you'll then get to take home with you. Your experience starts in the plantation itself with the tea puckers, giving you the opportunity to learn how to pluck tea then visit the factory where ancient machines pre-dating the industrial revolution wither, roll and dry the tea, followed by learning how to taste different variety of tea. There is normally a little time at the end of the tour for a tea tasting, either of one specific type of tea or occasionally of the various specialties of that factory. Much like a wine tasting, a traditional tea tasting would involve drinking tea (without milk), swilling it around the mouth to get the taste. Return back to the hotel and celebrate the festivities with a scrumptious Christmas day lunch. Later on, enjoy a fabulous High Tea at the Grand Hotel.

After breakfast proceed to Yala, where on your way you will visit Udawalawe Elephant Transit Home. Transfer time will be approximately 5 hours.

Early morning, and later this afternoon, you will be taken for a jeep safari at Yala National park, where you will embark on an adventure safari.

Today you will travel the 3 hours to Hikkaduwa with the rest of your day free to go explore your surroundings.

After breakfast you will be visiting Galle Fort, and the journey will take about 1 hour. During the tour of Galle, you will have the opportunity to visit Galle Fort, Old Dutch Church and walk along the Rampart.

You you are off to visit the Kosgoda Turtle Hatchery, which you will reach after approximately 1 hour transfer. Visiting the turtle hatchery in Sri Lanka is one of the most recommended things to do. The small town of Kosgoda on the southern strip is famous for its turtle hatchery, the first turtle conservation centre established in Sri Lanka. At the hatchery, fishermen are paid for rescuing the vulnerable eggs which they collect at night, along the sandy beach. Visitors can witness the exceptional sight of them hatching or even see tanks filled with new born hatchlings. After being fed, the baby turtles are returned back to the sea where they are released when they are 2-4 days old. Once placed on the beach, most baby sea turtles start moving towards the water, flapping their tiny flippers. Children in particular love to visit the hatchery and watch the turtles being released back into their natural habitat. Return to the hotel and relax.

After breakfast and checking out of the hotel you travel the 2.5 hours to Colombo. You have some time to relax, before your city tour around this amazing city. Enjoy the the celebrations of New Year's Eve with a dinner at the hotel.

New Year's Day at leisure, discovering the many gems of Colombo. Depending on the time of your flight tomorrow, you may be transferred to the airport after dinner in time for your flight scheduled to depart very early tomorrow morning.

Fly back to Australia, arriving the same day.