Welcome to Sri Lanka, the pearl of the Indian Ocean! On arrival at the Bandaranaike International Airport, you will be met by your Chauffeur guide & transferred to your hotel in Colombo. The transfer time will be approximately 1 hour to your hotel, where you will check-in. The rest of the day is at leisure.

After breakfast you will transfer approximately 3.5 hours to Dambulla. Check in to the hotel and relax before heading to Sigiriya rock fortress late this afternoon.

Today you will be taken Hiriwaduna for a local village experience. Enjoy a catamaran ride on the lake, a tuk tuk trip to a local home to learn all about preparing an authentic Sri Lankan dish. Next visit Polonnaruwa an ancient city, to hear the tales of how the king’s court was laid out at the ancient city of Polonnaruwa. This city is another important royal capital, with well-preserved 12th century ruins and the impressive stone culture recalls an inspired past. Although nearly 1000 years old, the monuments are arranged in a reasonably compact garden setting and their development is easy to follow. There will be approximately 2 hours of easy sightseeing on foot while exploring. Since this is a religious site – the foot ware should be removed before entering you could wear socks if you wish to.

Travel approximately 1 hour to Anuradhapura to explore the magnificent ancient city. Exploration of this ancient city involves approximately 4 hours on foot. Visit the Bo Tree before returning to Dambulla, where the remainder of the afternoon is free at leisure.

Today you will depart for Kandy, travelling 2,5 hours and visiting the Dambulla Cave Temple on your way. This cave temple has the largest number of Buddha statues all housed in one place, including a colossal, 14-metre-long figure of the recumbent Buddha carved out of the rock. Dambulla Cave Temple is now one of the most popular religious cultural sites in Sri Lanka, attracting tourists from across the globe. Thereafter you will visit a spice garden in Matale, where you are greeted with farm sourced fresh juice and taken on a guided walk to learn about the garden’s collection of produce, from pepper to papaya, cocoa to coconut and mango to mahogany. This evening you visit the Temple of the Tooth Relic followed by an amazing cultural dance show. Light Coloured clothing with sleeves and trousers or skirts below the knee length are recommended. Since this is a religious site – shoes should be removed before entering. You could wear socks if you wish to.

After breakfast take a boat ride on Kandy Lake, giving you breathtaking views of the picturesque city, and from where you can observe a variety of bird species such as the Indian cormorants, wood storks and pelicans. Enjoy a relaxing afternoon at your hotel before heading out this evening for a walk in Udawattekele rainforest.

Today after breakfast you will be taken to Nuwara Eliya by train. This train journey is approximately 4 hours. (It is important to note that there could be delays in the train timings, which is beyond our control. Should we not be able to obtain train tickets then this journey wil be done by road.) You will be collected 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 sarees (The attire worn by tea pluckers to pluck tea). 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 to the hotel and celebrate the festivities with a scrumptious Christmas day lunch. Later, enjoy a fabulous High Tea at the Grand Hotel where you will relax in the splendour of their gardens.

After breakfast proceed to Yala, where on your way you will visit Udawalawe Elephant Transit Home and participate in the process of curd making. Journey time will be approximately 03 hours. Though buffalo curd is a quintessential favourite in the Sri Lankan pantry, its arduous journey, from teat to table, is often unheeded. Witness the ins and outs of a dairy farm, where buffalo curd production is the chief livelihood of most locals. Assist the farmers in leading the buffalo’s to graze or observe the milkmaids at work. Help yourself to a fresh sip of milk after trying your hand milking a buffalo. Lend a helping hand to the farmers to carry the pots of milk back to their houses and study how the curd is made the traditional way. Dust off this Sri Lankan traditional experience by finally relishing on a fresh pot of curd sweetened with treacle.

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 through the park.

Today you travel the 3 hours to Hikkaduwa with a stop enroute to visit a cinnamon plantation. Visit the peeling and oil extraction shed where local peelers gather to process cinnamon. Learn all about the uses and benefits of cinnamon and its grading. At the top, there is a breath-taking view, and the chance to try your hand with the tools of the trade in an Ambalama. Continue your journey to Hikkaduwa, check into your hotel and relax for the rest of your day enjoying hotel facilities.

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

You are off to visit the Kosgoda Turtle Hatchery, which you will reach after approximately 1hours 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. Victor Hasselblad turtle research and conservation centre, Kosgoda, is the 1st turtle conservation centre in Sri Lanka since 1978. It is privately owned but under observation of the Wildlife Department of 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.

After breakfast and checking out of the hotel you travel the 2,5 hours to Colombo. After check-in you have time to relax before the city tour, which includes a drive past the busy commercial areas, tree-lined residential Cinnamon Gardens. Visit the fort of the former British administrative centre, Sea Street – the Goldsmith’s quarters, the bazaar area, a Hindu Temple with elaborate stone carvings and Dutch Church of Wolfendhal dating back to 1749. Enjoy a New Year's eve dinner at the hotel.

Any time before your flight is free to further explore the vibrant city of Colombo independently. Later, transfer to Bandaranaike Airport to board your onward flight home.