Ceylon Discovery Tour
Overview
Ceylon Discovery Tour is a 6-night, 7-day journey through Kandy, Nuwara Eliya, Bentota and Colombo, designed for travellers who want to combine Sri Lanka’s hill country, cultural landmarks and coastal experiences in one smooth route.
The trip begins with a transfer from Colombo to Kandy, with a stop at the popular Pinnawala Elephant Orphanage along the way. After a night in Kandy, the journey continues into the cooler landscapes of Nuwara Eliya, where tea estates, gardens, lakes and colonial-era charm shape the experience.
During the two-night stay in Nuwara Eliya, explore highlights such as Victoria Park, Gregory Lake, Sita Eliya and Pedro Tea Estate, where traditional Ceylon tea production remains part of the local experience. The itinerary also includes visits to Sita Amman Temple and the Bahirawakanda Buddha statue, adding a cultural and spiritual dimension to the hill-country stay.
From the mountains, the route moves down to Bentota for two nights by the coast. Visit the Kosgoda Turtle Hatchery, known for its sea turtle conservation work, before spending time discovering Cinnamon Island, where traditional cinnamon harvesting and processing techniques can still be seen.
The final leg takes you to Colombo for a city tour covering well-known landmarks such as Independence Square, Galle Face Green, Viharamahadevi Park, the World Trade Centre Towers and the Old Parliament Building before the journey comes to an end.
With private road transfers, hotel stays, selected breakfasts and sightseeing included, Ceylon Discovery Tour offers a well-balanced Kandy Nuwara Eliya Bentota trip for travellers looking to experience Sri Lanka’s hills, beaches, culture and capital city in seven days.Package Includes
Destinations Covered
Kandy
Nuwara Eliya
Bentota
Colombo
Day Wise Itinerary
When we arrive at the Colombo International Airport where our representatives will be waiting to greet and transfer you to Kandy. While on our way to Kandy, we’ll make a quick stop at the Pinnawela Elephant Orphanage which has become one of Sri Lanka’s most popular attraction. Tourists and locals all love meeting the residents here and interact with the 65 captive elephants who were saved from many situations. Some of them were orphaned and abandoned since babies, others were elderly matriarchs who can’t survive in the wild anymore or adults that had suffered from unethical treatments while in captivity.
It is about 90km from Colombo and after you have fun playing with the elephants, we’ll head to Kandy to the hotel. We’ll check-in and let you rest for the night in Kandy.
Enjoy your breakfast at the hotel in Kandy before we leave. We are heading to Nuwara Eliya immediately, which is a 5-hour journey by car. Upon arrival, we’ll help with check-in at the hotel before we hop on a sightseeing around here.
We start with visiting the Nuwara Eliya Golf Course that’s nestled among the cypress trees. It is an 18-hole course club that’s surrounded by eucalyptus and cypress with the tea plantations above. It was founded by the British who also introduced tea plantations for a place to rest and be entertained, making it one of the oldest tea plantations in Asia. The place offers lavish experience and lessons for those who wish to learn a bit of golf.
We don’t want to miss out on Victoria Park, it’s a public park located next to Nuwara Eliya which was originally the research field for the Hakgala Botanical Garden. It is a beautiful garden that cares for many varieties of flowers and was renamed to Victoria Park in 1897 to celebrate Queen Victoria’s Diamond Jubilee. There are lakes naturally created by the River Nanu Oya that truly made this place beautiful.
Right in the center of Nuwara Eliya is Gregory Lake, which was artificially built in 1873 when British Governor William Gregory was ruling. Now it’s a lake park that’s favored by both tourists and locals to enjoy picnics or maybe take a ride in the swan boats and jet skis.
We can take our time to also look around Sita Eliya, a sacred temple where you can see the footprints of Lord Hanuman looking for the Ashok Vatika to find leads on Sita. It’s one of the few dedicated to Sita, and has a small stream flowing next to the temple where Sita is believed to have taken her bath. Please dress modestly while visiting this temple.
Next, we’ll visit the Pedro Tea Estate, which is a beautiful estate surrounded by stunning view of Sri Lanka. Located just 3.5km away from Nuwara Eliya, it’s the perfect place to enjoy a calm walk with a tour around the estate here. It’s known for the processing and cultivation of Ceylon tea, a popular product you can acquire here. The estate preserves and practices the 19th century processing techniques to this day. Enjoy the view, the fresh aroma of tea, and the cool breeze.
We’ll drive back to the hotel in Nuwara Eliya and spend the night there.
Enjoy your breakfast today before we set off on our tour of the day. We’re going to Sita Amman Temple as our first destination, a Hindu Temple dedicated to Princess Sita that was also mentioned in the epic of Ramayana. The story goes that Sita was rescued by Rama 5000 years ago and to commemorate her, the temple was built here. Many devotees visit the temple to worship Sita Mata. Visitors are advised to wear modestly when they visit the temple.
We’ll then visit the Bahirawakanda Temple, where you can see the popular Bahirawakanda Buddha statue erected atop the Bahirawa Kanda Hill. It is located at the temple, which is also known as Sri Maha Bodhi Temple and is gorgeously sculpted and put up in 1972. Bahirawakanda means “Gnome Mountain” and is a reference to the legend that an evil human-eating gnome used to live here. From the top of the hill, you can get a panoramic view of Kandy city. Visitors need to remove their shoes and hats before entering to offer flowers or oil lamps.
We’ll ride back to the hotel in Nuwara Eliya for an overnight stay.
Enjoy your breakfast at the hotel in Nuwara Eliya before we check-out. Today, we are going to Bentota and upon arrival, head straight to the hotel for check-in. Leave your luggage here and rest for a little before we proceed to the Kosgoda Turtle Hatchery. Since 1981, the area has become one of the best locations to find turtles laying their eggs and it was established by the Wildlife Protection Society. The project will take in newborn turtles and raise them in big tanks with nutritional food and clean environment for just a few days. They’ll then be released into the wild at night from the safest area to ensure survivability. The Conservation generally has five species they take care of, and visitors will learn all about these gorgeous turtles that are now endangered. They are also allowed to interact with the turtles and hold them in their palms and check out the babies in their tanks.Once we’re done, we’ll then head back to the hotel for an overnight stay in Bentota.
his gorgeous island in the town of Bentota, which is about 65 kilometres from Columbo, is a place where you can witness the making of the favourite cinnamon spice. It is famous for its spice heritage and the engaging water sports offered by the island.
You can experience the process of harvesting, peeling, oiling, and rolling of cinnamon on this island that is known to be run by a single family. It offers a change of scenery and a way to get familiar with this aromatic spice in its purest form. The island has cinnamon trees sprawling over acres of land, and the plantations date back to the 1900s. Breathtaking architecture and villas make the island a must visit location for tourists.
Head Back to Bentota Hotel for an overnight stay
Enjoy your breakfast the check-out from the hotel in Bentotta and hop on your ride for Colombo. We start our Colombo City Tour immediately upon arrival with a visit to the iconic Independence Square located within the Cinnamon Gardens. It is also where the Independence Memorial Museum is built to commemorate the independence of Sri Lanka in 1948. The Hall is located in the heart of the museum and is used for ceremonial purposes. It’s impressively known for the architectural feats with intricately carved lion statues, pillars, and columns that has Sri Lankan design on them. The square is now a popular place to just hang out and stay cool around the fountains while enjoying the greenery after a quick shop at the arcade within the colonial government buildings. You do need to pay attention to the car itineraries and ensure that it passes by this attraction.
The World Trade Centre Towers of Colombo are another buildings worth visiting. They are 39-storey twin towers building that was opened by 1997 and has continued to flourish as the financial situation and business in the country grow. The 152m twin towers have many facilities including entertainment venues, restaurants and several shops. Visitors are invited to visit and experience the services of the many stores that are open here. It’s definitely worth a visit to look around, but also make sure the car itineraries include a stop here.
The Galle Face Green is an ocean-side park and known as Colombo’s biggest seaside promenade. The park becomes popular among visitors because you can enjoy the gorgeous sunset view. It was first planned out in 1850 by Governor Sir Henry George Ward when it was still a golf course that doubles as a horse racing track. There were a few hearsays throughout the years as some believe it was meant for the “fair ladies” to spend a pleasant afternoon at. Others said that it was where the Dutch planned to line up their cannons while defending against Portuguese. The view and greenery are worth it, but as usual make sure the car itineraries include an extended stop to the promenade.
Our tour also includes a visit to the Viharamahadevi Park which is one of the biggest in the city. It is also known as the Victoria Park that was designed and constructed by the British before Sri Lanka’s Independence. It used to host events for the British Army pre-WWII, the 17th Brigade of Australian Army, and where several cricket matches were hosted. A Buddha statue will greet you at the entrance and as you go further in, you’ll see water fountains where you can chill around. There’s also a play area and a zoo where you can spend some quality time with your kids. There’s also a small aquarium on the eastern side of the museum which is near the park where you can see many rare local fish species.
Just 4km outside Colombo is the Old Parliament Building that has become a famous historical building. It was established in 1930 as the Parliament before it was moved to Jayawardenapura Jotte in 1983. Presently, the baroque-style building with faded paint is the home of the Presidential Secretariat. There’s also the garden where you can see several bronze statues of important figures to Sri Lanka’s history during the Colonial Era.
After the tour, we will head to the hotel for check-in. Spend the night at the hotel in Colombo.
Thank you for choosing us! Have a wonderful journey 💛
Inclusions & Exclusions
What's Included
- Pinnawala Elephant Orphanage (Entrance)
- Stay for 2 nights at The Firs
- Hakagala Botanical Garden in Nuwara Eliya (Entrance Fee) Hakgala Botanical Garden is the second largest garden among the five botanical gardens in Sri Lanka and is contiguous to Hakgala Strict Nature Reserve, which is the home to a variety of wild life, including bears, monkeys and birds. Situated some 5 kilometers South of Nuwara Eliya, the road to Hakgala along the Badulla road is a pleasant downhill drive, mostly through pine forests. The comfortable cool weather that prevails throughout the year compliments the exotic flora and fauna, creating a true paradise. It boasts thousands of flora species. . The main sections of the garden are the rock garden, water garden, fern garden, Japanese garden and the seed room. Hakgala is a temperate hill-country garden, where the lovely low-country lotus and water lily mingles in their serene simplicity with sophisticated English roses, pre-historic looking ferns, and endemic orchids. The intimidating Hakgala rock provides an awe inspiring backdrop to the garden, rising 450 meters over it. According to the legends, the history of Hakgala Gardens dates back to the time of Ramayanaya; an epic love story of the east. Queen Sita, captured and brought to Sri Lanka, is said to have been hidden in this vicinity and the Hakgala Gardens is said to be one of the pleasure gardens of King Ravana called Ashok Vatika.
- Stay for 2 nights at Citrus Waskaduwa
- Stay for 1 night at Ramada by Wyndham Colombo
What's Excluded
- Passport fees, immunization costs, city taxes at the hotel and local departure taxes (wherever applicable)
- Optional enhancements like room or flight upgrades, or local camera or video fees
- Additional sightseeing, activities and experiences outside of the itinerary
- Early check-in or late check-out from hotels (unless otherwise specified)
- Breakfast, lunches, dinners and drinks (alcoholic and non-alcoholic), unless specified in the itinerary
- Any international and/or domestic flights, unless explicitly mentioned as an inclusion
- Excess baggage charges, and where applicable, baggage not included in your fare
- Tips for services and experiences
- Any Visa required, unless mentioned as an inclusion
- Read useful information and terms for more on what is included and excluded
Important Notes
- General
- Please make sure that the passport of all guests travelling is valid for at least 6 months from the date of travel.
- We can only facilitate the visa application for the travelling passengers. Granting of visa is solely at the discretion of Embassy. If visa is rejected or delayed by the Embassy for any reason then we are not liable to give any refund and respective cancellation policies will apply.
Terms & Conditions
The price does not include any personal or incidental expenses, including laundry, room service, minibar charges, beverages (both alcoholic and non-alcoholic), tips, portage, and similar services.
If your stay falls on special dates (like 24th December, 31st December, 14th February, etc.) when hotel organize gala dinner, then there may be mandatory Gala Dinner Charges additional that you need to pay at the hotel directly.
Country guidelines may change without notice, hence do check travel rules and your eligibility for travel on the regulatory website of the respective country/state, before booking your travel.
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Ceylon Discovery Tour
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