Colombo Trip Overview
Unforgettable Camping tour to Sri Lanka with Challenging Activities, Camping Night Life, BBQ Experience, and Nature-Friendly Camping Lodges. We start our journey from Colombo proceed to Negombo and Sigiriya. After visiting Sigiriya, head into Kandy surrounded by mountains, which are home to tea plantations and biodiverse rainforest. Our next destination will be Knuckles Mountain to enjoy botanical environmental beauty with the backdrop of Knuckles Range and visit Pitawala Pathana and Small Worlds End and have a River Bath in Thelgamu Oya
Highlights
Sigiriya Rock Fortress
Trekking and Camping at Knuckles Mountain
Kitulgala Water Rafting and Bird Watching and Wild Trekking
Additional Info
Duration: 6 days
Starts: Colombo, Sri Lanka
Trip Category: Cultural & Theme Tours >> Cultural Tours
Explore Colombo Promoted Experiences
What to Expect When Visiting Colombo, Western Province, Sri Lanka
Unforgettable Camping tour to Sri Lanka with Challenging Activities, Camping Night Life, BBQ Experience, and Nature-Friendly Camping Lodges. We start our journey from Colombo proceed to Negombo and Sigiriya. After visiting Sigiriya, head into Kandy surrounded by mountains, which are home to tea plantations and biodiverse rainforest. Our next destination will be Knuckles Mountain to enjoy botanical environmental beauty with the backdrop of Knuckles Range and visit Pitawala Pathana and Small Worlds End and have a River Bath in Thelgamu Oya
Highlights
Sigiriya Rock Fortress
Trekking and Camping at Knuckles Mountain
Kitulgala Water Rafting and Bird Watching and Wild Trekking
Itinerary
Day 1: Airport to Sigiriya
Stop At: Negombo, Negombo, Western Province
Negombo is a city on the west coast of Sri Lanka, north of the capital, Colombo. Near the waterfront, the remains of the 17th-century Dutch Fort now house a prison. Negombo Lagoon, lined with fishermen’s huts, feeds into the Dutch-era Hamilton Canal. The canal leads south to Colombo. Neoclassical St. Mary’s Church, completed in the 1920s, features a ceiling decorated with vivid religious paintings. Negombo is a beach town and its located just 10 kilometers from Bandaranaike International Airport and it’s the first destination with sandy and beautiful beaches that you will meet right after you arrive in Sri Lanka at Bandaranaike International Airport
Duration: 3 hours
Stop At: Minneriya National Park, Maradankadawala-Habarana-Thirukkondaiadimadu Highway, 50150 Sri Lanka
Minneriya, situated at the centre of the Cultural Triangle, is a good alternative to the busier parks in the south and it is easy to weave a jeep drive here between visiting the ancient sites in this area.
The dry season, from June to September, is the best time to visit the 8,890 hectare park, when the ancient tank that dominates the area shrinks and the grasses and shoots push through. During this time it is possible to see herds of up to 150 elephants feeding and washing. It is termed ‘The Elephant Gathering’ and is the largest assemblage of Asian elephants in the world.
Duration: 3 hours
No meals included on this day.
Accommodation included: Accommodation at 3 Star Hotel – ack of Beyond Piduralgala or Similar.
Day 2: Sigiriya to Kandy
Stop At: Sigiriya, Sigiriya, Central Province
Sigiriya o is an ancient rock forest Location in the northern Matale District near the town of Dambulla in the Central Province Sri Lanka The name refers to a site of historical and archaeological significance that is dominated by a massive column of rock nearly 200 meters (660 ft) high According to the ancient Sri Lankan chronicle the Culavamsa, this site was selected by King Kasyapa (477 – 495 CE) for his new capital. He built his palace on the top of this rock and decorated its sides with colorful frescoes.
Take lunch (our guide will recommend the best place)
Dambulla Rock temple. Dambulla is the largest and best-preserved cave temple complex in Sri Lanka. The rock towers 160 m over the surrounding plains. There are more than 80 documented caves in the surrounding area. Major attractions are spread over five caves, which contain statues and paintings.
Duration: 6 hours
Pass By: Kandy, Kandy, Kandy District, Central Province
Surrounded by mountains, which are home to tea plantations and biodiverse rainforest. The city’s heart is scenic Kandy Lake which is popular for strolling. Kandy is famed for sacred Buddhist sites, including the Temple of the Tooth (Sri Dalada Maligawa) shrine, celebrated with the grand Esala Perahera annual procession. This was the last capital of the Sinhala kings whose patronage enabled the Dinahala culture to flourish for more than 2,500 years until the occupation of Sri Lanka by the British in 1815. It is also the site of the Temple of the Tooth Relic (the sacred tooth of the Buddha), which is a famous pilgrimage site, one of the most famous Buddhist temples in the world, which was built to protect the sacred tooth relic thought to belong to Lord Buddha,
Meals included:
• Breakfast
Accommodation included: Hotel Lagone or Similar – 3 Star Hotels
Day 3: Kandy to Knuckles
Stop At: Knuckles Mountain Range, Matale Sri Lanka
The Knuckles Mountain Range lies in central Sri Lanka, northeast of the city of Kandy. The range takes its name from a series of recumbent folds and peaks in the west of the massif which resembles the knuckles of a clenched fist when viewed from certain locations in the Kandy District. Whilst this name was assigned by early British surveyors, the Sinhalese residents have traditionally referred to the area as Dumbara Kandu Watiye meaning mist-laden mountain range. The entire area is characterized by its striking landscapes often robed in thick layers of cloud but in addition to its aesthetic value, the range is of great scientific interest. It is a climatic microcosm of the rest of Sri Lanka. Riverston Trekking is one of the most well-known adventure activities to try in Sri Lanka.
Duration: 8 hours
Meals included:
• Breakfast
• Dinner
Accommodation included: Accommodation at Camping Site
Day 4: Knuckles to Kithulgala
Pass By: Kitulgala, Kitulgala, Sabaragamuwa Province
Kitulgala is a small town in the west of Sri Lanka. It is in the wet zone rainforest, which gets two monsoons each year, and is one of the wettest places in the country. Nevertheless, it comes alive in the first three months of the year, especially in February, the driest month. The Academy Award-winning The Bridge on the River Kwai was filmed on the Kelani River near Kitulgala, although nothing remains now except the concrete foundations for the bridge and, supposedly, the submerged train cars that plunged into the river in the climactic scene. Kitulgala is also a base for white-water rafting, which starts a few kilometers upstream. This activity is for anyone above the age of 10 years with safety gear, modern rafts, and a comprehensive safety briefing will be given by our white water rafting instructors beforehand.
After the adventure enjoys a bath in the river.
Meals included:
• Breakfast
• Dinner
Accommodation included: Accommodation at Camp site
Day 5: Kitulgala
Stop At: Makandawa Forest Reserve, Yatiyantota D.S, Kithulgala South GS division, Kitulgala Sri Lanka
Early in the morning take away breakfast.
Leave the hotel to Bird Watching in Kithulgala.
Early morning Bird watching trail in Makandawa rainforest patch Bird watching in Kithulgala is considered as the main interest of a nature lover and can result in you seeing many of the country’s endemic bird species such as Sri Lanka Orange-billed babbler and chestnut-backed owlet, as well as reptiles such as green pit viper and earless lizard and a variety of butterflies.
Do the bird watching in the evening
Duration: 8 hours
Meals included:
• Breakfast
Accommodation included: Accommodation at Camp site
Day 6: Kitulgala to Colombo to Airport
Stop At: Colombo, Colombo, Western Province
Commencing with a visit to the Fort and the Pettah commercial hub with offices and shopping areas located amidst the oldest colonial hotel GOH. It has a fantastic view of the Colombo harbor, a lighthouse with a clock tower (older than Big Ben in London) close to the president’s house and old parliament. Afterward, proceed through the main street passing the old Dutch Museum, belfry, and old City Hall which houses puppets of earlier governors of Sri Lanka. Stops will be made at the Old Dutch hospital with shops and restaurants facing Sri Lanka’s twin tower buildings.
Continue to the old racecourse with a maze of buildings with colonial architecture, restaurants, and shopping arcades passing through Colombo City Hall (mini replica of the White House in Washington, DC) Shopping in Colombo
Duration: 4 hours
Meals included:
• Breakfast
No accommodation included on this day.
