Al Masaood Travels & Services

DAY 01) AIRPORT/ NEGOMBO (Approximately 20 minutes drive)
“Ayubowan” On arrival at the recently refurbished Modern and State of the art International Airport, you will be blessed to get your first taste of warm Sri Lankan hospitality. Representative from Jetwing Travels will welcome you at the Airport and check in at the hotel.
Evening leisure on the beach.
Overnight stay at Negombo

DAY 02) NEGOMBO/ SIGIRIYA/ DAMBULLA (Approximately 04 hours drive)
After scrumptious breakfast proceed to Sigiriya to climb the Sigiriya Lion Rock Fortress.
SIGIRIYA : is a “UNESCO World Heritage Site” and the 5th Century “Fortress in the Sky” which is perhaps the most fantastic single wonder of the Island. It is also known as Lion Rock because of the huge lion that used to stand at the entrance to the Palace on the summit of the 600-foot high rock. On its summit are the foundations of the Royal Palace, Water Tanks to supply water and all other buildings and at the edges the guardhouses. On one of the stairways the only known ancient work of Sinhala secular painting survived in the form of Frescoes of 21 life sized damsels still shining in their original colours.
The Water Gardens, Fountain Garden, Summerhouses, Boulder Gardens and the Caves within the enclosed area should not be missed.
On return enjoy an elephant back ride at Habarana.
Elephant Ride : A jungle trek on elephant back is an adventurous experience. Accompanied by the mahout - the elephant handler, you set off for a ride of a lifetime along jungle paths and across shallow rivers
Check in at the hotel.
Overnight stay at Dambulla

DAY 03) DAMBULLA/ KANDY (Approximately 02 and ½ hours drive)
After scrumptious breakfast proceed to Kandy,En route visit Spice Garden and Bathik Factory at Matale.
SPICE GARDENS : You will see many spice gardens at Matale and in Mawanella on the Colombo-Kandy road where Cinnamon, Cardamom, Pepper Creepers and all other spice trees, plants and creepers are planted for visitors to see them. Spice products are also available for those who would like to buy them. At all Spice Gardens visitors are taken round explaining each tree and plant and at the end explaining the use of them in food preparations.
Evening leisure at the hotel.
Overnight stay at Kandy

DAY 04) KANDY (Approximately 01 and ½ hours drive)
After scrumptious breakfast visit to Pinnawala Elephant Orphanage.
PINNAWELA ELEPHANT ORPHANAGE : App. 55 miles from Colombo, off the Colombo - Kandy road is Pinnawela, where an orphanage was started in 1975 to house the abandoned and the wounded elephants. The number of elephants has increased to more than 65 now; including Baby Elephants brought from various parts, as well as some of the more then 25 babies born, as a result of the captive breeding programme. The best time to visit is the feeding time from 0915-0945 hrs and 1415-1445 hrs and the bathing time from 1000-11.00 hrs and 1500-1600 hrs when all the elephants are taken to the river close by.
Return to Kandy.
Afternoon commence city tour of Kandy, including the Upper Lake Drive, Market Square, Gem Shops, and the Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic.
KANDY : The hill capital is another “World Heritage Site”. It was the last stronghold of the Sinhalese Kings during the Portuguese, Dutch and British rule and finally ceded to the British in 1815 after an agreement.
To the Buddhists of Sri Lanka and the World, Kandy is one of the most sacred sites as it is the home of the “Dalada Maligawa” - Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic of Lord Buddha.
Close by are the remains of the Royal Palace (“Maha Wasala”), “Palle Wasala”- where the Queens stayed-now used for the National Museum, “Meda Wasala” where other close relatives lived, Audience Hall, Natha Devala and Vishnu Devala are situated close by. The Bathing Pavilion (“Ulpenge”) is by the Lake and in the Center of the lake is the Island called “Kiri samudraya” (Milk white ocean) used by the kings as the summerhouse.
Visit a GEM SHOP we will visit a manufactory of Ceylon semi precious stones which are famous in all the world (The famous blue sapphire).
Evening witness the cultural show featuring various types of dance performance,
Check in at the hotel
Overnight stay at Kandy

DAY 05) KANDY/ NUWARA ELIYA (Approximately 02 and ½ hours driver)
After scrumptious breakfast visit to Peradeniya Royal Botanical Garden.
Kandy Peradeniya Royal Botanical Garden
147 acres in extent; Started in 1374 as a pleasure garden of the Kings of Gampola and Kandy. There are more than 5,000 species of trees, plants and creepers. Some rare and endemic as well as flora from the tropical world are found in the gardens. Spice Garden and Orchid House are popular with tourists.
There are 5 Palm Avenues beautifying the gardens, the earliest and tallest Palm Avenue (Royal Palm Avenue) was planted in 1905 and the Double Coconuts from the Seashells Island, with the largest seed of all plants in the world is one such avenue.
Thereafter proceed Nuwara Eliya,En rout visit Tea Plantations, Tea Factory and Ramboda falls.
RAMBODA FALLS : A gigantic water fall having three parts and very close to the 53km post along the above A-5 trunk road. The first part is above the road in the jungle (100m), second part is close to the road (3m) and the third part (100m)is below the road. Traveler should descends to the "Ramboda basin", where the famous "Ramboda Inn" situated from where he can see the whole fall. When we were there the upper part was covered with a fog and what you see in the picture was the third part. If look carefully, one can notice a bus on the bridge over the A-5 road at the top of the photo,
TEA PLANTATION : Tea was first planted in Sri Lanka in 1824 at the Botanical Gardens at Peradeniya, when a few plants were brought from China. More were introduced from Assam in 1839.
In 1867, a Scottish Planter named James Taylor planted tea seedlings in 8 hectares of forestland, in the Loolkondura Estate.
In 1873, the tea export industry of Sri Lanka began with a modest 23 lbs. being shipped to London.
Tea will grow only on rolling terrain and is classified by elevation into low grown, medium grown and high grown into 3 main groups. Today more than 200,000 hectares in highlands and other areas are under Tea and around 300 million Kilograms, with a 25% of world tea exports are done by Sri Lanka as the World’s largest Tea exporter.
Check in at the hotel, evening leisure at the hotel.
Overnight stay at Nuwara Eliya

DAY 06) NUWARA ELIYA
After scrumptious breakfast commence a city tour of Nuwara Eliya.
NUWARA ELIYA : The ‘Little England’ of Sri Lanka, is set against beautiful backdrops of Mountains, Valleys, Waterfalls and Tea Plantations. It is supposed to be one of the coolest places in the Island, but it is really just like an English spring day, although the temperature does drop at night. All around Nuwara Eliya you will see evidence of the British influence, houses like country cottages or Queen Ann style mansions.
The Victoria Park, in the middle of the town, is a lovely place for a stroll or a picnic and is also good for Birding as you get some rare birds in this Park.
Seasons may be absent elsewhere in Sri Lanka, but here you can read them by the flowers, which bloom in the spring (march to May) and the fall (August and September). These are the “seasons” when low-country folk flock to Nuwara Eliya to escape the sea level heat and humidity.
Check in at the hotel,
Overnight stay at Nuwara Eliya

DAY 07) NUWARA ELIYA/ BENTOTA (Approximately 07 hours drive)
After scrumptious breakfast proceed to Beruwala via Kithulgala.
KITHULGALA : It is one of the most famous places for White Water Rafting adventures.David Lean’s epic war film “Bridge on the River Kwai” was filmed in this area of the Kelani River, which runs through Kitulgala, and the ruins of the bridge still remains.
Check in at the Hotel.
Overnight stay at Bentota

DAY 08) BENTOTA (Approximately 01 hour drive)
After breakfast proceed to Hikkaduwa,En route visit Kosgoda Turtle Hatchery, moon stone mines, mask Museum and Hikkaduwa coral sanctuary.
HIKKADUWA : Is one of the famous beach resorts in the south coast of the Island.
The beautiful Coral Reef in shallow water, protected by a rock formation is an excellent place for viewing the corals. Denizens of fantastically beautiful coral fish swimming among them attracts many for snorkeling, diving. Tourists interested in viewing them can do so from the comforts of a glass-bottomed boat.
Bright batiks, masks, jewelry and other crafts are sold all along Hikkaduwa’s Galle Road strip.
Surfers find the break at Hikkaduwa to their fancy.
For those who are more adventurous can go for diving to the Black Coral Gardens, beyond the Coral Reef in deep waters, only deep divers could see and admire or they could go for wreck diving to several ship wrecks close to Hikkaduwa.
Several hotels are providing facilities for Deep Sea fishing trips and there are several Diving Schools with “PADI” Dive Masters conducting classes.
KOSGODA TURTLE HATCHERY : Where you can see five species of turtles-Green Turtles (Chelonia mydas), Hawksbill Turtle (Eretmochelys imbricata), Loggerhead Turtle (Caretta caretta), Leatherback Turtle (Dermochelys coriacea) and Olive Ridley Turtle (Lepidochelys olivacea).
The eggs collected by the Villagers and Fishermen are purchased by the Kosgoda Hatchery and kept in sandy pens until they are hatched. The newly hatched ones are kept in seawater tanks and released to the sea in the night. This Hatchery alone has released more then 1,750,000 young turtles to the sea. An endowment by the Hasselblad Estate was responsible for the establishment of this hatchery.
MOON STONE : Then proceed to the village of Meetiyagoda near Ambalangoda is where the moonstone is found concentrated within an acre of land believed to have been blessed by the moon. The mysterious gem, captivating as a full moon gleaming in the night sky, is considered sacred & has appeared in jewelry for centuries. A mesmerizing interplay of light, known as schiller or adularescence, causes a silvery-white sheen to glide like veils of mist across the milky surface of the moonstone. Some believe that this moving light is evidence of a living spirit that dwells within the gem.
MASK MUSEUM : We can view the traditional mask craftsmen busy in their trade at workshops. On display at museums are masks symbolizing all the vivid characters, demons, gods, heroes & villains who appear in traditional mask dances? You will have an opportunity to delve into the mysteries, legend, exorcism & psychology in the world of mask dances. Once practiced in the hinterland villages in Sri Lanka, mask dances are now performed mostly for the purposes of tourism & that too mainly in the western beach resorts.
Return to the hotel.
Overnight stay at Bentota

DAY 09) BENTOTA/ COLOMBO (Approximately 02 and ½ hours drive)
After scrumptious breakfast proceed to Colombo, en route commence the Colombo city tour including with shopping.
COLOMBO : A drive through the city taking you to the busy commercial areas as well as the tree-lined residential, Cinnamon Gardens. Visit Fort, the former British administrative center and military garrison, Sea Street - the Goldsmith’s quarters in the heart of Pettah, the Bazaar area, where is also a Hindu Temple with elaborate stone carvings, and the Dutch Church of Wolfendhal dating back to 1749. The historic Dawatagaha Mosque and the former Eye Hospital are two buildings in Cinnamon Gardens worth looking at. Also visit the BMICH, see the replica of Avukana Buddha and the Independence Square.
Check in at the hotel
Overnight stay at Colombo

DAY 10) COLOMBO/ AIRPORT (Approximately 01 hours drive)
After breakfast transfer to airport to connect departure flight.