After a long taxi journey we arrived at our hotel in Sigiriya Amaara Forest hotel at about 6.30 am, luckily the hotel checked us in to our lovely room more or less straight away and we headed to breakfast then to the pool
That afternoon, the hotel reception arranged a jeep safari to Minneriya National Park. It turned out to be an unforgettable experience — we were fortunate enough to see several families of elephants roaming freely in the wild. A magical start to the trip.
The next morning, the rest of our group of 14 arrived, and together we set off to climb the iconic Sigiriya Rock. The views, the history, and the sheer scale of the fortress made it a highlight of the trip.
We stopped for a fabulous lunch on the way back to our hotel.
The following day began at 9am with a visit to the Dambulla Cave Temple, famous for its intricate murals and impressive Buddha statues.
Next, we travelled by tractor and boat to a traditional Sri Lankan farming village. There, we helped prepare and enjoyed an authentic home‑cooked Sri Lankan meal — a truly immersive cultural experience.
On Day 5, we checked out of our Sigiriya hotel and made our way to Kandy, stopping first at the Matale Spice Gardens. We sampled spices, enjoyed a head massage, and tasted more delicious Sri Lankan dishes.
We then visited a gem factory and museum, where we watched a film showing miners still using traditional methods. The museum included a rather unusual display of models depicting the mining process.
That evening, we enjoyed a vibrant show of traditional Sri Lankan dancing before checking into our hotel in Kandy.
We spent two nights in Kandy. On the second day, we visited the Temple of the Tooth, where a sacred tooth of Buddha is kept. The temple was bustling with worshippers dressed in white, offering flowers in devotion.
Afterwards, we toured the Royal Botanical Gardens by buggy — a peaceful and scenic experience until a sudden storm sent us running for cover and lunch.
Once the rain eased, we visited the British Garrison Cemetery, a quiet and reflective stop. The next day we boarded the coach with our cases again bound to Nuwara Eliya known as Little England and a visit to a tea plantation, by this time we had definitely arrived at the wet zone of Sri Lanka.
After lunch at the tea plantation we headed to our next hotel, the Mirage Kings cottage, a 100 year old colonial building.
The next morning we set out for the station for a scenic train ride to Ella, a town in the high mountains popular for hikers and tourists.
From there our coach travelled along a scenic route to the south of the island and our last stop at the beautiful Palms hotel in Beruwala. We had a lovely rest day here, swimming in the sea and the pool and walking along the beautiful beach.
The next day was the last of our tour and we visited the sea turtle sanctuary close by.
