Highlights of Sri Lanka - Absolute Asia Tours

On arrival in Sri Lanka, you'll be met by your private guide, who will accompany you to your hotel in Galle.

After a morning at leisure, enjoy an afternoon with your expert local guide, exploring Galle Old Town and its warren of narrow streets surrounded by ramparts that overlook the ocean. As you stroll around the old walls, see the historic Dutch influence evident in the architecture around every corner. Your guide will point out places of interest, and how the area has transformed over the centuries to incorporate boutique shops, art galleries and cafes which now sit alongside (and within) the historic buildings. At the end of the tour, remain in the Old Town to have dinner at one of the chic restaurants, or return to relax at your hotel.

After breakfast depart for Uda Walawe National Park, which is home to hundreds of elephants. Make a stop en-route at the Uda Walawe Elephant Transit Home to learn about how orphaned elephants are cared for before being released back into their natural habitat. All efforts are made to minimize human contact with the elephants, but you’ll be able to watch them being fed and bathed. Continue on to the national park where there will be time to freshen up at your lodge before joining your guide & tracker for a dusk safari through the park.

Rising at dawn, join your naturalist for a morning drive through the park, spotting for wildlife. For many, the morning is the most exhilarating time, watching and listening as the park's inhabitants noisily greet the new day. Return to your lodge for breakfast before departing to Ella. In the afternoon there will be an opportunity to visit a nearby tea factory, where you will learn about the history and modern-day production methods of this region's most valuable commodity.

Your day will be at leisure to make the most of your lodge facilities or get out and explore the surrounding natural beauty on foot.

Take the morning train to Kandy through 'tea country', which extends along the route giving you wide views over one of Sri Lanka’s most scenic landscapes from the comfort of your carriage. On arrival in Kandy the remainder of your day will be at leisure to relax or explore.

Your guide will be available to take you wherever you want to go this morning. For an insight into local life, head to Kandy’s lively morning market, then perhaps relax in the tranquillity of the Peradeniya Botanical Gardens (modelled on Britain's Kew Gardens) which house the largest variety of orchids in Sri Lanka. Closer to the centre of town, just behind the Temple of the Tooth Relic, you’ll find the Udawatta Kele Sanctuary; a forest reserve, containing a rich variety of endemic flora and fauna, and a popular place for walking and bird watching. Make a stop at the nearby British Garrison Cemetery, or stroll back into town, where you can escape the heat of the day in one of the many tea shops along Kandy’s main street.

In the early evening reunite with your guide to visit Kandy’s most famous site; the Dalada Maligawa, or Temple of the Tooth Relic. Within the temple walls, a tooth - which Buddhists believe came from Lord Buddha - is enshrined in a golden casket. Watch as the relic is revealed to the eager eyes of waiting pilgrims, causing a flurry of prayers.

Transfer to Colombo airport for your onward flight.