Offbeat Sri Lanka

Day 2: KNUCKLES MOUNTAINS- Experience the chill of the central highlands. 

After a hearty Sri Lankan breakfast, set off on a journey to Rangala, a village in the mountainous center of the island. Meet your guide for the next two days, a local resident and outdoor expert. Take a short hike (20 mins) to a private waterfall, where you can spend the rest of the afternoon swimming and relaxing. You will be provided with a homecooked Sri Lankan “buth” packet, a parcel of food containing rice, local vegetable curries and meat, for lunch.

Hike back up to the meeting point in the evening and hop into a 4-wheel drive vehicle that will take you to your campsite, up in the mountains amongst the clouds. Enjoy a meal and drinks around the campfire.

Day 3: KNUCKLES & GAL OYA- Mountain trails in the morning, bush walks in the evening.

Spend the morning amidst the lush greenery of the central highlands. If you are feeling adventurous enjoy a trek along one of the many interesting trails on the Knuckles range to take in the surrounding scenery including multiple water falls.  Enjoy lunch and travel to a game lodge located in the region of the lesser visited Gal Oya National Park. Relax amidst the sight and sounds of the jungle.  If you are up to it and time permits, take nature walk through the jungle with a qualified naturalist. Keep an eye out for elephants!.

Day 4: GAL OYA- Meet local indigenous tribes, followed by a jungle safari by boat.

Meet a tribe of the indigenous Vedda people living within Gal Oya National Park. The Vedda’s are an ancient tribe of hunter-gatherers that live off the land. Their traditions and way of life are slowly fading out as a result of globalization and the “perks” it brings. Nevertheless, you will still be able to see and learn about their original style of living and hunting.

After an early lunch at the lodge, hit the water for a boat safari, the only one of its kind in Sri Lanka. It’s a unique way to immerse yourself in the animals’ habitats. With a little luck you could spot elephants swimming between islands or bathing at the lake’s edge. The safari by boat, and a scenic drive from the lodge to the lake is the perfect to explore Gal Oya. The round trip takes approximately 3-4 hours.

Day 5: PIDURANGALA- Discover an ancient rock temple in the heart of Sri Lanka’s cultural triangle.

Drive to your base for the next couple of days in the town of Dambulla. After lunch set off to the neighboring village of Pidurangala to vist an ancient Bhuddhist temple followed by a climb to the top of Pidurangala rock. Pidurangala rock sticks out of the ground in a relatively flat plain with views of the famous Sigiriya rock fortress and lands and lakes around it. It is believed that the King supervised the construction of his palace a top Sigiriya from Pidurangala.

Day 6: YAPAHUWA, AUKANA & RITIGALA- Discover the cultural triangles’ hidden gems. 

After an early breakfast travel to Yapahuwa to visit a lesser known 13th century capitol of Sri Lanka. It was a short-term capital, when the Sri Lankan king gave up the Kingdom of Polonnaruwa, the capital at the time, due to Indian invasion. The citadel was built around Yapahuwa rock, a huge granite rock protruding almost 100m well above the surrounding lowlands. Enjoy sweeping views atop the rock in addition to an exploration of the ancient temple, and caves it houses. Over the years, since its abandonment, Yapahuwa has been used by forest dwelling monks.

Upon descending Yapahuwa, have lunch at a local roadside eatery and travel to your next destination, the Aukana Buddha Statue. The Aukana Statue is a standing Buddha statue carved into a granite rock face around the 5th century. It is an intricate carved masterpiece that stands at over 40m tall. The Aukana statue is located within the ancient Aukana Buddhist Temple.

Visit Ritigala Monastery an ancient Buddhist monastery located inside the Ritigala forest reserve. The ruins and rock inscriptions of the monastery date back to 1st century BCE and give valuable insight into the simple way of life of the monks who used to live here. The walk to the monastery follows an easy stone pathway through the forest and takes approximately 30 mins each way.

Return to your hotel in the evening. Enjoy dinner under the stars whilst reminiscing about the exciting stories of ancient Sri Lanka that you learnt today!

Day 7: MADHU & MANNAR- Visit a 400-year-old catholic Shrine on your way to a unique and rural Peninsula in the Indian ocean. 

Travel to Madhu, to visit the Shrine of Our Lady of Madhu. The Madhu church is considered the holiest catholic shrine in Sri Lanka with over 400 years of history. More recently the church served as a safe shelter for many villagers fleeing the north of the island due to the 30 year-long civil war in Sri Lanka. The Madhu church is one of few churches visited by followers of all religions in Sri Lanka, though it is a catholic church.

Proceed to Mannar peninsula off the western coast of Sri Lanka. Spend the evening exploring your neighborhood in Mannar town. Mannar is a unique village home to fishing communities, palm trees, sea gulls, wild donkeys and flamingos. Culturally, it’s an intriguing place dotted with ancient baobab trees (native to Africa and said to have been planted by Arab merchants many centuries ago), ancient Hindu Kovils and crumbling colonial edifices built by the Portuguese, Dutch and British. Mannar is still rebuilding, socially and economically, from the 30-year civil war that ended in 2009. It is the closest point to India and the starting point of Adams Bridge, an ancient natural bridge of a rock formation across the sea, that connected the two countries. The bridge no longer remains but the shallow sand banks give evidence to what it used to be.

Accommodation: Guest house in Mannar.

Day 8:MANNAR- Discover the Mannar peninsula.

Visit the interesting, Mannar Donkey Clinic and Education Centre in the morning and get to know these beautiful animals, their quirks and the amazing part they’ve played in the history of Mannar.

Spend the rest of the day exploring the peninsular. Visit a number of interesting sights, enjoy the unique cuisine of the peninsular and interact with friendly locals.  If time and weather permits, you can go kite surfing off the edge of the peninsular. Mannar has the best conditions in Sri Lanka for kitesurfing.

Day 9: KALPITIYA- Beach break.    

Travel further south to Kalpitiya, a lesser visited beach destination in Sri Lanka. The Kalpitiya peninsula has a lagoon on one side and the Indian Ocean on the other. It is studded with vast sandy beaches and the calm blue ocean and is a good place for swimming and water sports. The star attraction in Kalpitiya are the pods of dolphins and occasional blue whales that live off the coast.

Day 10: KALPITIYA- Take a boat ride in search of dolphins and whales in the morning followed by downtime on the beach.   

Take off on an early morning boat safari in the Indian ocean. See large pods of spinner dolphins, blue whales and other sea dwelling creatures in their natural habitat. Approximately 6-10am

Spend the rest of the day relaxing on the beach.

Day 11: COLOMBO- Discover the lesser explored parts of Sri Lanka’s capital city. 

After breakfast, travel south to the capital Colombo. Take an evening walking tour around the hidden sites of Colombo, that gives a greater understanding into the history and multicultural nature of this city. Places of religious worship, street and wet markets and a few of Colombo’s ‘hidden gems’ are included in your walk.

Day 12: Transfer to Airport  

Transfer to the airport for your flight back home.