itinerary
DAY 1: ARRIVE COLOMBO AND TRANSFER TO MUD HOUSE
You will be travelling with a chauffeur guide throughout the trip. You will be met on arrival at Colombo’s Bandaranaike International airport and transfer to the Mud House; the journey is approximately 2.5 hours drive, depending on traffic. On arrival check-in, unpack & unwind. The Mudhouse is a fabulous rural retreat offering an authentic taste of rural Sri Lankan life. Please note if you would prefer not to have a long drive on arrival, we can add an additional night at The Wallawwa, a lovely hotel near the airport which is perfect for recovering from the flight.
Accommodation: The Mudhouse
DAY 2: COOKING CLASS AND CYCLING
The Mudhouse serves authentic village cuisine cooked the traditional way – with clay pots and firewood hearths. In many ways, the kitchen is the real heart of The Mudhouse – a large thatched building that has grown with time to be able to produce meals around the clock for guests and staff alike. Cooking lessons are possible in either the morning or afternoon, in order to prepare the meals for lunch or dinner. Much of the produce used is harvested fresh from the farm and delivered directly to the kitchen. You can discover how to prepare some of the delicious local recipes from scratch. The cooking lessons are informal and fun and conducted by the two main cooks and the rest of the kitchen team.
All guests are given a bike to use for the duration of their stay. As The Mudhouse’s grounds are quite extensive, many guests use them to explore the various trails between the two lakes and to get to and from the restaurant area at meal times. The land around The Mudhouse is predominantly flat and ideal for exploring by peddle power. It is possible to do a lot of the local excursions by bike, such as the Paramakanda temple and Tonigala rock. Many of the nearby villages and lakes can also be reached by bike, as well as the bright lights of Anamaduwa town, which is just under 8 km away.
Accommodation: The Mudhouse
DAY 3: GAME DRIVE IN WILPATTU NP
Wilpattu is Sri Lanka’s largest national park, covering a staggering 130,000 hectares of land. Wilpattu is distinguished by three distinct types of jungle, where the density and species of trees vary. The park’s other main geographical feature is a network of ‘villus’, or natural fresh water lakes. It is here that the animals come to feed, drink and bathe, and accordingly where many of the best sightings occur.
Leopard, elephant, sloth bear, sambur, spotted deer, wild buffalo, mongoose, and jackal are just some of the 31 species of mammals known to inhabit the park. There are also many species of birds to be seen here including the painted stalk, cormorant, owl, tern, buzzard, kite, ibis, teal, egret, heron, hornbill, and eagle. Wilpattu does not have the same volume of leopards as Yala, nor the same guarantees of sightings, which is why there are also no traffic jams inside the park. It is important to visit Wilpattu with an open mind and appreciate it for the wild and beautiful place that it is. The drive from Mudhouse is roughly 1 hour 15 minutes each way. The best times for animal spotting are early morning and late afternoon.
Accommodation: The Mudhouse
DAY 4: CLIMB SIGIRYA ROCK FORTRESS
Enjoy the scenic 2 hour transfer to the Cultural Triangle. Steeped in ancient history, this area is home to the remnants of powerful ancient cities established thousands of years ago by Sri Lanka’s many kings, with plenty of temples and holy sites to observe en route. Arrive for a three night stay at Aliya Resort and Spa, a sleek contemporary property with great views and a super infinity pool. In the cool of the evening, enjoy an informative, privately-guided excursion to the impressive Sigiriya. Note that it is a steep 30min to 1 hr climb up and 30 min descent (depending on walking speed). It is certainly doable for anyone with a good level of fitness and is well worth the effort; the views from the top are magnificent. Light clothing, sun cream, lots of water and a hat are recommended.
Accommodation: Aliya Resort and Spa
DAY 5: EXPLORE THE ANCIENT CITY OF POLONNARUWA
Spend the morning enjoying a privately-guided tour around Polonnaruwa. This once thriving religious and commercial centre boasts ruins, statues and stupas rising majestically out of the dense jungle, and houses an informative archaeological museum. Explore the site by vehicle or on foot, and do come prepared for the heat. While young children might not follow the guide’s commentary, there is plenty of space for them to run around. In the afternoon relax and enjoy the pool at your hotel.
Accommodation: Aliya Resort and Spa
DAY 6: JUNGLE BEACH
It is an easy 2 hr drive to the east coast and to Jungle Beach, a remote sweep of sand north of Trincomalee. The east coast comes into its own from March through to October, with calm seas, warm clear water, and lots of sunshine (when the SW Coast tends to be rough). Jungle Beach is an exclusive retreat, sympathetically developed within the jungle fringing the beautiful beach. Local activities include snorkelling, diving, whale watching, visiting Trincomalee and, above all, simply relaxing.
Accommodation: Jungle Beach
DAY 7: JUNGLE BEACH
At leisure
Accommodation: Jungle Beach
DAY 8: JUNGLE BEACH
At leisure
Accommodation: Jungle Beach
DAY 9: TRANSFER TO KANDY (4HRS)
It is a 4 hour road transfer to Kandy. Afternoon free. Kandy has been a sacred destination for Buddhist pilgrims for thousands of years and is a UNESCO World Heritage site. The gateway to Tea Country, it’s a small but buzzing city which sits at a lower altitude than tea country, thus offering warmer temperatures and less rainfall.
Accommodation: Kandy House
DAY 10: KANDY BOTANICAL GARDENS & TEMPLE OF THE TOOTH
This morning, enjoy a private, leisurely 1½ hour guided walk around the Royal Botanical Gardens in Peradeniya, accompanied by a botanist. Sri Lanka’s largest botanical gardens have acres of open spaces for children to explore. Do remember to bring a hat and sun cream, as well as a camera! Lunch is at the Empire Café, followed by a 1 hour walking tour of the bustling markets and streets of vibrant Kandy town, a UNESCO world heritage site and gateway to the ‘Tea Country’. Afterwards, enjoy a refreshing cup of tea at the historic Queens Hotel. Before dinner, visit the Buddhist Temple of the Tooth, renowned for housing the relic of the tooth of Buddha, and as such a sacred destination for pilgrims for thousands of years.
Accommodation: Kandy House
DAY 11: TRAIN JOURNEY TO THE TEA COUNTRY (3HRS)
After breakfast, depart from Kandy and embark on a scenic 3 hour train ride into Sri Lanka’s ‘Tea Country’. Climbing to 2,000 metres above sea level, this atmospheric journey reveals majestic mountain peaks and cascading waterfalls, lush, emerald tea plantations, and aromatic cyprus and eucalyptus woodlands. The climate here is cooler and more temperate, so dress accordingly, and bring a camera and money for a drink or snack as the train does not have a restaurant carriage.
Purchasing train tickets remains one of the most challenging parts of organizing a tour in Sri Lanka, purely due to the very high demand for seats, coinciding with limited seat availability as there are only three trains per day, of which only a few carriages have reserved seating. Accordingly, train tickets are strictly subject to availability, and can be confirmed only 10 days prior to the date of the journey. By default, we try to reserve seats on the First Class carriage for all our travellers, unless they specifically request a different carriage. Unfortunately, due to the very high demand, we are sometimes unable to obtain First Class tickets. In such instances, we try our best to get any and all possible alternative tickets.
Accommodation: Camellia Hills
DAY 12: VISIT A TEA FACTORY
Today you will visit a historic tea factory to observe processing methods, before having the opportunity to enjoy a tea tasting. Sri Lanka is one of the world’s largest exporters of tea with a roaring industry that dominates the island’s central highlands. Introduced to the country by British tea planter James Taylor in 1867, tea irreversibly changed the topography, and even the demography, of the country. In the wake of Sri Lanka’s coffee blight, British planters were quick to discover that tea was a more lucrative industry. As the number of tea estates rose, there was an increased need for human labour. The production of tea involves a tedious procedure of plucking, withering, rolling, oxidizing and drying – a process that requires heavy machines and plenty of manpower. Workers were shipped over from Tamil Nadu in India to maintain the plantations, and these people, an often overlooked ethnic minority in Sri Lanka, are still the main employees in the tea industry today. A visit to a tea factory has become a staple of every Sri Lanka travel itinerary, and for good reason! If you look past the crowds of tourists and the sometimes amusingly gimmicky tea tours on offer, you’ll find a fascinating subject matter – the epic story of the tea industry, a central theme to the story of not only Sri Lanka, but also the post-industrialized world.
Accommodation: Camellia Hills
DAY 13: LAST NIGHT IN COLOMBO
It is a scenic 4.5hrs drive back to Colombo. Spend the afternoon exploring the capital city on foot through the historical district. You will see the Dutch Museum, a 17th century building that was originally the residence of a Dutch Governor; the country’s largest wholesale bazaar; St. Peters Church, an Anglican church established in 1821; the renowned colonial emporium, Cargills; and eventually arrive at the lighthouse (the designer of which also designed Big Ben) and Galle Face Green. Finish with a sundowner at the Galle Face Hotel. As an alternative to the historic tour, we can offer a walking street food tour of Colombo.
Accommodation: Galle Face Hotel
DAY 14: DEPART
Transfer to the airport for your flight home
