We at Inora would like to take you to the ‘Treasures’ hidden from the public, while we take you to the well known places we would like to arrange special excursions to the rarely visited places in Sri Lanka. This itinerary includes 16 days and 15 nights, covering former royal capitals, best surf spots, stunning beaches, colonial cities, wild life and much more.
We start the journey from airport to the first capital in Sri Lanka, Anuradhapura via Puttlam road. We spend two nights in Anuradhapura. By referring to itinerary 1 you can see the main things to do in Anuradhapura. In addition we can arrange day excursions as follows. 01) Hatthikuchchi aramic complex: this picturesque landscape covers 300 acres & dates back to 03rd century B.C. This place is most famous as that exiled King Sirisagabo offered his own head to a peasant. 02) Stone bridge - in earlier times these were used to cross the Malwathu oya & Yoda Ella. Stone bridge has a line of stone pillars consisting of three pillars across. On the three pillars is another stone pillar placed horizontally. Stone slabs were laid on those horizontal pillars to make a bridge which enabled the movement of elephants even. 03) Doramadalawa - a historic village that provided protection to King Pandukabaya in his childhood from his uncles who wanted to see his blood. In the centre of the village there is a historic temple and Dewalaya (Dewala - a complex designed for worshipping a Hindu or Sri Lanka deity). 04) Kiralagala - is a large archaeological site & there is a pond over 50m in length & about 25m in width. Kiralagala is an ancient monastery which was used by monks for meditating away from noisy areas. The history of this goes back to 02nd century A.D.
We start the journey from airport to the first capital in Sri Lanka, Anuradhapura via Puttlam road. We spend two nights in Anuradhapura. By referring to itinerary 1 you can see the main things to do in Anuradhapura. In addition we can arrange day excursions as follows. 01) Hatthikuchchi aramic complex: this picturesque landscape covers 300 acres & dates back to 03rd century B.C. This place is most famous as that exiled King Sirisagabo offered his own head to a peasant. 02) Stone bridge - in earlier times these were used to cross the Malwathu oya & Yoda Ella. Stone bridge has a line of stone pillars consisting of three pillars across. On the three pillars is another stone pillar placed horizontally. Stone slabs were laid on those horizontal pillars to make a bridge which enabled the movement of elephants even. 03) Doramadalawa - a historic village that provided protection to King Pandukabaya in his childhood from his uncles who wanted to see his blood. In the centre of the village there is a historic temple and Dewalaya (Dewala - a complex designed for worshipping a Hindu or Sri Lanka deity). 04) Kiralagala - is a large archaeological site & there is a pond over 50m in length & about 25m in width. Kiralagala is an ancient monastery which was used by monks for meditating away from noisy areas. The history of this goes back to 02nd century A.D.
Start the journey to Trincomalee. Trinco is one of the finest natural harbours in the world. Apart from the beach , Pigeon island , seven hot springs at Kanniya, Trinco is a popular destination for the Whale watching, Diving, Snorkelling & swimming. We can visit to dual beach towns of Uppaveli & Nilaveli. Also we can visit ' Lankapatuna ' , this port is very much related to the history of Sri Lanka. Princess Hemamala & prince Dantha who brought the ' Tooth relic '' to Sri Lanka landed at this port. There is a ancient temple called ' Samudragiri ' vihara of Lankapatuna. This can be reached by a motor boat service which takes about 10 minutes and of course free of charge. We can also use the ' Kinniya ' bridge which is the longest bridge in Sri Lanka.
Start the journey to Passikuda beach, which is a small coastal village situated in the east of Sri Lanka. Pasikuda is known to have one of the longest stretches of shallow coastline in the world. You can walk a very long distance to the sea as the water is only few inches deep & the current is relatively weak. Close to Batticalo city you can see a historic Dutch fort & a lagoon. From there you take a day excursion to Maduru oya national park where you can see a lot of elephants. We can find some diving spots as well.
Start the journey to Passikuda beach, which is a small coastal village situated in the east of Sri Lanka. Pasikuda is known to have one of the longest stretches of shallow coastline in the world. You can walk a very long distance to the sea as the water is only few inches deep & the current is relatively weak. Close to Batticalo city you can see a historic Dutch fort & a lagoon. From there you take a day excursion to Maduru oya national park where you can see a lot of elephants. We can find some diving spots as well.
Visit Sigiriya rock fortress and then start the journey towards Polonnaruwa. In the middle of the journey we stop at Habarana village. Habarana is a popular tourist destination especially for '' Safari Lovers ''. In fact Habarana is the starting point for safaris. In the nearby Habarana jungle and the Minneriya sanctuary the Elephants are heavily populated. Elephant back riding is also an attraction in this small village. After having a cool scenic view of Habarana Lake we start the journey to Kandy.
Start the journey to ' Hill capital ', Kandy. On the way to Kandy we visit Dambulla rock temple and then to a Spice garden. In Kandy we will stay for 02 nights. apart from the main activities in Kandy we can arrange an 08km trekking which covers the three temples loop, Gadaladeniya, Lankatilaka & Ambakke. In addition we can organise a few day excursions - 01) Mandaram Nuwara - this is the town which gets the lowest sunlight in Sri Lanka - some days four hours only (around 10am to 02pm). It is a tiny little village hidden well under the never ending mist surrounded by huge mountains at the front hills of Pidurutalagala mountain on the Walapane side. There is a foot path to Nuwaraeliya from Mandaram Nuwara. There are several waterfalls to visit, Kabaragala falls & Kolapothana falls ' are a couple of them.
02) Gal messa (Dolman) of Padavigampola - there is no history connected with this structure because it belongs to a period before history ever came to be written. The building if it can be styled is known as a dolman , a word probably derived from Cornish meaning '' stone hole ''. The dolman at Padivigampola is the only known example in Sri Lanka about structural work by ' Stone Age man '' .
03) Meemure - Meemure village & Laggala mountain are where the King Rawana lifted his air plane known as '' Dhadu monara”. Meemure is a small village with a population of about 400. There is no cellular phone service nor direct mail service available in this village. There are many natural sceneries - Hulu ganga ( river ) , Victoria reservoir, mini world's end, Dothalugala forest are some of them. Another special place is Coberts gap ( Attala mottuwa ) where lot of winds blowing to the other side.
Start the journey to ' Little England ' , Nuwara Eliya, a town situated 1868m above sea level. Nuwara Eliya is actually a typical ' English Village '. Gregory lake - this lake was fashioned under orders of British governor Sir William Gregory in 1873. We can hire a Paddle boat , Motor boat or also you can Rowing to go around the lake. Other places of interest includes: (1) Lover's leap - it is said that two lovers jumped over the falls. (2) Haggala botanical garden ( is the second largest botanical garden in Sri Lanka ) - folklores says Sri Lankan demon Ravana after abducting Sitha kept her hidden in this area & the area was offered to Sita as a pleasure garden. There are over 10 thousand species of flora in this garden & it is very famous for orchids & roses. It is the largest plateau in the island. (3) World’s end - where the southern Hortan plains suddenly ends & drops off to over 700m. Nuwaraeliya looks so beautiful in the night & you can find picnic tables everywhere in the restaurants. You can also have hot tea in a very cold climate.
Start the journey to Ella. Situated at an elevation of 3415 feet above the sea level, Ella is surrounded by hills covered with cloud forests & tea plantations. Local attractions includes Rawana ella falls , little Adams peak , Bambaragala peak , Ella rock , Demodara nine arch bridge , tea estates , Ayurveda health care centres. Ella is a great place for hiking, visitors like hike up to Ella rock where spectacular views can be taken. After a long day of walking you can treat yourself in a Ayurvedic centre. There are number of best places with full range of treatment options, steam baths, and herbal saunas with well trained & professional staff. Ella is a charming little mountain getaway in Sri Lanka. Excurtions: 01) Demodara railway station. - Demodara railway station is considered the most beautiful railway station in Sri Lanka. This is the one & only railway station where the trains travel same horizontal level. The railway turns from platform & then it gets narrowed & goes under the Railway station. There is a railway tunnel down side of the Demodara railway station. The train goes through the tunnel & travels about 400m gap round way & comes back to the station. Around 1920 the British government created this railway line but the inventor of this Railway station was a cattle keeper.
02) Pattipola railway station - this is the ' Highest ' Railway station in Sri Lanka with about 1891m above the sea level. The ' Highest Sri Lankan railway ' is also situated near Pattipola railway station, that is known as '' Summit level '' with a height of about 1898m above the sea level. Pattipola Cool Gutter - means '' Ice peella '' in sinhala. This gutter is very cool & it is so nice and soothing to take a bath there. Demodara nine arch bridge - 99.06 feet high bridge is called '' Ahas namaye paalama '' (Nine skies bridge). This bridge is also called ' The bridge in the Sky ' and built without using any single piece of steel. Solid rocks, bricks & cement are used to build this. British started the constructions of the railway line but the engineers got worried due to a quagmire at the bottom of this gap. Then P.K. Appuhami a popular drummer & devil dancer requested to hand over the constructions to him & he finished the work within about a year.
After visiting to the Lipton's seat in Haputale we will start the journey to Yala & Tissamaharama. Lipton's seat is situated near Haputale. CNN named Haputale as one of the Asia's most overlooked destinations. Lipton's seat is located in the Dambetenna in the Haputale mountain range. The point has a fabulous view over Uva , Southern , Sabaragamuwa , Central & Eastern provinces. Yala national park is the Most visited & second largest national park in Sri Lanka. The park covers 979 square kilometres & is best known for its variety of wild animals, Sri Lankan elephants, Sri Lankan leopards & aquatic birds can be seen & Yala safari photo collection will add you a nice look to your Album. Tissamaharama - it is used to be the Capital of Sinhalese kingdom of Ruhuna in the 03rd century B.C. The large Tissa wewa (lake) is a great example for sophisticated irrigation system in Sri Lanka. Stay overnight in Yala or Tissamaharama according to your preference.
Start the journey to Unawatuna, on the way visit to ' Blow hole '. Hummanaya may be the second largest blow hole in the world.The ocean water flows underneath the shore & then comes out of this hole due to pressure. If the sea is rough with strong winds & waves gush fast water blow-up goes to 30m. Day excursions - Galle - the Galle fort is a world heritage site & is the largest remaining fortress in Asia built by European occupiers. Galle is a predominantly a fishing town. It is one of the south east Asia’s best-preserved forted cities. In 1988 UNESCO declared Galle as a world heritage site. Bordering the fort on the land side is the world famous Galle International cricket ground, one of only few international stadiums positioned below sea level. Other well known below sea level stadium is located in Bourda in George town Guyna, which is the home town to the George town cricket club.
Excursions - Mount Lavinia - the city's name is built up around the original residence of Sir Thomas Maitland who was a British governor during the period of 1805 - 1811. According to the legend he felt in love with a dancing girl mestizo named ' Lovina ', who was born to Portuguese &Sinhalese parents. Any how it was unconventional for an unmarried British officer to be seen associating with a local dancing girl. Therefore he built a secret tunnel between Lovina's house & his house so that they could meet in secret. However Sir Maitland left from Sri Lanka to Malta in 1811 & he died as a bachelor. Later the governor's house was re-established as the ' Mount Lavinia hotel ' & the statue of ' Lady' Lavinia’ can still be found in the middle of a water fountain at the entrance of the Mount Lavinia hotel.
Start the journey to Unawatuna, on the way visit to ' Blow hole '. Hummanaya may be the second largest blow hole in the world.The ocean water flows underneath the shore & then comes out of this hole due to pressure. If the sea is rough with strong winds & waves gush fast water blow-up goes to 30m. Day excursions - Galle - the Galle fort is a world heritage site & is the largest remaining fortress in Asia built by European occupiers. Galle is a predominantly a fishing town. It is one of the south east Asia’s best-preserved forted cities. In 1988 UNESCO declared Galle as a world heritage site. Bordering the fort on the land side is the world famous Galle International cricket ground, one of only few international stadiums positioned below sea level. Other well known below sea level stadium is located in Bourda in George town Guyna, which is the home town to the George town cricket club.
Excursions - Mount Lavinia - the city's name is built up around the original residence of Sir Thomas Maitland who was a British governor during the period of 1805 - 1811. According to the legend he felt in love with a dancing girl mestizo named ' Lovina ', who was born to Portuguese &Sinhalese parents. Any how it was unconventional for an unmarried British officer to be seen associating with a local dancing girl. Therefore he built a secret tunnel between Lovina's house & his house so that they could meet in secret. However Sir Maitland left from Sri Lanka to Malta in 1811 & he died as a bachelor. Later the governor's house was re-established as the ' Mount Lavinia hotel ' & the statue of ' Lady' Lavinia’ can still be found in the middle of a water fountain at the entrance of the Mount Lavinia hotel.