Tag: vacation

The price of our holiday went up slightly from our original plan due to us not being able to make the reservations we wanted at the hotels we originally wanted and the fact that obtaining train tickets at the original base rate price is near on impossible you have to buy from people who have already brought …in other word ticket touts… Also by the time we came to book the airfares had gone up or what they were advertised at was not what they were being sold at….So we decided to book with Rosie Price at DialaFlight as the price was the best by several hundred £’s and we also had the security of paying our money to a well known, reputable, professional company. – contactable at rosie.price@dialaflight.co.uk or UK tel no. 0161-841-8179

Dialaflight used Jetwing Travels as their on the ground facilitator in Sri Lanka….although there were a couple of hiccups with accommodation these were sorted out by our guide/driver, Suminda, and the company and it allowed us a relaxing holiday. Our driver/ guide and companion was … Suminda Dissanayake he can be contacted at Suminda711@gmail.com. or what’s app/ phone number is + 94772279050

Including direct flights with Sri Lanka Airways for the two of us the total price was £5849.00

24-Day Tailor – Made Tour of Sri Lanka
Full Tour Itinerary
Day 1: Colombo – Negombo
Your tour begins as you’re met on arrival at Bandaranaike International Airport and transferred to Negombo, a drive of around 35 minutes. Here you’ll stay at Ayubowan Guest House, on a bed-and-breakfast basis. After checking in, you’ll have the rest of the day at leisure to enjoy the hotel facilities.
Day 2: Negombo
You have a full day at leisure today at Ayubowan Guest House. You may like to simply relax in the lush gardens and take a dip in the outdoor pool, or join a Sri Lankan cooking class, enjoy a yoga session or take a guided nature walk. You’ll again stay here overnight.
Day 3: Negombo
Today you’ll take a tour of Colombo. You’ll drive through the city, taking in the busy commercial areas, as well as the tree-lined residential districts. You’ll visit the Fort, the former British administrative centre and military garrison, as well as the goldsmiths’ area of Sea Street, the bazaar, a Hindu temple and the Dutch Church of Wolfendhal, which dates back to 1749. If time permits, you may also see the replica of Avukana Buddha and Independence Square.
Afterwards you’ll return to Ayubowan Guest House, where you’ll have the rest of the day at leisure.
Day 4: Wilpattu
You’ll check out after breakfast this morning for the transfer to Wilpattu, a journey of around 3.5 hours. Here you’ll check in at Cloud Nine Lanka Resort, where you’ll stay on a bed-and-breakfast basis, then will have the rest of the day at leisure.
Day 5: Wilpattu
You’ll start early this morning, as you’re picked up at 5.30, with a packed breakfast, for a full-day safari in Wilpattu National Park. Wilpattu was declared a National Park in 1938, and spans 131,694 hectares. It is home to a huge array of wildlife, which flocks to the large number of villus (lakes), including spotted deer, sambar deer, barking deer, wild boar, wild buffalo, sloth bear, mongooses, crocodiles and peacocks, but the true highlights are the leopards and wild elephants.
Afterwards you’ll return to Cloud Nine Lanka Resort for overnight.
Day 6: Anuradhapura
After breakfast this morning you will proceed to Anuradhapura, a journey of around 2.5 hours. En route you will visit the Sacred City of Anuradhapura. As you explore the ancient ruins of this UNESCO World Heritage-listed site, the first ancient kingdom and capital of Sri Lanka, be sure to take in the magnificent 13-metre-high statue of Lord Buddha carved out of solid granite, and the relic of the Bodhi Tree under which Buddha was believed to have attained enlightenment, grown from a branch transported from India.
Afterwards you’ll check into Hotel 4 U Saliya Garden, where you’ll stay on a bed-and-breakfast basis, and will spend the rest of the day enjoying the hotel facilities.
Day 7: Sigiriya
You’ll check out after breakfast today for the transfer to Sigiriya. En route, you will be taken to climb Sigiriya Rock Fortress. One of Sri Lanka’s major attractions, this UNESCO World Heritage site was built by King Kashyapa (477-495 AD) to protect him from his rivals.
Afterwards you will be taken to visit Polonnaruwa. This medieval city is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, known for its huge man-made reservoirs, the most famous of which is the Parakrama Samudra, or the Sea of Parakrama, larger in size than Colombo harbour. Here you’ll visit the Royal Palace complex, including the King’s Palace and Audience Hall, the Quadrangle, and the spectacular Gal Vihare complex of four massive images of the Buddha, cut from a single slab of granite.
Finally you’ll check in at The Lavendish Wild , where you’ll stay on a bed-and-breakfast basis.
Day 8: Sigiriya – Wasgamuwa – Sigiriya
You’ll rise early this morning and set off at 5.30 with a packed breakfast for a full-day safari in Wasgamuwa National Park. The park spans over 36,900 hectares, and is bordered by the River Mahaweli Ganga and the River Amban Ganga to the east and west. The altitude varies from over 500m at the Sudu Kanda hill to just 76m along the Mahaweli Ganga. The combination of a number of small reservoirs and the Sudu Kanda mountain range affords fine trekking opportunities for keen hikers.
After your safari you’ll return to The Lavendish Wild to relax and enjoy the hotel’s facilities.
Day 9: Dambulla – Kandy
You’ll set off after breakfast this morning for your transfer Kandy, a total journey time of around three hours. En route you will visit Dambulla Cave Temple. Also known as the ‘Golden Temple’, this ancient complex, another UNESCO World Heritage site, was initially established in the third century BC, and is the largest and best-preserved cave temple complex in Sri Lanka. The temples are home to numerous religious and cultural paintings and sculptures.
On arrival in Kandy you’ll check in at Elegant Hotel, where you’ll stay on a bed-and-breakfast basis, and will have the rest of the day at leisure.
Day 10: Kandy
After a morning at leisure, this afternoon you will be taken to visit the Temple of the Tooth Relic, Sri Dalada Maligawa. This is an important shrine for Buddhists as it holds the tooth relic of Lord Buddha, and is the most sacred temple in the whole of Sri Lanka. Since this is a religious site, footwear should be removed before entering, although you can wear socks if you wish. Light-coloured clothing with sleeves, and trousers or skirts below the knee, are recommended.
Afterwards you will enjoy a cultural dance show, then you will be taken for a night food walk. You’ll start at the iconic Royal Bar, where you’ll try out the local arrack and bites to set the tone before heading out for egg rotis, fresh hoppers and the best kothu. Your charismatic host will regale you with stories about Kandy while you indulge in the many food options on the walk.
You’ll return to Elegant Hotel for overnight.
Day 11: Ella
After breakfast this morning you’ll take the scenic train ride to Ella, a journey of around seven hours, past forests, villages, waterfalls and tea estates. You’ll be met on arrival in Ella and taken to the Eminence Shire Ella, where you’ll stay on a bed-and-breakfast basis. En route you’ll visit Nine Arch Bridge, also known as the ‘Bridge in the Sky’. It was constructed by connecting two mountains during the construction of the Badulla-Colombo railway and is one of the best examples of colonial-era railway construction in the country.
Day 12: Yala
After breakfast this morning you’ll proceed to Yala, a journey of around 2.5 hours. On arrival you’ll check in at Tringa Villas Yala, where you’ll stay on a bed-and-breakfast basis, then will have the rest of the day at leisure.
Day 13: Yala
You’ll set off at 5.30 this morning, after a cup of tea, with a packed breakfast from the hotel, for a full-day safari in Yala National Park. The park is known for its elephants, leopards, bears, crocodiles and wild boar, and is believed to be home to the world’s highest concentration of leopards per square kilometre.
Afterwards you’ll return to Tringa Villas Yala, for some time at leisure and overnight.
Day 14: Yala
Once again you’ll head out at 5.30 this morning for another thrilling full-day safari in Yala National Park. You’ll again stay overnight at Tringa Villas Yala.
Day 15: Yala – Udawalawe – Yala
You’ll again set out at 5.30 this morning, this time for a full-day safari in Udawalawe National Park.
Spanning over 30,821 hectares, the park is an ideal place to view elephants at close range. You will also have the opportunity to witness wildlife such as sambar deer, wild buffalo, mongoose, bandicoots, fox, water monitor lizards, crocodiles, sloth bears and the occasional leopard. There are also around 30 varieties of snake and an abundance of birdlife.
You’ll again return to Tringa Villas Yala for overnight.
Day 16: Mirissa
You’ll depart after breakfast this morning for the transfer to Mirissa, a journey of around two hours. Here you’ll check in at Sea World Boutique, where you’ll stay on a bed-and-breakfast basis, and will have the rest of the day at leisure.
Day 17: Mirissa
You have two full days at leisure at Sea World Boutique. You may like to simply relax on the beach, or enjoy activities such as yoga, whale-watching trips, watersports or spa treatments.
Day 18: Mirissa
You have two full days at leisure at Sea World Boutique. You may like to simply relax on the beach, or enjoy activities such as yoga, whale-watching trips, watersports or spa treatments.
Day 19: Mirissa
You’ll set off at 6am this morning with a packed breakfast, after a quick cup of tea, for a whale-watching excursion on a shared boat. The naturalist on board will be a fount of incredible facts about local marine life, and hopefully you will encounter the mighty giants of the sea: blue whales, sperm whales and killer whales.
You’ll then return to Sea World Boutique for some time at leisure and overnight.
Day 20: Hikkaduwa
You set off for Hikkaduwa after breakfast this morning, a journey of around 2.5 hours. En route you will be taken to Weligama to see the local stilt fishermen as they perch on a crossbar off a single pole planted into the seabed just a few metres offshore. Afterwards you’ll visit Galle, home to the fort called ‘Santa Cruz’, listed as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO. The fort was initially built by the Portuguese in 1619, then expanded and further developed by the Dutch and the British. Galle was once Sri Lanka’s main seaport, and still handles shipping and cruising yachts.
During your tour of Galle, you will have the opportunity to visit Galle Fort and the Old Dutch Church, and to walk along the ramparts.

Following this you will visit the Victor Hasselblad turtle research and conservation centre in Kosgoda.
At the hatchery, fishermen are paid for rescuing the vulnerable eggs, which they collect at night, along the sandy beach. Visitors can witness them hatching, or see tanks filled with newborn hatchlings. The baby turtles are returned to the sea at between two and four days old. Once placed on the beach, most baby sea turtles start moving towards the water, flapping their tiny flippers. On arrival in Hikkaduwa you’ll check in at Sapphire Seas Beachfront Hotel, where you’ll stay on a bed-and-breakfast basis.
Day 21: Hikkaduwa
You have three full days at leisure at Sapphire Seas Beachfront Hotel. You may like to spend your time in the pool watching the sea or simply relaxing on the hotel deck or beach. This part of the coast looks idyllic however it has strong undercurrents and the recommendation is not to swim, snorkle or surf here. However a short distance toward Hikkaduwa there is a public beach where it is considered safe for these activities.
Day 22: Hikkaduwa
You have three full days at leisure at Sapphire Seas Beachfront Hotel. You may like to spend your time in the pool, watching the sea or simply relaxing on the beach.
Day 23: Hikkaduwa
You have three full days at leisure at Sapphire Seas Beachfront Hotel. You may like to spend your time in the pool, watching the sea and relaxing.
Day 24: Departure
Your tour comes to an end today as you’re transferred to the airport for your departure flight.