MAGICAL GARDENS OF SRI LANKA

Polonnaruwa city ruins Sigiriya

9 NIGHTS / 10 DAYS

Colombo

Bentota

Kandy Tea plantations

Nuwara Eliya

This is a delightful tour that offers you the chance to visit and explore the magical gardens of Sri Lanka . Alongside the historic and more contemporary gardens , you will explore the Cultural Triangle , the lakeside city of Kandy , and the Tea Country . One of the highlights is a stay at Lunuganga , former home to the late architect Geoffrey Bawa .

Day 1 Colombo to Sigiriya You will be met on arrival and driven by your Englishspeaking chauffeur guide who will accompany you throughout your tour of Sri Lanka . Drive into the Cultural Triangle , home to a wealth of UNESCO World Heritage Sites , alongside an abundance of wildlife and natural habitats ( approximately 4 hours drive ).

Day 2 Sigiriya This morning , make an early start to set off to climb the spectacular rock fortress of Sigiriya , with its rocky abode and water gardens . Sigiriya is famous for its rock of golden-hued granite . In the 5th century , King Kashyapa ‘ tamed ’ the Lion ’ s Rock by building a palace atop its summit . Then visit the Dambulla cave temples which date back to the 5th century BC . The walls of this World Heritage Site are covered with murals exceeding 21,000 square feet . The visit involves a 10-15 minute walk uphill with wonderful views at the top .

Day 3 Sigiriya to Kandy This morning , head to Kandy ( 2.5 hours drive ). A score of spectacular waterfalls tumble down over rocks and precipices throughout the cool high country of Sri Lanka . Among them is Hunas Falls , which derives its name from Hunnasgiriya peak , the forest covered mountain which overlooks this tranquil landscape .

Day 4 Kandy Explore the Royal Botanical Garden at Peradeniya containing more than 5,000 species , including over 150 palm trees . In the evening , join the crowds to visit Kandy ’ s famous Temple of the Tooth . This is one of the most sacred sites for Buddhists , containing the tooth relic of Lord Buddha .

Day 5 Kandy to Tea Country Journey from Kandy up into Tea Country ( 2.5 hours drive ) which is a world apart from the rest of Sri Lanka . The misty landscape ’ s cool , wet climate has fostered the growth of a unique ecosystem .

Day 7 Tea Country to Bentota Leave Tea Country and head towards the south-west coast . Check-in to Lunuganga in Bentota for 3 nights ( approximately 6 hours drive ). This is no ordinary hotel . It ’ s a blissful patchwork of earth , foliage , water and light which is worth exploring . Lunuganga was created in 1947 from a rubber and cinnamon plantation and launched the career of the renowned Sri Lankan architect Geoffrey Bawa . It offers the rare opportunity to stay in a living museum and is much more a historic private house than hotel in feel .

Day 8 Brief Garden and Lunuganga Today you visit Brief Garden which belonged to Geoffrey Bawa ’ s older brother Bevis . Cannonball trees and frangipani perfume a succession of green rooms in which inside and outside spaces are blurred into one and which is a feature of many of Bawa ’ s houses . The sense is very much of structure and compartmentalised garden areas . Back at Lunuganga , you will have time to stroll amongst the gardens of one of the world ’ s most magical retreats at will . The hallmarks of Lunuganga are its almost wild , English-style romanticism , given a Sri Lankan feel with a mix of rubber , rice , and cinnamon . By evening choose an idyllic spot from which to sip the hotel ’ s signature cocktail - the Lunuganga Sour .

Day 9 Bentota and Hikkaduwa Drive to Hikkaduwa and hop onto a glass bottom boat which will offer you fantastic views of a different type of garden – the coral reefs just off shore . Return for the rest of the afternoon and your last evening at Lunuganga .

Day 10 Departure from Colombo Transfer to the airport for your departure ( approximately 2.5 hours drive ).

Frangipani flowers

Gardens at Lunuganga

Day 6 Tea Country Today , visit Hakgala Botanical Gardens . Highlights here are the mountain orchids ( many of them endemic to Sri Lanka ), the Fernery and the mature temperate zone trees and plants originally introduced by the British . The cool , temperate climate of the Hakgala area was conducive to the introduction of conifers and cedars , cypresses and pines , English oak and a rose garden .

Flowers in Tea Country

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