Dates: October 16 – 24, 2025

This expedition aligns with the Bangladesh program from October 8 to 15, 2025

Duration: 9 days / 8 nights

Number of participants: 7– 12

Cost per person:

• 2 150 USD subject to 12 participants,
• 2 290 USD subject to 9 – 11 participants,
• 2 450 USD subject to 7 – 8 participants.

Early booking discount 10 % (in case of booking before May 1, 2025)

Everything is included, except for:
– international flight to Colombo and back,
– medical insurance,
– Sri Lanka visa (For Russian citizens, a visa is issued upon arrival and the cost is $50. The cost may change),
– lunch and dinners.

Estimated cost of flight Moscow — Colombo — Moscow: 700 – 900 USD (usually purchase by your own, we consult).

Single supplement: 380 USD (available on the entire route).


TRAVEL PROGRAM: tour to sri lanka

Day 1. October 16, 2025 (Thursday). ARRIVAL IN NEGOMBO

After arriving at Bandaranaike International Airport, we will go to Negombo and settle down to relax by the sea after a tiring journey.

Meals included: no
Accommodation included: Camelot Beach Hotel 3*

* Recommended flights to Colombo:
– Qatar Airways, flight QR‑654, departure from Doha at 08:45 am on October 16, arrival in Colombo at 16:20 pm,
– Air Arabia, flight G9‑798, departure from Sharjah at 8:20 am on October 16, arriving in Colombo at 14:20 pm,
– Air India, flight AI‑281, departure from Delhi at 12:20 on October 16, arriving in Colombo at 16:05,
– any other flight with arrival in Colombo any time on October 16.


Day 2. October 17, 2025 (Friday). NEGOMBO – PINNAWALA – SIGIRIYA (3.5 hours / 150 km)

After breakfast we depart for one of Sri Lanka's most recognizable landmarks, Sigiriya. On the way we will stop at the elephant nursery at Pinnawala. We will then visit Sigiriya Rock Fortress, one of the most interesting UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Sri Lanka. This 5th century AD fortress is situated on a rocky plateau rising 370 meters above sea level and about 170 meters above the surrounding plain in the heart of the island of Sri Lanka.
In the last quarter of the 5th century AD, King Kashyapa had set up an impregnable fortress and his abodes on the rock, with water-filled moats around them. The rock was surrounded by endless gardens with some of the world's first fountains, which are still in operation today.
Also here, in the cave, we will see the world-famous frescoes of Sigiriya Maidens. The favorite motif of Sigiri mural painting is naked female concubines. There are only 18 images of concubines with servants left. Concubines usually have lighter skin and are usually undressed.
Afterwards, we will visit a gem museum and take an ox-drawn carriage ride through the picturesque countryside. There we will taste simple but very tasty rural food.
Closer to the evening, those who wish can have an herbal spa treatment to relax after a fulfilling day.

Meals included: breakfast
Accommodation included: Atha Resort 5*


Day 3. October 18, 2025 (Saturday). SIGIRIYA – DAMBULLA – DAMBANA VILLAGE – KANDY (5.5 hours / 220 km)

In the morning we check out from the hotel and go to Dambulla Cave Temple (Golden Rock Temple).
Dambulla Golden Temple is a 1st century BC Buddhist cave temple carved into the rock with numerous statues of Buddha. The stone temple of the sleeping Buddha is the largest cave temple in South Asia. The temple has been a sacred pilgrimage site for 22 centuries.
The temple complex consists of several caves located at an altitude of 350 meters and numerous niches, the surface of which is painted with Buddhist wall paintings.
The temple has 5 main caves and the remains of 25 rock cells. There are 153 statues of Buddha, 3 statues of Sri Lankan kings, 4 statues of gods and goddesses and Buddhist wall paintings with a total area of 2100 m² in different caves. The temple houses the largest collection of Buddha statues, many of which are over 2000 years old. The 73 statues are covered in gold, which is why the temple is called "Golden".

We will then travel to Dambulla to meet the indigenous people of the island, the Veddas. According to the last census in 2010, they numbered about 1,000.
The traditional occupations of the Veddas include hunting, also elephant hunting, hoarding and gathering, on which their exchange trade was based, and partly slash-and-burn agriculture. By now, many Veddas have turned to arable farming and fishing. The Veddas have not developed crafts. There is pottery, but it is primitive.

There is a museum in the village that gives an insight into the evolution of these people. We will also see their kiri koraha dance and visit the chief in his house.
We will then travel to Kandy, the ancient capital of the island, and on the way we will visit the ancient Mahiyanganai temple.

Meals included: breakfast
Accommodation included: Hotel Topaz 4*


Day 4. October 19, 2025 (Sunday). KANDY

Today after breakfast we will visit the Temple of Buddha's Tooth, which is called the heart of Sri Lanka.
According to legend, after the cremation of the Buddha, four teeth were taken out of the pyre and spread all over the world. One of the teeth was brought to Ceylon in 371. After several centuries in India, the sacred tooth was sent to Ceylon by the fourth ruler of Kalinga, who had suffered defeats in wars and feared for the fate of his state. The relic was smuggled to the island by the ruler's daughter, who hid it in her hair.
This tooth has long been attributed a magical power: the one who possesses it, also possesses the full power. Therefore, the Buddha's tooth became the property of the royal dynasty. The original place of its storage was Anuradhapura, then the tooth was moved to Polonnaruwa, and in the early XVIII century it was transferred to Kandy. Then the Dalada Maligawa temple was erected especially for the storage of this relic. The tooth is hidden in seven boxes, enclosed one in another. It is enough for the tooth to disappear to put an end to Buddhist beliefs in Sri Lanka. Many attempts have been made to destroy the tooth.
We will then walk along the shores of Kandy Lake and visit the Peradeniya Botanical Gardens, followed by a dance show in the evening.

Meals included: breakfast
Accommodation included: Hotel Topaz 4*


Day 5. October 20, 2025 (Monday). KANDY – NUWARA ELIA (2.5 hours/85 km)

Today Sri Lankan Tamils are celebrating Deepavali. The devotees visit Hindu temples for puja ceremonies and on our way to Nuwara Eliya we will join them and visit the Sri Bhakta Hanuman temple and if we are lucky, we will get to attend the puja and see the celebrations.
The name of the festival Dipavali (or Diwali) means "Rows of lit lamps". The traditional lamps that are lit on Diwali are called diya. It is most often a small clay bowl with ghee oil and a cotton wick. Sometimes the oil is poured into a glass beaker with colored water – the oil floats to the surface and fuels the burning wick.
Most diyas are made, as they were thousands of years ago, of clay, ghee (a type of clarified ghee) and cotton. Some people paint them with colorful dyes. However, nowadays they are also made of ceramics and sometimes wax is used instead of ghee.
Diwali is an extremely important religious festival. Interestingly, there is no single history of the beginning of the celebration of the festival. But there are three main ones. Which ones? We will definitely talk about it during the holiday. But all these stories are united by the fact that, in the end, they all about the victory of Good over Evil.
We will then visit tea plantations, walk through the mountains with magnificent views, see the Ramboda waterfall and visit a tea factory.
We will also visit the Gregory Reservoir, sometimes also called Gregory Lake. This is a picturesque reservoir in the very mountainous heart of tea country, Nuwara Eliya.
And when we visit places of significance to Sri Lanka's Hindus such as Amman Kovil, Hanuman's footprints and Ashoka Vatika, we will be able to delve into the country's epic past.

Meals included: breakfast
Accommodation included: Araliya Red 4*


Day 6. October 21, 2025 (Tuesday). NUWARA ELIYA – ELLA – YALA (4 hours / 165 km)

After breakfast, we will go to Nanu Oya railway station to take a train to Ella. On the way we will observe delightful scenery and on reaching Ella we will visit Ravana waterfalls, Ella gap and Nain Arch Bridge. After that, we will continue our journey to Yala.
Also, another adventure awaits us here – Mega Zipline. The twin-channel zipline stretches for more than half a kilometer, glides at 80 km/h and offers a bird's eye view of the beautiful hills of the island.

Meals included: breakfast
Accommodation included: Chaarya Resort & Spa 5*


Day 7. October 22, 2025 (Wednesday). YALA – BENTOTA (3.5 hours / 212 km)

An early departure awaits us today — we head to Yala National Park to see wildlife in their natural habitat. Yala National Park is a vast area of forests, grasslands and lagoons bordering the Indian Ocean, in the south-east of Sri Lanka. It is home to wildlife such as leopards, elephants, crocodiles and hundreds of species of birds. Of course, nothing can be guaranteed when spotting animals in the wild, but nevertheless, we are almost certain to see elephants — there are around 350 of them — as well as wild buffalo, wild boar, spotted deer and sambar. And with a certain amount of luck, you may also see a leopard, golden palm civet, red slender loris or gubacha bear.
After this exciting experience, we will head to one of the charming beaches, Bentota. On the way, we will visit the Galle Fort, built by the Portuguese in 1588.
In the evening, we will take a boat ride on the picturesque Madhu River. And at sunset we will see the local traditional pole fishing.
Fishermen sitting on poles is one of the most recognizable symbols of the country. Although the tradition itself appeared not so long ago, in the middle of the last century. At that time, the peculiar islands from which fishermen fished were made of stones, but over time the stones of the right size ran out, so the inhabitants began to use metal structures left over from the Second World War. When they ran out of metal, they started to make poles of wood, from which they have been fishing ever since.

Meals included: breakfast
Accommodation included: Pandanus Beach Resort & Spa 5*


Day 8. October 23, 2025 (Thursday). BENTOTA – COLOMBO (2 hours / 82 km)

After breakfast we will check out from the hotel and make short trip to Colombo. Colombo is the commercial capital and the largest city in Sri Lanka in terms of population. Today we will visit the most iconic places such as Parliament, Gangaramaya Temple, Independence Square, Galle Face Green promenade, museums and World Trade Centre.

Meals included: breakfast
Accommodation included: Sofia Colombo City Hotel 4*


Day 9. October 24, 2025 (Friday). DEPARTURE

After breakfast, free time and transfer to the airport. Return flight.

Meals included: breakfast
Accommodation included: no

* Recommended flights from Colombo:
– Air Arabia, flight G9‑509, departure from Colombo at 15:10 on October 24, or
– Qatar Airways, flight QR‑665, departure from Colombo at 10:30 October 24, or
– any other flight with departure from Colombo on October 24.