ROCS Holidays Sri Lanka 2023

is 147 acres in extent and provides an amazing variety of trees, plants and flowers. In the evening see a typical Sri Lankan Cultural Show of drumming, dancing, music and fire walking followed by a visit to the most sacred place of the Buddhist world, the Dalada Maligawa - Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relics of the Lord Buddha. Dinner and Overnight stay at the hotel. DAY 9 - KANDY / TRAIN JOURNEY FROM PERADENIYA TO NANU OYA / NUWARA ELIYA After breakfast transfer to Peradeniya Railway Station to get on board the air conditioned Observation Car train journey to Nanu Oya. The train journey from Peradeniya to Nanuoya is one of the most scenic rides in the world. This train powers up through Sri Lanka’s central hill country, through the tea plantations, into the clouds and then weaves in and out of the many mountain tunnels as it ascends to reach Nanuoya. The journey then goes passing lush greenish tea estates, many tunnels, farming fields, villages, various types of forests etc. On arrival at Nanu Oya Railway Station your chauffeur guide will meet you and transfer to Nueara Eliya. Check in at your hotel for Dinner and overnight Stay. DAY 10 -NUWARA ELIYA / HORTON PLAINS / NUWARA ELIYA Early hours visit Horton Plains lies shrouded in cold mists on top of Sri Lanka’s mountains, at a height of more than 2,000m. A part of

the Peak Wilderness Sanctuary and dramatically different from the coastal plains thousands of feet below, it is a plateau of 3,150 hectares in area. It is a wild and windswept plain of grasslands or patanas and patches of eerie forests. Residents include elk, monkeys, eagles, horned lizards and the occasional leopard. The Plains were uninhabited by the local population but were prized hunting and fishing grounds for the Europeans who “discovered” them in the early 19th century. The visit from your hotel to the entrance will have to be done by jeep. In the evening do the sightseeing tour of Nuwara Eliya; the Tea Garden of Sri Lanka situated 6200ft above the sea level. The hill station of Nuwara Eliya is celebrated for its fresh climate, the wonderful scenery all around, and its “Englishness”. Wonderful mountain panoramas surround the wide valley, into which fall many lovely but icy waterfalls. You can visit Tea factory at Nuwara Eliya and taste a cup of Factory fresh tea. Dinner & overnight stay at your hotel in Nuwara Eliya. DAY 11 - NUWARA ELIYA / YALA After breakfast leave for Yala via Ella Wellawaya and stop for view the Ravana Falls and the Ella Gap. Check-in to your hotel in Yala or Camp in Yala. In the afternoon visit the Yala National Park which has a large wildlife sanctuary and offers the wild life enthusiast and nature lover the opportunity to observe a great variety of fauna. Visit the Yala National park and the tour will be conducted

through the park where you will have the opportunity to see Leopards, Bears, Sambhurs, Wild Boar and Ele phants. Dinner & overnight stay at your hotel in Yala. Breakfast at hotel and transfer to Deniyaya. Check in at your hotel for Dinner and Overnight Stay. DAY 13 - SINHARAJA RAIN FOREST After breakfast visit Singharaja Rainforest. It is a national park and a biodiversity hotspot in Sri Lanka. It is of international significance and has been designated a Biosphere Reserve and World Heritage Site by UNESCO. The hilly virgin rainforest, part of the Sri Lanka lowland rain forests ecoregion, was saved from the worst of commercial logging by its inaccessibility and was designated a World Biosphere Reserve in 1978 and a World Heritage Site in 1988. The reserve’s name translates as Kingdom of the Lion. There is a high degree of endemism among the butterflies, fish, amphibians, reptiles, birds and mammals are greater than 50%. There have been reports of sightings of a few animals in the eastern Secter. The most common deer species is the Sambar deer, Indian muntjac and Indian hog deer are also found within the reserve. Leopards are very seldom sighted, but their frequent presence has been confirmed by tracks and other signs. Stripe-necked mongoose and the Golden Palm Civet have been occasionally sighted. The most commonly seen primate is the DAY 12 - YALA / DENIYAYA

SRI LANKA 2023

77