Explore Sri Lanka By Rail - 7 Nights

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From £1645 £1276 /pp

Got all the self-time I needed. thank you!
by Susan


020 8385 6868

Summary

Sri Lanka has some of the world’s most beautiful railway journeys. The railway network was built during the colonial era in order to open up the highlands to tea and coffee cultivation. These included some of the greatest railway engineering feats of the day such as the building of the Kadugannawa Railway Pass up to Kandy (1867) through steep inclines and huge boulders.

The railway line was then extended up to the tea estates (1894), and still remains the highest broad gauge railway line in the world, with summit level near Pattipola at 6227 ft above sea level. There are 44 tunnels from Colombo to the end of the line at Badulla.

The coastal railway line (1895) hugs the coast for much of the way from Matara to Colombo, so provides for a spectacular railway journey upon your return to Colombo from the beach resorts of the Deep South.

 

Tour Map

Tour Itinerary


DAY 1 - DEPART UK

The flight from LHR to CMB takes approximately 10 hours (Via Sri Lankan Airline)

DAY 2 - COLOMBO

COLOMBO AIRPORT-COLOMBO
22 Miles Approx 30 Minutes over the express highway

Relax On Arrival At Colombo
Stay at Colombo’s world famous Galle Face Hotel. This colonial era hotel was notably patronised by Noel Coward and Old World millionaires like Rockefeller.


YOUR CHOICE OF HOTEL:


Luxury Hotels :
The Cinnamon Grand , Colombo

Special Choice :
Lake Lodge Colombo

DAY 3 - KANDY

COLOMBO – KANDY
72 Miles Approx 2.5 Hours

By Train From Colombo - Kandy
The Inter-City Express leaves Colombo Fort Railway Station for a spectacular journey into the tea covered hills of Sri Lanka. Through lush tropical landscapes the ascent begins with the steep inclines at Kadugannawa Pass.

DEPART FORT RAILWAY STATION: 7 am
ARRIVE KANDY RAILWAY STATION: 9:30 am

Temple Of The Buddha’s Tooth
Delightfully located in a valley surrounded by hills, Kandy was the last capital of the ancient kings. The UNESCO protected Old Town area is a lovely place for an afternoon walk along a maze of streets leading to the Temple Of The Buddha’s Tooth and the Kandy Lake, magnificently framed against forest clad hills in the background.

Visit The Temple Of The Buddha’s Tooth in the evening, for the ‘’pooja ceremony’’ that starts around 6:30 pm. At this time crowds gather to offer flowers and prayers to the sacred relic in the inner sanctum and the temple drummers are in full swing – a magical experience.


YOUR CHOICE OF HOTEL:


First Class Hotels :
Cinnamon Citadel , Kandy

Special Choice :
Hotel Thilanka , Kandy

DAY 4 - KANDY

Pinnawela Elephant Orphanage
Pinnawela is Sri Lanka’s most visited attraction, and provides a very relaxed place to spend a few hours watching elephants. It is home to the largest group of orphaned Elephants in the world! Most of the 70 animals have been found injured or abandoned in the wild.

Depending on the time of day, you can watch the little baby calves some only a few weeks old are fed by bottle and the whole herd is then bathed in the adjoining river. A not to be missed experience.

Peradeniya Gardens And Its Beautiful Orchid Houses
The gardens at Peradeniya were one of the jewels of colonial era Ceylon. Initially developed to try out introduced tropical crops like rubber in the island, it soon expanded to become one of the great tropical collections of the world.

Kandyan Dance Performance
Spend the evening in Kandy watching a colourful Kandyan Dance And Cultural Performance, to the sound of rhythmic temple drums.

DAY 5 – EASTERN HILL COUNTRY

KANDY – ELLA
A Train Journey Of Approx 5.5 Hours

By Train From Kandy - Ella
The Highland Queen leaves Kandy Railway Station for a spectacular journey through the Hill Country. There are lovely views of waterfalls and tea estates among the glorious scenery of the Great Western mountain range.

We include the full-length railway journey through pine and cloud forests near Horton Plains as well as the mind-boggling views of the Eastern Hill Country at Haputale. Clients are booked on the super luxury Expo or Rajadhani Carriage or the Observation Car when available.

DEPART KANDY RAILWAY STATION: 08:40 am
ARRIVE HAPUTALE RAILWAY STATION: 14:10 pm

The Magnificent Views At Ella And Haputale

The most beautiful views in the entire island can be seen from the so called Ella and Haputale Gap – spectacular breaks in the mountains with views all the way down to the coast from the edge of the southern escarpment.


YOUR CHOICE OF HOTEL:


Luxury Hotels :
98 Acres , Ella

Special Choice :
Mountain Heavens , Ella

Day 6 - YALA

ELLA– YALA
46 Miles Approx 2.5 Hours

Encounters With Leopards And Wild Elephants At Yala
The jewel among Sri Lanka’s wildlife reserves and one of Asia’s premier sanctuaries is justifiably famous for its population of Leopards that can easily be observed hunting and lazing around during daylight hours. The island’s big cat is attracted by the presence of large herds of Spotted Deer, Sambar (Elk) and Wild Boar that comprise its staple diet.

Apart from the wildlife, the stunning landscapes at Yala consist of strange shaped rock outcrops that are the ideal habitat of the aggressive Sloth Bear and a coastline dotted with beautiful lagoons harbouring migratory flamingoes and ferocious Marsh Crocodiles.

Around 100 Elephants are also found in and around the park. Today there are said to be 18 to 20 ‘tuskers’ in the reserve, including some huge ‘cross-tuskers’.


YOUR CHOICE OF HOTEL:


Luxury Hotels :
Jetwing Yala

Special Choice :
The Safari ,Yala

Day 7 - TO SRI LANKAS BEACHES

YALA – BEACH RESORTS
A Journey Of Approx 3 Hours

The South Coast Road And The Stilt Fishermen Of Koggala
A lovely coast road passes through a succession of picture-postcard beaches and idyllic bays such as Weligama, widely acknowledged as one of the most beautiful in the world. The island’s unique Stilt Fishermen can be seen in this area during the late afternoons.

The Old World Town Of Galle
Galle has a charming old Dutch Fort (1640) which is the best preserved in Asia. Huge ramparts enclose an Old Town of great historical and architectural value. The labyrinth of streets and alleyways contain about 200 old colonial buildings that are a UNESCO World Heritage Site of prime importance.

Day 8 – COLOMBO

GALLE – COLOMBO
A Journey Of Approx 2.5 Hours

By Train From Galle - Colombo
A lovely coast road passes through a succession of picture-postcard beaches and idyllic bays such as Weligama, widely acknowledged as one of the most beautiful in the world. The island’s unique Stilt Fishermen can be seen in this area during the late afternoons.

DEPART GALLE RAILWAY STATION: 07:30 am
ARRIVE COLOMBO RAILWAY STATION: 10:30 am


YOUR CHOICE OF HOTEL:


First Class Hotels :
The Mount Lavinia Hotel

Special Choice :
Lake Lodge Colombo

Day 9 - DEPART SRI LANKA

Depart Sri Lanka – Daytime flights arrive back in UK the same day.

More Information:

First Class - Room And Breakfast (Breakfast)

Special Choice – Half Board (Breakfast + Dinner)

On 4 Persons Sharing Room

*Price Excludes Beach Stay

Terms and Conditions

INCLUDES
• Private tour of Sri Lanka in an air-conditioned vehicle with English speaking driver/guide.
• All entry fees for places of interest as described in itinerary including jeep hire at national parks.
• Train Tickets.
• Meal plan as stated.

EXCLUSIONS
• Flight and accommodation supplements may apply at peak periods.
• Beach stay at end of tour if required will be charged separately with options given.

OFFERS AND DISCOUNTS
• Children under 6 years of age sharing parents bed are given the land tour FREE OF CHARGE!!
• Special rates available for 2 adults and 1 child sharing triple room.
• Discounts available for families and larger groups.

TAILOR MADE ALTERATIONS
• You are welcome to suggest changes or alterations such as a more relaxed tour with fewer activities, additional nights at places that may interest you, and adventure activities like white-water rafting.
• Tell us about any special interests and we will incorporate them in to your tour schedule.
If you want to widen your choice of tour hotel options, go to our View All Hotels index and tell us the mix of hotel you wish to stay at? If you have chosen your own hotels, we will include these along with your quote request.

DISTANCES AND TRAVELLING TIMES
All distances are point to point and do not include stops for sightseeing en-route. Actual travelling times may vary according to traffic, local weather and other factors.

YOUR BEACH STAY
There are a large number of beach hotels featured on our website. You are welcome to browse the Beach Hotels index and ask for your own choice of beach hotel. Alternatively we will feature a standard set of 6 beach hotel options that we can personally recommend.

You are welcome to specify the actual number of beach nights you require.

TOUR FORMAT
Unless specified, we usually feature the clockwise version of the tour for Winter Season (October-May) enquiries, and an anti-clockwise version of the tour for Summer Season (June – September) enquiries as the occurrence of fine weather, sea bathing, snorkelling and watersports depends very much on the coast that is ‘in season’ at the time of your travel.

Need Assistance?

We can prepare custom tours to fit your budget. Contact us to discuss your travel requirements, and we can advise you on how best we can assist you.

Need Assistance?

We can prepare custom tours to fit your budget. Contact us to discuss your travel requirements, and we can advise you on how best we can assist you.

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