Early morning, after breakfast you will checkout and head to the Negombo fish market. This would be the busy time of the day when the fisherman come to the market for the auction. This is a microcosm of the local seafood industry, and you will get a good understanding of the local seafood produce on offer. Your local guide will select the best crab from the catch of the day, head to a local guest house, and dvelve into the kitchen to meet the chef, who will take you on an interactive experience in preparing the famous Sri Lankan crab curry. The smell and taste of the various spices and condiments used in this dish along with drumstick leaves which gives the curry it unique flavor.

The spicy and yet mouthwatering curry will be served as your lunch, which will be enjoyed with coconut sambol which is a mix of freshly grated coconut, onions, chili powder, dried chillies, fresh green chilies, garlic and lime juice which are ground on a mortar and pestle. The curry will be eaten along with locally baked bread known as “Ros Paan”. In addition, you can taste the home made “lovi wine” or batoko plum. After this delicious meal, you can opt to finish off with a hand rolled cigar all the way from Jaffna in the far north of the island.

Afterwards you will leave towards the North Central region of the island (4 hours drive) Upon reaching Habarana, check into your hotel. In the evening take part in a live demo in preparing two of the islands more popular stables after rice, which is string hoppers and hoppers.

String hoppers are stringy pancakes made out of rice flor, and pressed into a bamboo tray, and thereafter steamed. Hoppers are a curved pancake made using a inward curved, bowl shaped pan. These crispy delights are sometimes made using an egg in the center, or plain accompanied by a chilli paste ground using pestle and mortar, one of the key essentials in a Sri Lankan kitchen.

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Hotel – The Other Corner, Habarana

In the morning, head to Dambulla Vegetable Market, this is the largest market on the island, and here you can explore the various produce grown in Sri Lanka. Afterwards, head to a village area close to Sigiriya, where you will join a local farmhouse. Head to their local cultivation where you will pick some of the vegetables used in the preparation and head to the kitchen, where you will go through a live demo of preparation of various specialties. This area is known as the dry lowlands and have its own unique dishes, such as various vegetables grown in the area along with freshwater fish usually deep fried and eaten with rice and curry. Lunch will be served – rice and the curries prepared served onto a lotus leave which replaces the plate and best enjoyed with your fingers.

In the afternoon, you will climb the world famous Rock Fortress of Sigiriya.

Rising dramatically from the central plains, the enigmatic rocky outcrop of Sigiriya is perhaps Sri Lanka's single most dramatic sight. Near-vertical walls soar to a flat-topped summit that contains the ruins of an ancient civilization. Top of this rock contains ruins of an ancient palace complex, built during the reign of King Kasyapa (477AD – 495 AD) and surrounding rock is the Royal Garden. Ruins of various chambers, stairways and pools can be seen at the top of this rock. There is a stone stairway leading from the base to the top of the mountain. About half way to the top, there is a giant pair of lions paws which is in fact are the remains of a huge head of a lion whose open mouth served as the entrance to the royal palace. Surrounding the palace complex are the ruins of a garden complex consisting of two moats and various pools, some with water fountains still functioning after 1500 years.

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Hotel – The Other Corner, Habarana

In the morning, after breakfast head towards the central hills of Kandy. En-route stop over at a spice garden, which will be the best point of tour to explore the richest resource Sri Lankan ever produced and was treasured by kingdoms worldwide. Sri Lanka has been famous for centuries for its trade in spices and spice gardens. A visit to one of these herb and spice gardens provides a visitor with a firsthand experience on how these amazing treasures are grown and prepared. Some of the herbs and spices grown can include Sandalwood, Margosa, Cocoa, Citronella, Almond, Jasmine and Coconut and spices such as cloves, pepper, ginger, nutmeg, cinnamon and saffron are grown in these gardens.

After your tour, head to Matale Heritage Center, where you will savor one of the most comprehensive meals you will have while on your tour, which was usually prepared for Royalty. A feast of 27 dishes, using various methods of preparations and ingredients, this lunch is one of the key ways to learn about Kandyan way of life and the produce of this region.

Afterwards continue towards Kandy, the last Kingdom of the island. After checking into your hotel, you will visit the Sacred Temple of the Tooth Relic.

This sacred temple was built in the 16th century AD and is located adjacent to the Royal Palace complex of the former Kingdom of Kandy and overlooks the expanses of the Kandy lake. Referred locally as the Sri Dalada Maligawa, the Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic is the most revered site in the country. This temple complex houses the sacred tooth relic of the Lord Buddha, and with strong political sway to who holds possession of the tooth, as it was believed that the possessor of this sacred relic had the right to rule the country.

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Hotel- Suisse Hotel

After an early breakfast, checkout from the hotel and you will travel to the wilds of Yala On the way, stop over at Wellawaya, to see a lost temple, known as Budurugagala. This ancient rock structure is like a lost temple in an Indiana Jones movie, with beautiful carved statues of Lord Buddah and other “god like” Bodhisattva’s. Once you witness this site in the middle of the forest you will feel like an explorer finding a lost temple. The carvings done thousands of years ago still showcase the beauty and skill by the artist. A stunning archaeological site comprising of seven large precisely cut rock sculptures which are believed to date back to the 10th century AD and are thought to have belonged to the Mahayana school of Buddhism. The largest is a statue of the Buddha which is 16 metres in height and is flanked on either side by a group of three figurines.

Reaching Yala, check into your luxury safari camp, Ceylon Wild Safaris. You will be welcomed by your dedicated host and expert wildlife ranger who will look after your throughout your stay. After a quick safety briefing head to your tents, followed by lunch. Chat with your ranger about the wildlife you can hope to see in the park, before hopping on your safari jeeps and heading out on your first game drive in Yala National Park.

The Yala National Park is the country’s premier destination for wildlife viewing. Yala’s star attraction is undoubtedly the Leopard and Yala Block I is believed to have the highest concentration of these big cats in the world. Leopards however are elusive by nature and we recommend a minimum of three to four game drives to have the best opportunities for good encounters. It is also one of the few places in the country where the endangered shaggy coated Sloth Bear can be seen. Asian Elephants are also encountered; lone bull elephants, a few iconic tuskers and small herds of females and calves maybe seen. Jackal, Sambar, Spotted Deer Buffalo, Wildboar and the Grey Langur are among the other larger mammals that may be seen.

Return back after dusk. Keep an eye out for more leopards while driving to camp as it is located right in the wilderness and it is known to have some great night time sightings. Enjoy the night at a roaring campfire listening to the calls of the wild and the jungle stories of your host. You can also engage in star gazing, as your ranger will teach you about reading the different star signs and how to find your way at night.

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Xtreme Nature Tours Mobile Camp in Kumana

Early morning, join a local toddy tapper, who will head on his morning routine across the village trail to tap the Kitul Palm Tree. The technique used can be observed, and thereafter he will collect the fresh sap from the flower known as “Thelijja”, which is a sweet nectar. Thereafter, head to a local home where they will turn this sap into Kitul Treacle and Jaggery. These sweet treats are used the primary sweeteners in many Sri Lankan desserts as well as a topping to enjoy with fresh buffalo curd/yoghurt.

Afterwards continue towards the Southern town of Galle, and enter the iconic Dutch Fort which is a UNESCO world heritage site, where you hotel is located. In the evening , visit a local home, where a housewife from the local muslim community will demonstrate and prepare a specialty known as Biriyani, along with the accompaniments which go with it. Being an interactive session, feel free to take part, and ask questions and try out many of the ingredients that goes into making this traditional dish.

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Hotel- Galle Fort Hotel

Checkout from your hotel in the morning after breakfast and head to Colombo, the capital of the island. Head to the Dutch Burgher Union, an establishment and clubhouse patronized by the Dutch Burghers as its name suggest who are ancestors of the Dutch colonials who married with the natives. Lunch will be served at the café, which will the Burgher specialty Lamprai, a rice specialty wrapped and steamed in a banana leaf, and with many mouthwatering surprises. Savor each curry in the dish while mixing with the rice which is made in stock. The banana leaf gives this dish a unique flavor. Accompany this with some home made ginger beer.

Check into your hotel afterwards

As the sun sets, join a local foodie on a street food adventure starting from the stalls on Galle Face, where you will try pickled fruits and prawn and crab wadeys. After-which hop on a tuk tuk and take a journey across Slave Island trying local favorites such as the various types of kottu rotti a streetfood with some interesting history behind it. End at Hulfsdorph which is famous for its various food trucks which serve all manner of delicacies and some un usual items such as mutton brain and cuttlefish eggs.

OVERNIGHT ACCOMMODATION

Hotel- Galle Fort Hotel

Today once you checkout from your hotel, you will head back towards the airport, where you will bid good bye and onboard your flight back home

-End of Service-

Upon receipt of Tour Confirmation Voucher, an advance of 25% of the total invoice value if the arrival date is more than 45 days. If the arrival date is less than 45 days, then 100% of the total invoice value is to be paid.

Balance 75% of the invoice value to be paid, at least 45 days prior to the arrival date.

Additional Remarks:
Payments are required within seven days, except where circumstances dictate that we request otherwise.

Suppliers may demand stricter payment terms on some bookings. These occasions will always be advised to you before booking and stated on your Travel Voucher. Individual cancellation terms will always be stated.

Our prices include all applicable taxes.*Frequent fluctuations in the Sri Lankan government tax policy mean that applicable taxes can change suddenly without prior notice.

A bank surcharge of 3% is applicable for payments made by credit cards.

Customers must pay all bank charges when making payments via bank transfers. Failure to do so will invalidate your booking and will bring further change to cover bank charges.

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Force Majeure:
We cannot accept responsibility for Force Majeure – defined in these booking conditions as any specific event which we, as the supplier of the services, could not reasonably have foreseen, influenced or avoided. These include war, or threat of war, riots, civil strife, terrorism, contamination, extreme or unusual weather conditions, volcanic eruptions, industrial disputes, changes to sports itineraries, natural and nuclear disasters, fire, flight cancellations or rescheduling by airlines or any similar event beyond our control.

In event of cancellation, in whole or part, we voluntarily return all recoverable costs, above and beyond the limits laid down in our Booking Conditions.

In the case of cancelled tailor-made itineraries, we reserve the right to levy additional admin costs of up to 8 per cent of total booking cost when calculating recoverable costs.

No refunds are normally provided for early checkouts or no-shows.

Any individual wishing to cancel a booking must immediately notify the Classic Destinations representative by email. The cancellation is timed from 09:00hrs on the next working day to enable us to contact Suppliers. In the event of a group cancellation, we will hold each individual equally liable for cancellation costs.