Sri Lanka Treks & Hikes

Welcome at the Airport (Arrival details to be advised) & proceed to Colombo for check-in (Standard check in time : 14.00 hrs).

Evening at leisure.

Overnight stay at Colombo

After breakfast proceed to Dutch Hospital at 09.00hrs and engage in a Colombo city tour by foot organized by Colombo City Walks

Colombo City Walks by Mark Forbes (Duration of visit : approx 2 - 3 hours) 

Colombo City Walks is a leisurely 2-3 hour walk that takes you through the city’s commercial heritage in terms of reflecting to the times and the ways of the Portuguese, Dutch and English, which in turn, gives these citizens a unique accent, a way of conducting their day-to-day business and unique palette.

The focus however, to all of this is that this walk takes you through a myriad of buildings that date back from 17thcentury to the 90’s that were erected mainly during the Dutch & British rule (but we are tremendously lucky to still have a few of Dutch Architecture to gaze upon). Nothing of the Portuguese rule remains, sadly. With the dawn of the post-conflict times, we see the tremendous effort being put into this area to refurbish and bring these buildings to their hay-day wondrous state.  It is an opportune time to visit the capital on foot, before some of these buildings are taken over by well recognized companies and are no longer in their shabby-chic comfort zone.

You will hardly come across a person who is not willing for their picture to be taken… ‘The Pearl of the Indian Ocean’ is also being coined as a ‘Land of Many Smiles’ making one second guess if it is Sri Lanka or Taiwan that should get this nickname.

Visiting Pettah with us is also an option during this walk. This market place is older than the buildings you will see; and as non-touristic as you will get.  An area best explored with a local.

We meet at the cement tables outside Colombo Fort Cafe/Ministry of Crab. These restaurants are situated within the Old Dutch Hospital Precinct in Fort. 

Thereafter proceed to Kandy.

Evening at leisure.

Overnight stay at Knuckles

Early breakfast and start on the adventure bike tour around the Knuckles mountain range.

Knuckles by Bike (Duration of visit : approx 7 - 8 hours) 

We will pick you up from the hotel you stay (In Kandy). The vehicle probably is a safari type jeep. We will be transferred to the starting point of our ride, which is about 25 Km away from Kandy. We start off with a nice downhill towards Knuckles forest reserve. We will stop by a natural swimming pool on our way to take a small rest before the tough climb ahead. The climb will be about 2.5Km with a challenging gradient. But the good news is our back up vehicle will be right behind us for us to switch to it any time you want.

Our next stop will be for the lunch and it will be a nice village lunch from a house on our way. We resume with a gravel terrain which you will enjoy at your maximum. The forest cover will provide the shade to ease our ride. After some moderate climbs and a rocky downhill we will come to a point called Corbett's gap. The panoramic view there will never let you leave the place without taking few photos. Our next stop will be for a nice cup of tea at the base camp site. We start to roll a gain up to Hunnasgiriya with some climbs and a thrilling road downhill. The ride will be concluded at Hunnasgiriya and you will be transferred to your hotel in Kandy.

Evening at leisure.

Overnight stay at Knuckles

Tips & Suggestions:   

• Personal effects for warm/windy/rainy conditions should be carried by clients. Wearing leech socks will be ideal to prevent the leech bite.
• The experienced and well-trained tour guide/naturalist would take every precaution to ensure the safety and wellbeing of all guests on tour as your safety is our prime concern.
• Difficulty Level: Moderate to Hard 

After breakfast engage in a walking tour of Kandy city “ORIGINAL BY DETROVES TRAVELS”.

Walking Tour of Kandy city (Duration of visit : approx 5 hours) 

Tour itinerary –

• 09.00hrs - 1030hrs - Visit Temple of the Tooth for morning ceremony.
• 10.30hrs - 11.15hrs - Walk around the beautiful Kandy Lake. Tuk Tuk ride to Upper lake viewpoint
• 11.00hrs - 1200hrs - Central market  + Old Bogambara prison (From outside)+ bazaar area (1 hour) + On the way stop at Local Bakery for a tea & pastry. (Bake house)
• 12.00hrs – 12.30hrs - Walk to the local bus station and take a public bus to Peradeniya
• 12.30hrs – 13.45hrs - Visit Peradeniya Botanical Gardens

On completion drive to Nuwara Eliya (80 KM / 3h 0m) en-route visit a Tea Factory where you will learn the how one of the worlds most famous teas are processed and packaged. Get a understanding of the different grades of teas and finally finish the visit with a fine cup of Sri Lankan Tea.

Evening at leisure.

Overnight stay at Nuwara Eliya

Early morning (05.30hrs) proceed to Horton Plains National Park and a brief description of the route and the hike will be given by the Naturalist. At 06.45hrs the trek begins to Kirigalpotha.

Kirigalpotha Trek (Duration of visit : approx 10 - 11 hours) 

Kirigalpoththa is the highest point in the Horton Plains National Park and the highest peak accessible to the public in Sri Lanka. This 7 K.M trail (one way) will take around 5 1/2 hours of trekking, hiking & mountaineering challenges. Attempting Kirigalpoththa is for the daring adventurers only as the conditions can be treacherous due to the difficulty of the terrain and weather. For every eight people who have reached the summit, one has always never reached the summit. A single & a slightly overgrown path snake through grassy plains, cloud forest, bog & finally steep rock surfaces. Sri Lankan Leopard & Sambur deer are the bigger wild animals you may sometimes come across; if you are lucky, you may even encounter a few endemic bird species as well.

• Arrival time will be 6.30 A.M at the Horton Plains National Park.
• Brief description of the route and the hike.
• Starting the hike at 6.45 A.M.
• Rest stops within every 1.5 K.M.
• Refreshments
• Estimated time to reach the top by 12.15 P.M.
• Lunch.
• Photography session
• Climbing down by 1.15 P.M
• Refreshments
• Reaching the trail head by 5.30 P.M

Overnight stay at Nuwara Eliya

Tips & Suggestions:   

• Personal effects for warm/windy/rainy conditions should be carried by clients. Wearing leech socks will be ideal to prevent the leech bite.
• The experienced and well-trained tour guide/naturalist would take every precaution to ensure the safety and wellbeing of all guests on tour as your safety is our prime concern.
• Difficulty Level: Moderate – Hard

Early breakfast and proceed to Pattipola Railway Station.

This 14 K.M trail starts from the Pattipola railway station (Which is the highest railway station in Sri Lanka) and continues up to the border of Horton Plains National Park. In between this trail you will come across one special tunnel on the railway. This tunnel is the third longest (321.95m) of Sri Lanka and the highest elevated tunnel in the country. The tunnel is narrowed one and therefore middle point becomes very dark. The tunnel was built  in 1919 and had been repaired several times.

Once you finish the 7 KM rail treks you must do a 2 KM hike (This will be an extreme hike through the jungle) and another 5 KM trekking to the border of Horton Plains.

Rail Hike (Duration of visit : approx 5 - 6 hours) 

• Arrival time will be 7.30 A.M at the Pattipola railway station.
• Brief description of the route and the hike.
• Starting the hike at 7.45 A.M.
• Rest stops within every 1.5 K.M.
• Refreshments
• Reaching Ohiya railway station (E.T) by at least 1.00 P.M

Pick up from Ohiya Railway Station and proceed to Bandarawela.

Overnight stay at Bandarawela 

Tips & Suggestions:   

• Personal effects for warm/windy/rainy conditions should be carried by clients. Wearing leech socks will be ideal to prevent the leech bite.
• The experienced and well-trained tour guide/naturalist would take every precaution to ensure the safety and wellbeing of all guests on tour as your safety is our prime concern.
• Difficulty Level: Moderate – Hard

After breakfast engage in a trek from Adisham bungalow to Udeveriya via Thangamale Forest Reserve.

Trek from Adishsam Bungalow to Udaveriya (Duration of visit : approx 5 - 6 hours) 

This trek starts from the gate of Adisham bungalow and goes through the strict nature reserve call Thangamale Sanctuary. Clients will be able to experience the typical montane rain forest in the upper slopes of Sri Lanka. Perfect place to spot endemic birds which are confined to hill areas of Sri Lanka. This will be a 4-5 km stretch of pure jungle walk. Then clients can experience the walk on the railway for 2k.m up to Idalgashinna station. Rest of the walk will goes through small jungle patches, tea estates, gravel roads with picture perfect landscape on both sides. Ideal for landscape photography.

In the evening engage in a 60 minutes body massage at the Sukoon Spa at Anasa.

Evening at leisure.

Overnight stay at Bandarawela

After breakfast proceed to Dalhousie.

"Sri Paada" Peak Wilderness sanctuary is a natural reserve in Sri Lanka. It is the third largest (by area) of the 50 sanctuaries in the country. "Sri Paada" Peak Wilderness sanctuary is a tropical rain forest that spreads over a land of 224 square kilometers around the Sri Pada (Adam's Peak) mountain.

• Late afternoon climb the Adams Peak trek.
• Arrival time will be 6.30 P.M at the Nallathanniya trail head.
• Brief description of the route and the hike.
• Starting the hike at 6.45 P.M.
• Rest stops within every 1.5 K.M.
• Dinner (Continue on Day 09)

Overnight stay at Dalhousie.

The Estimated time to reach the top by 1.00 A.M. on Day 09 (Continuation from Day 08)

• Resting time with refreshments.
• Viewing the moment of sunrise from top of Adams peak.
• Climbing down via Murray estate route by 6.30 A.M
• Breakfast
• Water fall visit
• Photography Session
• Reaching the trail head by 9.30 A.M

Pick up from Trail Head and drop off at Hotel for rest.

Thereafter engage in a ½ hour Muscle relax massage.

Evening at leisure.

Overnight stay at Dalhousie

Tips & Suggestions:   

• Personal effects for warm/windy/rainy conditions should be carried by clients. Wearing leech socks will be ideal to prevent the leech bite.
• The experienced and well-trained tour guide/naturalist would take every precaution to ensure the safety and wellbeing of all guests on tour as your safety is our prime concern.
• Difficulty Level: Hard

After breakfast proceed to Sinharaja.

Afternoon at leisure.

Overnight stay at Sinharaja.

Early morning (06.00hrs) proceed to Sinharaja Rain Forest and engage in a trek.

Sinharaja Forest Reserve 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. This Forest covers an extent of an approximately 11.187 ha. From east to west the length of the forest is 21 KM’s. The elevation of the Sinharaja reserve ranges from 200m to 1300m. It has a rolling terrain consisting of a series of ridges and valleys, which assumes an east-west trend in the northwestern part of the reserve.

• Arriving at the Sinharaja rain forest entrance by 6.00 A.M
• Brief description about the forest and the nature trails of the forest .
• Starting the bird watching tour/trekking at 6.15 a.m.
• Photography and spotting the rare birds in Sinharaja
• Reaching the bird research center by 10.00 a.m.
• Refreshments
• Reaching the Sinharaja entrance gate by 11.45 a.m.
• Refreshments.

Afternoon at leisure.

Overnight stay at Sinharaja

Tips & Suggestions:   

• Personal effects for warm/windy/rainy conditions should be carried by clients. Wearing leech socks will be ideal to prevent the leech bite.
• The experienced and well-trained tour guide/naturalist would take every precaution to ensure the safety and wellbeing of all guests on tour as your safety is our prime concern.
• Difficulty Level: Moderate – Hard

After breakfast proceed to Kalutara

Afternoon at leisure.

Overnight stay at Kalutara

After breakfast morning at leisure.

In the afternoon engage in a Warm Oil Massage (Duration – 50 mins).

The warm oil massage is inspired from the Indian traditional massage called Ayurveda. It is a technique employed to stimulate and balance the Dosha (the spiritual part of the body). This mental and body relaxation treatment is provided with a special blend of essential oils, with healing properties, warmed just before its application on the body. It helps to improve sleep, eliminate toxins and brings relaxation and comfort.

Overnight stay at Kalutara

After breakfast proceed to Airport for departure.

Above mentioned timings are approximate, per way and subject to change due to traffic, weather condition or unexpected Interruptions en-route.

It does not account for stoppages for site visits, photo opportunities, lunch etc.

(It is purely driving time)

                                                                                                          ««« END OF TOUR «««