Rails of Sri Lanka

Welcome at the Airport & proceed to Colombo  for check-in (Standard check in time : 14.00 hrs) (40 KM / 0h 45 m)

Evening at leisure.

Overnight stay at Colombo

Tips & suggestions :

• Colombo has many restaurants around therefore have booked on BB basis. (Breakfast Only). See below suggestions of restaurants around Colombo
• The Gallery Café
• Ministry of crab in Dutch Hospital
• Giovanni’s – For Pizza
• The Sizzle Colombo
• Upali’s by Nawaloka – For Sri Lankan food

Early breakfast and start on the Colombo city tour (Approx. 0800hrs) by Foot along with your guide who would take you through the streets of the well-known Dutch hospital. Taste a freshly cut King Coconut or ‘Thambili’ as its locally known and engulf yourself in the sights, sounds and smells of the Pettah Bazzar while you walk down Main Street and see the morning come alive as people set up shop. The Grand Red Mosque better known as Jami Ul Alfar Mosque and the Hindu Kovil seem to truly transport you to another time.

Thereafter proceed to Colombo Fort Station and meet the Railway staff member who would give you a brief of how the Train System works in Sri Lanka and how the locals travel in the trains. You will also be shown how the train tickets are purchased from the Station counter. The Station Master will take you around the Colombo Fort Station and show you where the Old Engines are docked in the Yard. Time permitting you will be able to enjoy a cup of Sri Lanka tea at a local shop near the station. (Depends on the availability of railway staff member according to the date/schedule. If he is absent, your guide will take you through the above process)

Thereafter engage in the “Hop On - Hop Off train Experience” (A Detroves Travels original concept) around Colombo in order to witness the daily lifestyle of the locals and to explore the busy Colombo city.

• Hop on a train from Colombo Fort (10.09hrs) and get off at Maradana (10.15hrs) (1 stop). The guide would show you around the Maradana local city and you will also get the opportunity to visit the Maradana Railway Museum where you will see all the old engines, locomotives, rail cars, trolleys, carriages, machineries, and equipments that were used since the beginning of Sri Lanka Railway in 1864.             
• Hop on a train from Maradana (11.10hrs) and get off at Kompannaveediya (11.18hrs). The guide would show you around the busy Metropolitan city of Colombo and the Galle Face Green. You will be able to explore the city by foot and enjoy some spice local finger food close to the Station.

Thereafter hop on a Tuk Tuk and proceed back to your hotel to freshen up before you proceed to Negombo.

Afterwards board train from Colombo Fort (14.35hrs) to Negombo (15.44hrs) (3rd class) (35 KM / 1h 10 m) For certain part of the journey you will witness the scenic views of the oceans of the western belt of Sri Lanka.

Evening at leisure.

Overnight stay in Negombo

Early breakfast and visit the Negombo Fish Market.

Thereafter board train from Negombo (09.35hrs) to Puttalam (12.38hrs) (3rd Class) (90 KM / 3h 00 m)

Thereafter pick up from Puttalam train station and proceed to Anuradhapura by car. (60 KM / 2h 00 m)

Late evening visit the Sri Maha Bodhi and Ruwanwelimahaseya. Experience the glistening lights emanating from these historical monuments amidst the backdrop of the night skies. An off the beaten-track experience.

Overnight stay in Anuradhapura

After breakfast board train from Anuradhapura (10.45hrs) to Jaffna (14.37hrs) (2nd Class) (170 KM / 3h 50 m)

Pick up from Train Station and proceed to Hotel for check-in.

Evening casual walk in some parts of Jaffna city, dinner at local restaurant .

Overnight stay in Jaffna

After breakfast, proceed to Jaffna engage in a city tour of Jaffna.                                                                    

Jaffna City(Duration of visit : approx 2 ½ - 3 Hours)

City of Jaffna is the capital city of the Northern Province of Sri Lanka. It is the administrative headquarters of the Jaffna district located on a peninsula of the same name. Jaffna is approximately six miles away from Kandarodai which served as a famous emporium in the Jaffna peninsula from classical antiquity. Jaffna's suburb, Nallur served as the capital of the four centuries-long medieval Jaffna kingdom. Prior to the Sri Lankan civil war, it was Sri Lanka's second most populated city after the commercial capital Colombo. Since the 1980s insurgent uprising, military occupation, extensive damage, expulsion and depopulation has happened. Since the end of civil war in 2009, refugees and internally displaced people are returning to their homes and government and private sector reconstruction has begun.

Thereafter visit Naga Deepa.

Naga Deepa (Duration of visit : approx 2 ½ - 3 Hours)

Nainathivu or Nagadeepa is a small but notable island off the coast of Jaffna Peninsula in the Sri Lankan Tamil dominated Northern Province, Sri Lanka. The name of the island alludes to its aboriginal inhabitants, the Nayanair or Nāka people. It is home to the ancient Hindu shrine of Shree Nagapooshani (Bhuvaneswari) Amman; one of the prominent 64 Shakti Peethas, and the Buddhist shrine Naga Vihare. Historians note the island is mentioned in the ancient Tamil Sangam literature of nearby Tamil Nadu (such as Manimekalai) and ancient Buddhist legends of Sri Lanka (such as Mahavamsa). Ptolemy, a Greek cartographer, describes the Tamil territory including islands around the Jaffna peninsula as Nagadibois in the first century CE.

Thereafter visit Point Pedro.                                                                                                                                                                                               

Point Pedro (Duration of visit : approx 30 mins)

The Western name, Point Pedro, was given by Dutch during the colonial era. A Dutch sailor, Pedro, when travelling along the coast of the country found this city to be the Northern most point and this gave rise to the name, Point Pedro. During the trip visit the lighthouse of Point Pedro.

Notes: If you wish, instead of driving to Point Pedro you could enjoy a short train ride from Jaffna city to Kankasanthurai (15 mins train journey) and then drive to Point Pedro. (Train are subject to availability/limited connections)

Overnight stay in Jaffna

After breakfast board train from Jaffna (09.35hrs) to Anuradhapura (13.38hrs) (1st /2nd Class) (170 KM / 4h 00 m)

Pick up from Anuradhapura Train Station and drive to Sigiriya. (50 KM / 1h 30 m)

Evening at leisure.

Overnight stay in Sigiriya

After breakfast climb Sigiriya rock fortress.

Sigiriya Rock Fortress(Duration of visit : approx 3 – 3 ½  Hours)

Sigiriya Located a few hours’ drive from Colombo, Sigiriya is a magnificent rock fortress built in the 5th century A.D.  This majestic Citadel in the sky was the refuge of King Kasyapa and is world-renowned for its Mirror Wall’, which consists of poems and paragraphs carved by some of the thousands of visitors who visited the rock many years ago, and for its magnificent frescoes, similar to the Ajantha frescoes of India.

Thereafter visit Polonnaruwa ancient kingdom. (65 KM / 1h 0 m per way)

Polonnaruwa Ancient Kingdom(Duration of visit : approx 2 – 2 ½ Hours) 

It would take you awhile to fathom that such a city every existed many years ago and after you return to your true senses the journey through this colossal city would be nothing less than magical. Polonnaruwa is Sri Lanka's second oldest kingdom and features a plethora of ruins and places of religious worship. Some of the many interesting places to visit in Polonnaruwa include the Gal Viharaya (Stone temple), Lankathilake, Tivanka Image House, Nissanka Latha Mandapaya, the Audience Hall and the Vatadage.

Overnight stay in Sigiriya

After breakfast proceed to Habarana Railway Station. (20 KM / 0h 30 m)

Thereafter board train from Habarana (11.16hrs) to Batticaloa (14.45hrs) (3rd class) (120 KM / 3h 30 m)

Pick up from Train Station and proceed to Pasikudah for check-in. (30 KM / 0h 45 m)

Evening at leisure.

Overnight stay in Pasikudah

After breakfast day at leisure at the beach.

Overnight stay in Pasikudah

After breakfast proceed to Kandy. (190 KM / 5h 30 m)

In the afternoon visit the Kadugannawa Railway Museum. (15 KM / 0h 35 m per way)

Kadugannawa Railway Museum(Open Daily from 09.00hrs to 16.00hrs – closed on Poya Days)

Old carriages and locomotives have been brought to the station as part of the National Railway Museum project. This opened on 27 December 2014, the day on which Sri Lanka Railways (formerly Ceylon Government Railways [CGR]) commemorated 150 years since the first steam train operated in Sri Lanka (from Colombo to Ambepussa). The museum has old engines, locomotives, rail cars, trolleys, carriages, machineries, and equipments that used since the beginning of Sri Lanka Railway.

Overnight stay in Kandy

After breakfast board train from Kandy (11.10hrs) to Hatton (13.19hrs) (2nd class) (60 KM / 2h 10m)

Pick up from the Train station and proceed to Hotel for check-in.

Overnight stay in Hatton

After breakfast board train from Hatton (11.25hrs) to Nanu Oya (12.40hrs) (2nd class) (35 KM / 1h 15m)

Pick up from Train Station and proceed to Heritance Tea Factory for check-in. (20 KM / 0h 50 m)

In the evening enjoy a dinner at the Railway Carraige Restaurant “Dining on Wheels” at Heritance Tea Factory.

Nuwara Eliya once boasted a narrow-gauge railway – the Udupussellawa line, vital for transporting tea, which was discontinued mid last century. However, carriage TCK 6685 returns to its glory days: polished teak and brass fittings gleam in the candle light; white gloved butlers wait quietly in attendance. The Executive Chef himself will welcome you and take your order. The menu is equally impressive, as is the wine list. A nostalgic culinary journey of ‘six stations’ awaits a ride.

Overnight stay in Nuwara Eliya

Early breakfast and proceed to Pattipola Railway Station(30 KM / 1h 20 m) and engage in the “Rail Hike”.

Rail Hike (Duration of visit : approx 2 – 2 ½ Hours) 

This 14 K.M trail starts from the Pattipola railway station (Which is the highest elevated 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.

• 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

Thereafter board train from Ohiya (13.39hrs) to Ella (15.14hrs) (2nd class) (35 KM / 1h 45 m)

Pick up from Train station and proceed to Hotel for check-in. (02 KM / 0h 15 m)

Overnight stay in Ella

After breakfast visit the famous Nine Arch Bridge at Ella.

Thereafter proceed to Matara en-route visit Buduruwagala temple. (170 KM / 4h 30 m)

Evening at leisure.

Overnight stay in Matara

After breakfast board train from Matara (09.40hrs) to Colombo Fort (13.15hrs) (2nd /3rd Class) (150 KM / 3h 35 m)

Pick up from Train Station and proceed to Hotel for check-in. (07 KM / 0h 25 m)

Evening at leisure.

Overnight stay in Colombo

After breakfast proceed to Airport for departure. (40 KM / 0h 45 m)

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