Voyage de découverte au Sri Lanka

PROGRAMME : SRI LANKA TOUR DURATION : 06 NIGHTS / 07 DAYS PERIOD : 18/08/2007 TO 23/08/2007 Tour Itinerary 18/08 : Arrival, meet greet and proceed to Colombo. Check in at Colombo Hilton***** (Deluxe rooms) Breakfast at the Spices Afternoon do a city tour of Colombo, like many capital cities in developing countries is fast changing its face. Almost overnight, skyscrapers arise from where old buildings once stood. Yet in some parts, the old world charm is retained. For example, there is a 100-year-old clock tower and several British built colonial buildings. Other places of interest are the Pettah bazaar - where one can shop for bargain, a Hindu and a Buddhist temple, residential areas where you find the stately homes of the affluent, the Colombo museum, the Bandaranaike Memorial International Conference Hall (BMICH)- an outright gift to Sri Lanka from the People's Republic of China, the new Parliament and the Dutch Museum. Overnight stay at Colombo Hilton www.colombo.hilton.com 19/08 : After breakfast proceed to Kandalama via Pinnawala. The Pinnawela Elephant Orphanage, established in 1975, commenced with seven orphans. Today some of these orphans enjoy the fortune of seeing their grandchildren born in the same location. The original objective of establishing the orphanage inclined more towards tourism, but is soon became a conservation and educational centre. With the help of local and foreign elephant experts, Pinnawela started a scientific captive-breeding programme for elephants. The free movement of the herd enhanced the chances for respective individuals of both sexes to get together and mate. The nearby river played a dominant role in this regard, and in 1984, the first baby of Pinnawela was born. The success story of Pinnawela has drawn the attention of scientists from all over the world. A considerable number of books and research articles on Pinnawela have been published in several languages. The members of the Pinnawela herd have been filmed, videoed and photographed thousands of times by professionals. On completion proceed to hotel. Afternoon visit Dambulla rock temple which built by king Walagambah in the 1st century B.C. and it is a World Heritage Site. It is the most impressive of Sri Lanka's cave temples. The complex of five caves with over 2000 sq. metres of painted walls and ceilings, is the largest area of paintings found in the world. It contains over 150 images of the Buddha of which the largest is the colossal figure of the Buddha carved out of rock and spanning 14 metres. Late afternoon do a safari of the Minneriya National Park by jeep. The extent of the Minneriya National Park is about 8,889 hectares. There are wet-lands in this National Park, which have international importance, animal and plant species, which are plenty in dry zone are found in this park. Wild elephants, various amphibians, local and immigrant bird species are plenty in this park. About 160 species of birds, 09 amphibians, 25 reptile species, 26 fish species and more than 78 butterfly species have been found in this area. There are bamboo trees which are rare in other parks and wild elephants can be seen conveniently. The significant feature is that these elephants can be seen going closer to them. Overnight stay at Heritance Kandalama & Six Senses Spa ***** (Superior rooms) www.heritancehotels.com 20/08 : After breakfast climb the 5th century Sigiriya rock fortress which is a world heritage site, built by King Kashyapa (477-495 AD). The 'Lion Rock' is a citadel of unusual beauty rising 200 metres from the scrub jungle. The rock was the innermost stronghold of the 70 hectare fortified town. A moat, rampart, and extensive gardens including the renowned water gardens ring the base of the rock. Visit the world-renowned frescoes of the 'Heavenly Maidens' of Sigiriya, which are in a sheltered pocket of the rock approached by a spiral stairway. These frescoes are painted in earth pigments on plaster. On completion visit Polonnaruwa, which was the 2nd capital city of Sri Lanka built in the 11th and 12th centuries AD, and which is a world heritage site. Here you can see the ruins of the Royal Palace, the Gal Viharaya where 4 splendid statues of the Buddha in 'Upright', 'Sedentary' and 'Recumbent' postures carved out of rock could be seen, the Audience Hall, the Lotus Bath, the statue of king Parakramabahu, and the Parakrama Samudraya - a lake built by King Parakramabahu the great. There are also monuments of famous places of worship such as the Shiva Temple, the Lankathilake, the Watadage, the Galpotha, the Kiri Vehera and the remains of a former Temple of the Tooth Relic. Overnight stay at Heritance Kandalama & Six Senses Spa 21/08 : After breakfast proceed to Kandy enroute visiting a spice garden in Matale to see different spices for which Sri Lanka is famous for. Here, clients could see different spices and how some of these spices are grown and processed. Witness a Cookery demonstration. There after proceed to Giragama to visit Tea plantation and Tea Factory Check in at Earls Regency Hotel***** (Deluxe rooms) Afternoon visit Peradeniya Botanical Gardens This Botanical Garden was first built as a pleasure garden by a Sinhala king and was expanded by the British. It is 147 acres in extent and provides an amazing variety of trees, plants and flowers. On completion do a city tour of Kandy. Kandy was the last capital of the Sri Lankan kings which is a World Heritage Site. The name "Kandy" conjures visions of splendour and magnificence. Many of the legends, traditions and folklore are still lovingly kept alive. Drive around the Kandy Lake built by the last Sinhala king, Sri Wickrama Rajasinghe in 1798. Visit the Kandy town and Bazaar, the arts and crafts centre, a gem museum and a lapidary. Also visit the Temple of the Tooth Relic in Kandy. Thereafter witness a Cultural show. Overnight stay at Earls Regency Hotel www.aitkenspencehotels.com 22/08 : After breakfast proceed to Ahungalle. Check in at Heritance Ahungalle ***** (Deluxe Sea view rooms) Overnight stay at Heritance Ahungalle www.heritancehotels.com 23/08 : After breakfast Afternoon at Leisure Late check out and proceed to the airport Above prices does not include : • Video and Camera permits. • Lunch and Dinner throughout the tour. • Expenses of personal nature. • Excursion • Any other services not specified above.