Explore Sri Lanka: 8-Day Cultural Tour from Istanbul

We begin our journey by meeting at Istanbul Airport's International Terminal. At 19:35, we fly directly to Colombo, the capital of Sri Lanka, on Turkish Airlines flight TK 730. We spend the night on board, resting after the refreshments served during the flight.

We arrive in Colombo at 06:10 local time. We begin our tour in the private vehicle waiting for us, heading first to Pinnawala Elephant Orphanage. Here, we can watch the elephants bathing by the river. We then visit Dambulla Rock Temple, which houses large Buddha statues and ancient murals. At the end of the day, we travel to the Sigiriya area and stay overnight at Camellia Resort & Spa (or similar).

Early in the morning, we climb Sigiriya Rock Fortress, a UNESCO World Heritage Site known as Lion Rock. From the ancient palace ruins at a height of 200 metres, we take in the island's natural scenery. In the afternoon, we travel to the ancient city of Anuradhapura, Sri Lanka's first capital. Here, we visit the sacred Bodhi tree, one of the world's oldest trees, and the large stupas. We stay overnight at Camellia Resort & Spa (or a similar hotel).

After leaving our hotel, we visit Matale Spice Garden. Here, we learn how various spice plants, from cinnamon to cardamom, are grown. We then arrive in Kandy, the island's cultural capital. We visit the Temple of the Tooth (Dalada Maligawa), considered sacred by Buddhists and believed to house a tooth of the Buddha. We stay overnight at Royal Kandyan Hotel (or similar).

After breakfast, we travel past waterfalls and tea plantations to Nuwara Eliya, one of the highest points on the island. Along the way, we visit a tea factory to see how Ceylon tea is processed and taste fresh tea. In the city known as Little England, we explore examples of colonial architecture around Victoria Park and Gregory Lake. We spend the night at Araliya Red Hotel (or similar).

We start the day with a train journey on the Ambewela-Badarawela line, taking in the surrounding scenery. We travel through misty mountains and local villages to reach the capital, Colombo. In the evening, we have the opportunity to explore Colombo's lively streets and modern side. We stay at the Fairway Colombo hotel (or similar).

In the morning, we visit Independence Square, Beira Lake and Gangaramaya Temple on our panoramic city tour of Colombo. We then head to the coastal town of Negombo, our final stop before the flight. After seeing St. Mary's Church, we have our farewell dinner on the shores of the Indian Ocean and watch the sunset. After midnight, we depart for our transfer to the airport. We stay at Jetwing Sea Hotel (or similar).

After completing the airport procedures, we depart for Istanbul at 07:40 on Turkish Airlines flight TK 731. Our Sri Lanka trip ends upon arrival at Istanbul Airport at 14:15 local time.