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| Programme : | King Of Sri Lankan Jungles (Elephant Tour) | |||
| Duration : | 9 Days/ 8 Nights. | |||
| Elephants are one of the few remaining
mega-herbivores in the world. There are two species of elephants extant
today. They are the African Elephant (Loxodonta africana) and Asian
Elephant (Elephas maximus). Both of these species are considered to
be endangered according to the IUCN red data book. Among the two species,
the Asian Elephant is the one who is under the greatest threat. These majestic animals, who once enjoyed a wide distribution
throughout Asia; from the Euphrates and Tigris River valleys in Iraq
in the west, through the Himalayan regions to dense tropical rainforests
of Indochina in the east, are now reduced to between 35,000 to 55,000
and are confined to only 13 countries. Sri Lanka is blessed to be
one of these 13 countries. Not only that, it is also a country where
you have a very high probability of seeing wild elephants in their
natural habitats. |
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Airport - ColomboMeet on arrival and transfer from Airport to Colombo Rest of the day is at leisure.Dinner and overnight stay at Galle Face Hotel. |
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Colombo - Pinnawala - KandalamaBreakfast at Galle Face Hotel. Transfer from Colombo to Pinnawala.Visit the elephant orphanage in Pinnawala. The Pinnawala Elephant Orphanage, the first of its kind in the world, is a unique place where abandoned and disabled elephants get a lot of care and protection. Transfer from Pinnawala to Kandalama. Evening is at leisure. Dinner and overnight stay at Kandalama Hotel. |
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Kandalama - Polonnaruwa - Minneriya - KandalamaBreakfast at Kandalama Hotel. Transfer from Kandalama to Polonnaruwa. 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.However our main concern here is to see the historical
evidence of the cultural association of elephants in Sri Lanka. The
elephant wall ("Ath paura") is a characteristic feature
of the temples from ancient times to now. Transfer from Polonnaruwa
to Minneriya. Do a safari of Minneriya National Park by jeep. During the dry season,
a large number of elephants move in to this park. One can see more
than 150 elephants at a time during this period. (This number is greater
than the whole elephant population of Nepal or Bhutan!). |
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Kandalama - Habarana - KandalamaBreakfast at Kandalama Hotel. Transfer from Kandalama to Habarana.This elephant back safari will take you through the beautiful path, which covers dry zone forest, streams and will be an unforgettable experience. Dinner and overnight stay at Kandalama Hotel. |
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Kandalama - KandyBreakfast at Kandalama Hotel. Transfer from Kandalama to Kandy.KandyKandy was the last capital of the Sri Lankan kings, and is a World Heritage Site. In the evening visit the Temple of the Tooth Relic. Kandy Temple has strong cultural bond with elephants for centuries. At present, the best example of the use of tamed elephants in Sri Lanka is the annual "Kandy Esala Perahera" (held in July/August), which is one of the most important religious festivals for Buddhists.Dinner and overnight stay at Earl's Regency Hotel. |
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Kandy - UdawalaweAfter an early Breakfast at Earl’s Regency Hotel, you will be transfer to the Udawalawe National Park. Transfer from park entrance to the campsite by 4WD jeeps. You can have lunch at the campsite.In the evening do a safari of The Udawalawe National Park
by jeep. This park is world famous for its elephants, seen in all
their playfulness, whole herds of them, adults and babies bathing
and playing in the water or feeding. Overnight stay at the campsite
of Udawalawe National Park. |
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Udawalawe – YalaTake in an early morning jeep safari to see the elephants and return to the campsite for Breakfast. Transfer from Udawalawe to Yala National Park.On your way you will be taken to see the electric
fence, which was erected to minimize the human- elephant conflict
and you will also be taken to a human-elephant conflict area to see
the strategies used by people to keep elephants away. In the evening do a safari of the Yala National Park by jeep. Dinner
and overnight stay at Yala Village. |
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Yala – Galle – ColomboBreakfast at Yala Village. Transfer from Yala to Galle.GalleGalle was once the chief port of Sri Lanka. It is still well-known for hand-made lace. You can also visit the Galle Fort (spanning 90 acres) which was originally built by the Portuguese and later extended by the Dutch in 1663. This is also a World Heritage Site. Transfer from Galle to Colombo. Dinner and overnight stay at Galle Face Hotel. |
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Colombo – AirportBreakfast at Galle Face Hotel. Transfer from Colombo to Airport. |
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Important Notes:
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