Day One

Airport – Thangappuwa

Meeting and Greeting at the Airport by MY HOLIDAY representative.

Transfer from Airport to Camp in Thangappuwa

Dinner and overnight stay at Hotel in Thangappuwa

 

Day Two

Thangappuwa – Knuckles- Thangappuwa

Breakfast at Hotel 

Trekking to Knuckles

Introduction

The Knuckles Mountain Range lies in central Sri Lanka, in the Districts of Matale and Kandy. The range takes its name from a series of recumbent folds and peaks in the west of the massif which resembles the knuckles of clenched fist when viewed from certain locations in the Kandy District. Whilst this name was assigned by early British surveyors, the Sinhalese residents have traditionally referred to the area as Dumbara Kanduvetiya meaning mist-laden mountain range. Knuckles Mountain Forest Range covering an area of approximately 21,000 ha is a part of the Central Highlands World Heritage site, declared in 2010. Though it is a part of Central Highlands it is well separated by Mahaweli river valley from the sides of South and east and Matale valley from the west. Knuckles Mountain Forest Range consists of a range of vegetation types that have resulted from diverse climatic and topographic conditions. Among these are the humid tropical lowland semi evergreen forest, tropical sub-montane humid evergreen forest, montane grassland (patana) and pygmy forest. The complexity brought to the area with vegetation types is further increased by range of modifications made to the landscape by people since the British colonization. Knuckles Mountain Forest Range supports a rich biological diversity with 128 species of birds, 20 species of amphibians, 53 species of reptiles, 15 fresh water species and 31 mammal species. All species are not equally distributed throughout the range. Their distribution depends on multiple factors such as food availability, availability of nesting sites etc. that vary with climate, elevation and land cover.

Tour Itinerary

• Arrival time will be 6.30 A.M at the Knuckles Mountain range trailhead.
• Brief description of the route and the hike; Knuckles peak hike will be 17 K.M’s both ways.
• 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 3.30 P.M

Important Factors

• Personal effects for warm/windy/rainy conditions should be carried by clients
• The experienced and well-trained guide would take every precaution to ensure the safety and wellbeing of all guests on tour as your safety is our prime concern. However, MY HOLIDAY or its employees do not accept any liability for death, injury or illness of guest while on tour caused by any animal, reptile, insect, and events of nature or any type of accident.
• MY HOLIDAY does not accept any liability for the loss or damage of any personal belongings while on tour.

Access Trails

• Thangappuwa trail.

Via Thangappuwa trail:

• Knuckles peak hike – 620m elevation gain, 17 K.M (total length of the trek), Difficulty level – Moderate to high. Additional 3K.M will be added to the trek from the camp

Best Season

• December to April is the best time to do the Knuckles hike.
• July and August also recommended.

Key Factors

Up to date first aid, qualified medical officer, adequate refreshments, pack lunch, back up vehicle for emergency transport, tour guide and helper will provide for the hike.

Our rate includes

• Lunch
• Refreshments with energy slabs
• First aid
• Entrance tickets
• Back up vehicle for emergency transport
• Support staff – guide, helper(s), driver and qualified first aid officer

Dinner and Overnight stay at Hotel in Thangappuwa

 

Day Three

Thangappuwa – Heeloya  –  Nuwara Eliya

Breakfast at Hotel

Trekking to Heeloya Village – Exploring typical Sri Lankan Village lifestyle

Introduction

Heeloya is a rural, remote agricultural village in the Kandy district with a unique attraction of understanding how justice was meted out in the good old days. The proceedings of hearing a case by the village-headman and the location are still intact.

The main livelihood of the village community is paddy cultivation, home gardening, livestock and spices. Villagers engage in toddy tapping, handicrafts, bee-keeping, traditional dances etc., as supplementary income sources.

A very traditional village, it is unique in that it identifies itself with practicing even to this day some of the local customs in daily life. Tourists are encouraged to work and become part of the village life by engaging in plucking fruits and vegetables for a meal to be prepared according to the local taste. They would also get an opportunity to watch some of the other aspects of this village being the Heeloya waterfall, local species and herbs.

Visitors to Heeloya can get a feel of the life in a typical village in addition to trekking and sight-seeing and a culinary experience in true Sri Lankan style! We offer these tours as half day or full day excursions.

Tour Itinerary

• Arrival time will be 7.30 A.M at the trail head near campsite.
• Brief description of the route and the trekking
• Starting the trekking at 8.00 A.M
• Refreshments
• Exploring the Sri Lankan Village lifestyle with activities of Heeloya village
• Photography session
• Lunch
• Trekking will be ending up from the base of the Heeloya Village by 1.30 p.m.

Our rate includes

• Lunch
• Refreshments
• Tour guide and support staff.

End of the tour transfer to Nuwara Eliya

En- Route Visit Ramboda Falls

Ramboda Falls

Ramboda Falls is 109 m (358 ft) high and 11th highest waterfall in Sri Lanka and 729th highest waterfall in the world. It is situated in Pussellawa area, on the A5 highway at Ramboda Pass. It formed by Panna Oya which is a tributary of Kothmale Oya. Altitude of the falls is 945 m (3,100 ft) above sea level.

Tea Factory

Sri Lanka is an island made for tea. The country produces tea throughout the year and the total tea production is about 340 million kilograms per annum. Sri Lanka’s tea-growing areas are mainly concentrated in the central highlands and southern inland areas of the island.

At present, a larger portion of the country’s tea is exported as Ceylon Black Tea, while the country also produces Ceylon Green Tea, a type developed from Assamese seedlings. Ceylon White Tea, namely silver and golden tips is celebrated around the world for their finest flavour and are among the most expensive tea varieties in the world.

Overnight stay at Hotel in Nuwara Eliya

Day Four

Nuwara Eliya – Kirigalpotta – Ohiya

Breakfast at Hotel 

Visit Kirigalpotta via Horton Plains

 

Introduction

Kirigalpoththa is the 2nd highest Mountain of Sri Lanka after Pidurutalagala. With a peak

elevation of 2,388 meters above sea level. Kirigalpoththa is the highest point in the Horton

Plains National Park and also the highest peak accessible to the public. 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 over grown path snake through

grassy plains, cloud forest, bog & finally steep rock surfaces. Sri Lankan Leopard & Sambur 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.

Horton Plains National Park in Pattipola is a protected area in the central highlands of Sri Lanka

and is covered by montane grassland and cloud forest. This plateau at an altitude of 2,100–

2,300 meters (6,900–7,500 ft.) is rich in biodiversity and many species found here are endemic

to the region. This region was designated a national park in 1988. It is also a popular tourist

destination and is situated 8 kilometers (5.0 mi) from Ohiya, 6 kilometers (3.7 mi) from the

world famous Ohiya Gap/Dondra Watch and 32 kilometers (20 mi) from Nuwara Eliya.

The Horton Plains are the headwaters of three major Sri Lankan rivers, the Mahaweli, Kelani,

and Walawe. In Sinhala the plains are known as Maha Eliya Plains. Stone tools dating back to

Balangoda culture have been found here. The plains’ vegetation is grasslands interspersed with

montane forest, and includes many endemic woody plants. Large herds of Sri Lankan Sāmbhar

deer feature as typical mammals, and the park is also an Important Bird Area with many species

not only endemic to Sri Lanka but restricted to the Horton Plains. Forest dieback is one of the

major threats to the park and some studies suggest that it is caused by a natural phenomenon.

Horton Plains is located on the southern plateau of the central highlands of Sri Lanka. The peaks

of Kirigalpoththa (2,388 meters (7,838 ft.)) and Thotupola Kanda (2,357 meters (7,733 ft.)), the

second and the third highest of Sri Lanka, are situated to the west and north respectively. The

park’s elevation ranges from 2,100–2,300 meters (6,900–7,500 ft.). The rocks found in the park

belong to the Archaean age and belong to the high series of the Precambrian era and are made

up of Khondalites, Charnockites and granitic gneisses. The soil type is of the red-yellow podsolic

group and the surface layer is covered with decayed organic matter.

 

Tour Itinerary

• Arrival time will be 7.30 A.M at the Horton Plains National Park
• 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
• 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 3.30 P.M

Our rate includes

• Lunch
• Refreshments with energy slabs
• First aid
• Park entrance tickets
• Back up vehicle for emergency transport
• Support staff fee for guide, helper(s), driver and qualified first aid officer.

Important Factors

• Personal effects for warm/windy/rainy conditions should be carried by clients
• The experienced and well-trained guide would take every precaution to ensure the

safety and wellbeing of all guests on tour as your safety is our prime concern. However,

Paradise Island Safari or its employees do not accept any liability for death, injury or

illness of guest while on tour caused by any animal, reptile, insect, and events of nature

or any type of accident.

• MY HOLIDAY does not accept any liability for the loss or damage of any personal

belongings while on tour.

Dinner and overnight stay at Ohiya

 

Day Five

Ohiya – Devil’s Stair Case – Bentota

Breakfast at Hotel

Trekking to Devil’s Stair Case

Introduction

The track through the Devils Staircase is one of the most popular hiking and jeep tracks in the

hills of Sri Lanka. The difficulty levels and the spectacular view of the green mountains of Sri

Lanka has made this a hikers paradise but only the most ardent hikers will undertake this 19 km

hike.

Generally hikers choose the Bambarakanda Rest near Bambarakanda Ella Falls as the starting

point to the journey if they wish to start the journey from this end. This trail goes over old

dilapidated estate roads through many estates. This trail ends on the Ohiya – Horton

Plains road around the halfway distance from Ohiya Railway Station to the Horton Plains

Entrance.

There are no markers along the route, therefore it’s advised to use a guide if attempting the

journey for the first time. The route has number of folks and they could easily divert you from

the original path. The trail is 19 km long from Bambarakanda and would take approximately 7

hours to complete the hike.

The two most popular points on the route is the “V cut”, a channel cut through the hill to allow

the road to pass through. You will come across this after entering the Udaveriya estate.

Passing this, the road will go across a stream which creates the tallest fall in the country, the

Bambarakanda Falls.

Tour Itinerary

• Arrival time will be 7.30 A.M at the Bambarakanda trail head
• 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
• Lunch
• Photography sessions
• Evening refreshments
• Reaching Ohiya by 3.30 P.M

Our rate includes

• Refreshments with energy slabs.
• Lunch
• First aid with the qualified officer
• Back up vehicle for emergency transport
• Support staff fee for guide, helper(s), driver and qualified first aid officer

Important Factors

• Personal effects for warm/windy/rainy conditions should be carried by clients
• The experienced and well-trained guide would take every precaution to ensure the safety and

wellbeing of all guests on tour as your safety is our prime concern. However, Paradise Island

Safari or its employees do not accept any liability for death, injury or illness of guest while on

tour caused by any animal, reptile, insect, and events of nature or any type of accident.

• Paradise Island Safari does not accept any liability for the loss or damage of any personal belongings while on tour.

Visit Bambarakanda waterfall

Transfer from Bambarakanda to Bentota

Dinner and overnight stay at Hotel in Bentota

 

Day Six

Bentota

Breakfast at Hotel

(Best Time in Down South December to April)

Snorkelling & Scuba Diving in Bentota

Water Sport at Bentota

Dinner and overnight stay at Hotel in Bentota

 

Day Seven

Bentota – Colombo

Breakfast at Hotel

Snorkelling

Transfer from Bentota to Colombo

City Tour and Local food Tour by bike (Cycling at Night)

Overnight stay at Hotel in Colombo

 

Day Eight

Colombo – Airport

Breakfast at Hotel

Transfer from Colombo to Airport for departure flight

End Tour……………