Sri Lanka Camping Tour
( 7 days/6 nights )
Day
1: Colombo
Arrival and transfer to a hotel in Hikkaduwa. On the way, City Tour
in Colombo. Dinner and overnight stay at Coral Sands Hikkauduwa or similar.
Day
2: Hikkauduwa
Snorkeling in Hikkauduwa sea, one of the finest snorkeling spots in
Sri Lanka. Dinner and Overnight stay at Coral Sands Hikkauduwa or similar.
Day
3: Singharaja Forest
Early morning, depart to the "Singharaja Forest".
Singharaja Rain Forest with an extent of 11,250 ha. is the only patch of virgin rain forest left in Sri Lanka. Having the highest number of endemic flora and fauna species in the island and a very high biodiversity, this forest was declared a World Heritage Site in 1989.
Out of these two villages our visit would be to the village of Kudawa. The stay over for the night would be in an Eco Lodge, which is built and operated by a person in the forest itself or in a forest department dormitory.
Day
4: Waulpane Cave
Leaving for "Waulpane Cave" after an early morning Bird Watching
Trail.
Waulpane Cave is an isolated cavern set against the eastern slopes of the Rakwana Range. It contains a large number of stalactites oand stalagmites and is estimated to be approximately 500 million years old. You will journey Approx. 300 meter underground to discover this prehistoric world. While there are few fossils visible in the caverns wall, the main building process is still continuing. The stream which runs through this cave becomes a beautiful waterfall at the center, giving you a mysterious and a thrilling experience.
Leave the cave around 2 pm to "Udawalawe Park" for a safari tour.
The 30,821 hectares dry zone game park, Udawalawe Park, was declared as a protected national park in 1972 and 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. Deer species such as spotted deer, sambhur, barking deer and langur, along with wild boar, water buffalo, jackal and leopard are some of the prominent wild animals found in this park. "Udawalawa" is one of the best parks for bird watching too. The endemic species of bird called Red Faced Malkoha has its favorite habitat in the 192 square km parkland. Serpent Eagles, Hawk Eagles, White Bellied Sea Eagles, Black Eagles, Black Capped Bulbuls, Racket Tailed Drongos, Malabar Pied Horn Bills, White Necked Storks, Open Bills, Ibis, Shama - The forest Nightingale Stork Billed King Fishers and peacocks are found in fair numbers.
Dinner and overnight stay in a campsite in the park or at the border.
Day
5: Belihuloya
Leave for "Belihuloya" for after an early breakfast.
Belihuloya is a very picturesque and romantic hamlet situated about 160 km from Colombo in the historical Sambaragamuwa Province. This zone is a climatically transitional area linking the wet & dry zones and the hill country & the low country. This very important location has made it one of the places in the country with the highest bio-diversity.
Evening canoeing in the Samanalawewe Reservoir or Mountain Biking Trail. Then, dinner and overnight stay in Eco Lodge/Cottage in Belihuloya.
Day
6: Horton Plains
Start the journey around 6:00 am, after an early breakfast or with pocketed
breakfast, from Belihuloya to Horton Plains Nature Reserve.
Horton Plains, most certainly one of the best nature reserves, which consist of famous world's end, Baker's fall, Chimmini Pool etc. Approximate hike to cover all these world be 5km. Most of the day both small and big World's Ends are covered with mist and clouds. So, one must have patience to wait at these points for clouds to clear to get a glimpse of steep drops. The big world's end has a sheer drop of 3700 feet.
Picnic lunch at Horton Plains. Then, start the mountain biking trail from Horton Plains to Belihuloya.
This particular route has got its name as "Satan's Steps" due to the steepness and narrow sharp bends, -mainly hairpin bends. You should not get deceived by the good road condition when you cycle first few km's, as the condition of the main climb is really bad and worth conquering. One of the main highlights on this route would be the Sri Lanka's highest Waterfall, "Bambarakanda Waterfall" which has a height of 790 ft. Having a dip in the natural rock pool at the bottom of this fall would be an unforgettable experience.
You would cycle approximately 21 km, along this road downhill to Kalupahana to meet your vehicle. From Kalupahana you will be driven to Belihuloya, which is 14 km away.
Trekking/traveling in a vehicle, options are available at no extra cost but should be requested at the time of booking.
Dinner and overnight stay at the Cottage/Eco Lodge.
Day
7: Kithulgala
Early morning Agro Tour in the area. Then, after breakfast, proceed
toward Kithulgala for a white water rafting.
