Soft - Eco Team MTB trails
If you prefer cycling but aren't so keen on struggling with uphill climbs, there are many interesting trails in the lowlands of Sri Lanka that take you through a beautiful landscape of tea, rubber and spice plantations or even the ancient capital of Pollonaruwe. |
PROGRAMME |
: Peddling Lanka - Graded: Soft |
DURATION |
: 9 nights / 10 Days. |
PERIOD |
: Valid until April 2007 |
|
| |
Highlights of the Tour
|
- Dambulla Temple visit & Sangamuwa Inscription site visit ( location for world's 1 st Written ceasfire agreement in the 11 th Century )
- Visits to Historical cities of Sigiriya & Polonnaruwa – World Heritage sites
- Visit & stay over at “ Veddha “ Native people camp in Dambana & interaction with the Natives
- Knuckles Mountain Range visit
- Hill capital of Kandy & the Sacred Temple of the Tooth Relic of the Buddha
- Yala National Park – Safaris
|
Brief Itinerary
|
- Day 1 – Arrival
- Day 2 – Cycling to Dambulla
- Day 3 – Transfer by vehicle to Sigiriya & then Cycling to Polonnaruwa
- Day 4 – Cycling to Mahiyangana/ Dambana
- Day 5 – Cycling to Kandy via Knuckles Mountain Range -
(Transfer by vehicle available as a option )
- Day 6 – In Kandy – Visit to tour sites by Vehicle or Cycling
- Day 7 – Cycling to NuwaraEliya
- Day 8 – Transfer by Vehicle to Yala – Soft Cycling trail on the way - optional
- Day 9 – Yala – Safari – Transfer by vehicle to Hikkaduwa
- Day 10 – Departure – End of Programme or Beach stay - Extension
|
| |
|
 |
Arrival at the Bandaranaike International Airport & transfer to a Hotel in Negombo – Sunset Baech or similar
At leisure at the hotel after a long flight.
Dinner & overnight stay at Sunset Beach or similar . |
Day 2 - Negombo - Dambulla (FB) |
|
Leaving to Dambulla after breakfast by Cycles . Dambulla is located in the north central province of Sri Lanka and it's a centre point for many archeological and cultural attractions.
On the way visit “Sangamuwa” Inscription and “Dambulla” temple
Sangamuwe Temple Inscription - It's an agreement made between two provincial kings [Gajabahu II and Parkaramabahu I] in the 11 th century and said to be the world's first written cease fire agreement.
Lunch “Gimanhala” Restaurant.
 DAMBULLA an ancient city, is known for its beautiful Cave temples and a huge Buddha statue.
The history of the 5 caves containing over 150 images of Buddha goes back to 1st century BC when king Valagambahu took refuge here.
Dinner and overnight stay at Gimanhala Rest or similar |
Day 3 - Dambulla – Sigiriya - Polonnaruwa (FB) |
|
After breakfast visit the historic Sigiriya Rock located in the North Western Province of Sri Lanka and considered to be the Eighth Wonder of the World. It dates back over 7,000 years, through the pre-historic to the proto-historic to the early history of Sri Lanka .
POLONNARUWA
 After Sigiriya , visit Polonnaruwa the medevial capital of Sri Lanka, housing incredible archaeological wonders from the 11 th to the 13 th Century.
Site visits in Polonarruwa will be done in cycles and this will be an interesting feature of your itinerary.
Lunch at Polonarruwa Rest House.
Dinner and overnight stay at P olonnaruwa Rest House. |
Day 4 - Polonnaruwa - Mahiyanganaya - Dambana (FB) |
|
| After breakfast leave for Dambana by Cycles where we link up with one of the pioneering eco-tourism partnerships established with Sri Lanka’s aboriginal people, the Veddha’s . The archaeological history of the Veddhas, dates all the way back to the pre and proto history of Sri Lanka. After lunch at the campsite we will join the Veddha community on a mock hunt and then go down to the Veddha village to observe a demonstration of their long-held traditional dances and rituals, by a campfire in the night. |
 Overnight stay at the Eco Team Dambana Veddha Campsite .
Forget any ideas about cramped tents and sitting on the ground for mealtimes – this is camping in style! The site is set up prior to your arrival, with everything from the kitchen sink, chairs and tables, toilets, showers and cold beer being transported in. In the evening you can enjoy a hearty barbecue meal in a magical setting – the whole area is lit up with traditional flame torches and a roaring campfire. So sit back, relax and let our experienced staff cater to your every need. |
Day 5 - Dambana - Kandy (FB) |
|
After Breakfast leave for a cycling journey to Kandy via Haslaka / Hettipola / Pallegma. [Through the Knuckles range – Coach Ride available as a option )
The Knuckles Mountain range (so-called because its appearance resembles a set of knuckles in a closed fist) has been declared a protected conservation area, now known as the ‘Knuckles National Heritage and Wilderness area'. The region stretches an impressive 155 sq km that contains five major forest formations, a wide variety of rare and endemic flora and fauna and some breathtaking mountain scenery. It is a paradise for those who love to hike or mountain bike, offering a wide variety of trails to explore this fabulous area.
 Kandy - Capital of the hill country has a lot to offer- -History / culture / Forested hills and a touch of urban buzz. Kandy was the last capital of the Singhalese Kingdom which fell to the British in 1815 after aborted attempts at capture by the Portuguese and Dutch . Eveing visit to Dalada Maligawa.( Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic of the Buddha , The founder of Buddhism ), a world heritage site
Dinner and over night stay at Hotel Suisse or similar |
|
|
After breakfast visit a Gem Museum , a Batik Factory and The Royal Botanical Gardens in Peradeniya in the outskirts of Kandy town , The history of the gardens goes as far back as 1371. The garden is a horse-shoe-shaped peninsula around which flows the chief river of Sri Lanka , the Mahaweli. The total area of 147 acres contains more than 4000 plant species.
Lunch in the city at a suitable location .
Evening visit to “Udawattakele”- Forest Reserve
Udawattakele is a Buddhist sanctuary with a temple also in the vicinity. Vegetation comprises fairly dense forest, mostly plantation and secondary formations. About 80 species of birds have been recorded from the area
Evening Kandyan Cultural show
Dinner and over night stay at Hotel Suisse or similar |
Day 7 - Nuwara Ekiya (FB) |
|
Leaving to Nuwaraeliya ( Cycling ) after early breakfast.
Nuwaraeliya
 Nuwara Eliya has a cool sparkling climate with the temperature dipping to around 13degC at times . This is an exquisite and healthy city famous for its wide range of flowers. With buildings of English architecture , it is affectionately called little England.
On the way On the way visit a working tea factory and tea plantation and observe the blending process of the world's best tea
Lunch at Grand Hotel & then leave for a city Tour in the Evening
Dinner & night stay over at Grand Hotel or similar at Nuwara Eliya. |
Day 8 - Nuwara Eliya - Yala [FB] |
|
After an early breakfast leave for Yala. [ Famous for its National Park ]
We will also stop at a few other places of natural and cultural places of interest while driving through the Ella Gap where we will stop for tea. On a clear day you can see over 100 kilometers to the eastern seaboard through this natural gap in the central province mountain chain. Soft Cycling Trail during Journey
We will check in to the hotel for a late lunch and leave for an Evening safari around 3.00pm.
Dinner and over night stay at Tissa Rest House or similar . |
|
|
After breakfast & with picnic Lunch leaving for a Half a day Safari at Yala national park.
Yala Park lies 24 km northeast of Tissamaharama and 290km from Colombo on the southeast coast of Sri Lanka and spans Southern and Uva provinces. The park consists of 97,878ha. The altitude is 90m from sea level. The vegetation in this park comprises secondary forest, possibly a few hundred years old at the most. It is predominantly semi-arid thorny-scrub, interspersed with pockets of fairly dense forest. Small patches of mangrove vegetation occur along the costal lagoons. Yala is renowned for the variety of its wildlife and its fine coastline and associated coral reefs.
A large number of important cultural ruins bear testimony to earlier civilizations and indicate that, much of the area was populated and well developed.
Finishing the safari you leave for “ Coral Sands hotel Hikkaduwa on the southern coast or similar . |
|
|
| Departure after Breakfast or a Extension of the stay at a Beach Resort |
- End of Tour - |
| Our Rates |
No of Pax |
|
|
|
05 Pax |
Rate per person US$ |
1599 |
1404 |
1222 |
1112 |
|
Single Supplement – US$ 136 per person |
| Cost Includes: |
- Transport in an air conditioned vehicle with a driver / guide
- Accommodation at the Hotels / camps with meals. ( Half Board on Day 1 & FB on all other days , inclusive of Breakfast on day 16 )
- Packed lunch as specified in the itinerary.
- Entrance fees to Dambulla Temple , Anuradhapura & Polonnaruwa historical cities , Temple of the Tooth Relic in Kandy , Horton Plains National Park , Adams Peak climb , Singharaja rain Forest , Wilpattu National Park & Jeep Safari
- Jungle treks at Tree Tops Lodge
- Fee to “Veddha “ people
- Cost of the cycling trails as mentioned in the itinerary.
- Cycles for clients - USD 10 Per day will be reduced if own bikes are brought by clients for tour
- Cycling guide & his accommodation fee
- Water & snacks for the tour
- Back up vehicle for trails - 4 Pax & above
- Stand by cycles for an eventuality.
- All government taxes & service charges.
|
Cost does not include: |
- Peak period supplements at hotels. .
- Expenses of a personal nature.
- Tips and Porterage at hotels.
- Any other services not specified above.
|
Payment policy: Full payment with confirmation. |
Cancellation Policy: |
- 90 Days or more - 250 US $ Administrative fee
- 60 to 89 Days - 15 % of the tour cost will be charged
- 30 to 59 Days - 25 % of the tour cost will be charged
- 14 Days to 29 Days - 50 % of the tour cost will be charged.
- 8 Days to 13 Days - 75 % of the tour cost will be charged.
- Less than 7 days no refund.
Eco Team should receive the cancellation in writing. Tour start day is not considered for computation of the period. |
The above mentioned descriptions and programmes have been compiled after long, arduous, exploratory, and expensive work and hence is the property of Eco Team (Pvt) Ltd. Making use of these programmes/descriptions for any public or commercial programmes requires the permission of the said company. |
Naturally our ready made programmes will come cheaper than the tailor make programmes. How ever we are flexible enough to do minor changes to the ready made itineraries, with out any charge.? Please write to us
Do you own programme – Visit the location and activity pages on our site and you will come across mini tours in all of those pages. By combining them you can design your own tour. We will complete it by adding on the hotels and other cultural locations you may require.
Your tour will be handled by an experienced travel consultant who will provide a personalized service.
On certain occasions our standard programmes could be cheaper than a tailor made programme for a specific client. But rest assured that we are flexible enough to effect minor changes to a standard programme as required by you, our valuable clients & offer same at no extra cost. Please contact us at reachme@srilankaecotourism.com we will do the needful.
You also have the facility of designing your own programmes by visiting our location and activity pages on the website and accessing the mini tours segment in those pages & selecting an appropriate combination. Our experienced travel consultants will then add the finishing touches to the programme & provide a costing based on same. |
|
