Explore Sri Lanka Wildlife and History with Yala-Galle 2 Days Tour 

Day 1:: Meet & greet by "Seerendipity Tours" Representatives and proceed to hotel in Yala, En-route safari at Yala national park.

YALA NATIONAL PARK
Yala is considered to be one of the oldest national parks in Sri Lanka same time it is the biggest national park in Sri Lanka with 97880 hectares extent. Initially it was used as hunting ground during the British rule in Sri Lanka. It is said people had to pay for the hunting in Yala. As the number of animal drastically reduced due to hunting, Yala is declared as a national park in 1900 and became a safe place for animals. Yala being the biggest national park is divided to 5 zones. Yala is holding a prominent place as far as bio-diversity is concern. Yala is famous high density of wild life such as Leopards, Elephants, Deer, Wild boar, Bear, monkey’s etc.
Yala is considered to be one of the best places to witness leopards in the world. There were 17 ½ leopards in every 100 square kilometers in Yala national park. Block 1 of Yala National park could be home to the densest population of leopards in the world, the densities in this tiny area has maintained around a leopard every 2 sq. kilometers. Unlike most other national parks where leopards can be seen in dark Sri Lanka leopards are in move during the day as well.

KATARAGAMA TEMPLE

Kataragama, the domain of God Skanda (Lord Murugan Katirkaman, Kadirkamam, Subrahmanya, Kandasamy, Kadiradeva, Katiradeva, Katiravel, Karttikeya, and Tarakajith) located in the Deep South of Sri Lanka, adjoining the popular Ruhuna Yala National Park and ancient Sithulpawwa Buddhist Monastery, is a multi-religious sacred city that contains a Buddhist temple, Hindu shrine and Islamic Mosque. Kataragama, one of the solosmasthana (Sinhala: 16 principal sites of Buddhist pilgrimage), features in the history since the era of King Dutugamunu (161-137 BC), the Hero of the Nation. Mahawamsa, the great historical chronicle of Sri Lanka reveals the participation of warriors of Kshatriyas clan from Kataragama on the occasion of the arrival of the Bo sapling of Bodhi Tree, under which Gautama Buddha attained enlightenment in Bodh Gaya (Gaya district of the modern Bihar state of India), was brought to the city of Anuradhapura 2,300 years ago.
Overnight stay in Yala -Saraii village

Day 2:: Leave for Colombo via Galle Bentota after the breakfast.

Sit down by the waters, dip your toes in the lake and enjoy the greatest meal of the day. Allow yourself to be lulled into blissful rest by birdsong, or be awakened by the wind’s whispers caressing you through the turquoise lake around you.

GALLE

The fort has a colorful history, and today has a multi-ethnic and multi-religious population. The Sri Lankan government and many Dutch people who still own some of the properties inside the fort are looking at making this one of the modern wonders of the world. The heritage value of the fort has been recognized by the UNESCO and the site has been inscribed as a cultural heritage UNESCO World Heritage Site under criteria iv, for its unique exposition of "an urban ensemble which illustrates the interaction of European architecture and South Asian traditions from the 16th to the 19th centuries.
The Galle Fort, also known as the Dutch Fort or the "Ramparts of Galle", withstood the Boxing Day tsunami which damaged part of coastal area Galle town. It has been since restored. The Galle Fort also houses the elite Amangalla resort hotel, located near the Dutch Reformed Church. It was originally built in 1684 to house the Dutch Governor and his staff. It was then converted into a hotel and named then as the New Oriental Hotel in 1865, which catered to the European passengers traveling between Europe and Galle Port in the 19th century.

STAR FORT MATARA

Star fort and the Dutch fortress are most prominent colonial construction in Matara. Both are located near the city center and only ten minutes walk away. Star fort houses the archeological museum with a collection of large number of valuable artifacts. As the name suggest star fort takes a shape of a star and surrounded by a ditch and a huge wall.

HUMMANAYA/BLOW HOLE

Blow hole is just 30 minutes s drive away from Matara and can be accessed very easily on the Matara-Tangalle main road. It is one of the most awesome natural attractions in the country. This natural fountain is located on the beaches of Kudawella and the waters rises up to 30 meters. The fountain came being due to the pressure generated by the high tide of the sea. The blow hole is located in a rocky out crop, where the water is pressed through a natural hole, making a huge fountain.
Another uncrowned beach resort near Matara, that you never see so busy like Bentota or Kalutara. Still the beaches in Mirissa are well worth of make a visit. The beaches are very wide and clean providing best setup for beach holiday enthusiasts. Mirissa is not only suitable for beach hopping but also for diving, snorkeling and mainly for surfing.

BENTOTA

Bentota beach is the most popular beach holiday destination in the island. The unique location of Bentota beach resort is one important reason for its popularity as a beach holiday destination. Bentota resort is located on an island and the island is connected with the main land at its southern border. Bentota is mainly comprised of narrow strip of land that spreads along the north-south axis. Unlike most other island, Bentota is surrounded by both sea and a river. One side of the island is the Bentota River while western side of Bentota is flanked by Indian Ocean. Large numbers of hotels are built in this narrow strip of land enabling the travelers to have a peaceful atmosphere during the holiday. You can a book a hotel in Bentota through Seerendipity Tours at very affordable rate online.

SEA TURTLE HATCHERY

Projects have been launched to conserve the population of turtles that are reaching extinction and such projects are found along the southern coast of Sri Lanka where turtles come ashore to lay their eggs. The turtle digs a hole on the Beach, Lays hers eggs and covers it with sand where it is supposed to, incubate by the heat of the sun. What often happens is, the eggs are dug out by fisherman and sold to people who consume them.
But now the eggs are bought up by the conservation projects and are hatched the Natural way in enclosed areas where the Birds don’t have a chance of picking them up and the babies are let in to the sea after two days at night time which offers them a better chance of survival.

GANGATILAKA TEMPLE KALUTARA

Kalutara is historically important due to the fact that it was one of the 32 places indicated by Arahant Mahinda Thera to the king Devananpiya Tissa in the 2nd century B.C. as a place where one of the thirty two saplings of the sacred Sri Maha Bodhi tree in Anuradhapura be planted, to which the King extended his patronage. It is recorded in the Sinhala Maha Bodhi Wansa that until such time when the Maritime Provinces were subjugated by the Portuguese in 1505 A.D., the historic Kalutara Bodhi exited intact. In the 16th century this sacred site was turned in to a Portuguese fort. Though no harm is supposed to have done to the Bodhi it was not venerated by the people during that period. It was after the planting of a Bodhi in lower terrace of Pahala Maluwa by an Indian Prince from the Pandya country named Wickrama Pandya in 1042 A.D. that the public began to venerated and consider the site as a sacred place. This prince from Indian became a viceroy in the Kalutara area.
After the Portuguese, the Dutch too use of the present upper terrace or the uda maluwa area as a camp followed by the British as well, subsequently. During the British period, since the latter half of the 19 century, it was used as an office premises with the residence of the Government Agent.

MADU GANGA BOAT TOUR

In the global context, the ecological importance of this site has garnered it the ‘Ramsar Wetland’ status in 2003 being the second largest wetland in Sri Lanka with a colossal 915 hectares with 23 islands inhabited by nearly 300 families. The River Sanctuary is now a Tourist Development Area and a Special Area Managed (SAM) by the Coast Conservation Department. Balapitiya is where the ‘Madu Ganga’ makes its home.

GALLE CITY

Galle is one of the ancient sea ports of Sri Lanka and was an anchor point in the Silk Route. It was later discovered by the Portuguese where they built a fortress and the Dutch that succeeded them fortified it further. This fortress is today a World Heritage Site.

UNAWATUNA BEACH

Unawatuna Beach is located just south of Galle, the main city in the south and 125km from Colombo, the capital of Sri Lanka. This 4km expanse of palm-fringed sand is said by some to rank amongst the twelve best beaches in the world. This beach is a paradise for all those who yearn to enjoy the silence of the sea and dive deep into the blue waters of the ocean. There is a reef protecting the beach, which makes it perfectly a safe haven for bathing. Other major attractions of this southern beach include shallow waters for swimming, and diving. Within its reach there is an accessible, reasonably well-preserved coral reef that serves as the base for snorkeling.

HIKKADUWA MARINE SANCTUARY

Hikkaduwa is one of the most popular tourist destinations in southern Sri Lanka. It is 98 kms south of Colombo and its beautiful beaches a lot of glamour to this town. It is the place where you can have a glimpse of the fascinating underwater world and see the creatures that inhabit the unfathomable depths of the sea. The famed coral gardens are located here. Just get hold of a glass bottomed boat or goggles and flippers and plunge into the ocean.

CITY & SHOPPING
The Yala and Galle tour will also include places of Tourist interest such as

• Star fort Matara
• Tissamaharama
• Gem museum
• Mask museum
• Hikkaduwa
• Stilt fishermen
• Unawatna

Shopping at

• Batik Factory
• Handicraft center
• Gem museum

Colombo and any location suburb

Colombo and any location suburb

• Accommodation on double room on H/B basis (breakfast, Dinner included) in a luxury hotel
• Transport in an air-conditioned vehicle with driver/guide
• Yala national park entrance fees and 4 wheel drive jeep hire
• Kataragama temple
• Blow hole/Hummanaya
• Galle sightseeing tour
• Galle fortress
• Star fort Matara
• Exploration of Hikkaduwa marine sanctuary with glass bottom boat
• Explore riverine vegetation such as mangroves and avian fauna of madu river
• All taxes

• Any meals not specified
• Video and Camera permits
• Expenses of personal nature such as tipping, porters, laundry, telephones, etc
• Any other services not specified

Important

The official check-in time at all hotels will be 1200hrs.

The official check-out time at all hotels will be 1100hrs.

Cancellation Charges

21 days or less                                    - 100% cancellation charge.

Between 21 days and 30 days           - 50% or the equivalent of the first two days charges.

Above 30 days                                   - No cancellation charges provided no commitment or advances are made   to 3rd parties.