NEW YEAR – Treasures of Sri Lanka 5 days tour + 3 days beach

Colombo Arrive at Bandaranaike International Airport in Colombo. Meet and assist on arrival at the airport by local partner.. We begin our exploration of Sri Lanka with a panoramic tour of the capital city of Colombo, once a small port city, which developed into a major commercial and business centre after the arrival of the Portuguese in the 16th century.During the city tour we will experience the remains of the colonial architecture, the former British administrative centre and military garrison, the waterfront Seay Street - the area of the goldsmiths and the Petta market, one of the most impressive mosques - the Jami Ul-Alfar Masjid, known as the Red Mosque.We will also see the Dutch Church of Volwendal dating from 1749 and the Dutch Hospital from 1681. We will pass by the Bandaranaike International Convention Center,with the copy of the Avukana Buddha and Independence Square. Stop at Kelaniya Temple, one of the most famous Buddhist shrines in Sri Lanka, a place visited by Buddha in the eighth year of enlightenment.Check in at Citrus Hotel Waskaduwa 4**** or similar.Dinner and overnight.

Beach or optional excursion Breakfast.Free day for beach or optional excursion.Dinner.Overnight. *Visit to the Dutch fort in Galle,boat trip on the Madu river and visit to a turtle farm.

Beach or optional excursion Breakfast.Free day for beach or optional excursion.Dinner.Overnight. *Seeing whales that reach up to 30 m. in length and a mass of 120 tons, the largest and rarest mammals on earth. And one of the best places in the whole world to see them is Sri Lanka. We leave the hotel early in the morning and head to the harbour, where we will board a boat and head to the places where whales are most commonly seen for a 3-4 hour adventure in the middle of the Indian Ocean. After the boat cruise we will be taken to the Nature trails hotel in Unawatuna where we will enjoy a delicious lunch. In the early afternoon we will have a return departure back to our hotels.

The Coast - Pinawala - Dambulla At 07.00hrs we head to Dambulla with a roadside stop at the elephant orphanage in Pinawala. Established in 1975 to house injured elephants and baby elephants left alone in the wild, this sanctuary, has today become one of the opportunities to observe these amazing animals in close to their natural habitat. A unique experience not to be missed is to observe their daily rhythm of feeding and "taking a bath" in the Mahaoya River. Continuing on to Dambulla, we will visit the largest and best preserved cave temple complex in Sri Lanka-the Golden Temple, located atop a 160m high cliff. There are more than 80 documented caves in the surrounding area. The main attractions are located in five caves of varying sizes, which since 1981 have been on the UNESCO World Heritage List.In them you will see the richest collection of murals and Buddha statues-153 Buddha statues, three statues of Sri Lankan kings and four statues of gods and goddesses. The latter include Vishnu and Ganesha. The murals cover an area of 2,100 square metres (23,000 sq ft). The images on the walls of the caves include the temptation by the demon Mara and the Buddha's first sermon.Dinner and overnight at Amaya Lake Hotel 4**** or similar.

Dambulla - Sigiriya - Hirivaduna - Polunaruwa - Dambulla After breakfast we head to one of the most famous tourist attractions in Sri Lanka - Sigiriya. The rock fortress, also known as the Lion Rock because of the huge lion that used to guard its entrance, is the next UNESCO site we will visit. On top of a cliff rising 180 m high are the remains of a 5th century palace with extensive gardens and a pool. To reach the top, from where you can enjoy a spectacular panoramic view, you have to climb nearly 1200 steps. According to historical records, the rock was inhabited by people in ancient times. In the 5th century BC, mountain monasteries began to be built there, interspersed with numerous tunnels and caves. The construction of the fortresses located on the upper parts of the rock took place during the reign of the king of the Caesars (477-495). According to Sri Lankan historical sources, King Dharusen was walled up alive by his own son Kasap, who seized the throne belonging to the king's other son, Mughallan. To escape certain death, Mughallan fled to India, where he set about raising an army against his treacherous brother.Kasap was feared, so he built a palace with a fortress high in the Sigiriya mountains. Soon, Mogallan declared war on Kasap and, after sustaining victory, restored the rock's status as a monastic complex.In the end, the rock failed to save its king, but it did succeed in preserving ancient Sinhalese culture.The summit of Sigiriya is reached by a narrow staircase that passes between the paws, body and head of a huge lion carved into the rock, of which only the paws remain today. At the top was a flat terrace of 20 acres, in the middle of which rose a magnificent palace with magnificent gardens and pools, all lined with marble and decorated with jewels. It has not been ascertained who the persons in the frescoes are or what their origin is. All that is known is that there were 500 portraits, of which only 18 can be seen today.They date from the 8th and 10th centuries AD. They depict ladies from the court of King Cassius. Other figures depicted include gods, goddesses and other celestial beings. We continue to the settlement of Hirivaduna to soak in the authentic traditional atmosphere of Sri Lanka. The experience includes a catamaran ride among the waters of a large man-made lake full of water lilies and white ibis, a cooking lesson and a traditional lunch served on lotus leaves. In the afternoon, visit Sri Lanka's second medieval capital, Polunaruwa, impressive for its architecture, monuments and scenery (UNESCO). Return to hotel in the Dambulla area Amaya Lake 4**** or similar. Dinner. Overnight.

Dambulla - Matale - Kandy After breakfast we continue to Kandy via Matale to visit a spice farm. Matale is gaining popularity because of the abundance of planted agricultural areas with spices - cinnamon, turmeric, ginger, cloves, nutmeg, cardamom, etc. Kandy is a World Heritage Site, the second largest city in the country and the last royal capital of King Sri Vikrama Rajasinghe - before it was placed under British rule in 1815. It is touted as the most important Buddhist shrine in the country as it houses the Temple of the Tooth of Buddha. According to legend, the Buddha's canine tooth was rescued from a funeral pyre in India in 543 BC and secretly brought to Sri Lanka sometime around the 4th century AD in the hair of an unknown princess. It is believed that whoever possesses the tooth has the divine right to rule this land. Our program includes a visit to the Dalada Maligawa Buddhist Temple, or Temple of the Buddha's Tooth, and a visit to a gemstone factory where you will learn about their extraction and processing. Check in at a hotel in the Kandy area Amaya Hills 4**** or similar.Dinner and overnight.

Kandy - Peradeniya - Nuwara Eliya After breakfast, depart and visit the Royal Botanical Gardens in Peradeniya, founded in 1821. The garden is famous for its rich collection of orchids, palms and giant ficus trees. We continue to Nuwara Eliya with a roadside stop at a tea plantation. Ceylon (Sri Lanka's old name) is where the best tea in the world is produced. You will have the opportunity to learn interesting facts about the cultivation of the tea tree and the production of the precious beverage, as well as taste the locally prepared tea. Nuwara Eliya is a small colonial town built by the British 230 km from Colombo in central Sri Lanka, located at an altitude of 1884 m. It is a favorite place for tourists who are tired of the heat and love the coolness and picturesque scenery of the mountains and tea plantations. In 1826, British officers accidentally came across the plains of Nuwara Eliya and Sir Edward Barnes explored them. In 1828, a road was built across the ridge at Ramboda Pass and a place was created for recovering soldiers. It was Sir Samuel Baker who fell under the spell of Nuwara Eliya, bringing hounds, horses and cattle and establishing a typical English farm here. Flowers and vegetables were brought and planted from England. Today the main attraction of Nuwara Eliya is the huge tea plantations and factories located in the very centre of the island of Sri Lanka (Ceylon). Nuwara Eliya is the highest tea growing region in the world. Plantations of incredible size are located at an altitude of more than 2500 meters above sea level. This is evidenced by the very name Nuwara Eliya, which translates as "above the clouds" or "city of light" near the sun. Here, tea bushes are surrounded by tall eucalyptus trees, majestic cypress trees and meadows on which mint grows. Thanks to this, the drink takes on special, unique flavours. Tea has been grown here for more than 150 years and throughout this time its quality has remained at the highest level.Accommodation at hotel in Nuwara Eliya Araliya Red 4**** or similar.Dinner and overnight.

Departure Ella - a picturesque small town about two hours from Nuwara Eliya. The area has a rich biodiversity, with numerous varieties of flora and fauna. Ella is surrounded by cloud forest covered hills and tea plantations. The town has a cooler climate than the surrounding lowlands due to its altitude. Ella Gap affords views of the southern plains of Sri Lanka. We then continue to the coast of Kalutara. The journey takes about 4 hours. Check in at the hotel on the coast, Pegasus Reef 4**** or similar.Dinner and overnight.

Colombo-Sofia Breakfast.
Check out at 12 pm. Transfer to Bandaranaike airport for flight to Bulgaria.

Sofia Arrival at Sofia Airport.