Dambulla Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka has seduced travelers for centuries. Marco Polo described it as the finest island of its size in the world, while successive waves of Indian, Arab and European traders and adventurers flocked to its palm-fringed shores, attracted by reports of rare spices, tasty food, delicious tea, precious stones and magnificent elephants.

Day 1 - Arrival, Colombo

- Arrival at Colombo Airport and transfer to Pinnawala.
- Visit the Pinnawala Elephant orphanage.
- Journey to Sigiriya. Check in to the hotel and rest.
- Dinner & Overnight in Sigiriya.

Day 2 - Dambulla temple & Service project

- Visit Dambulla Temple, a vast isolated rock mass 500 feet high and a mile around the base. Here is found the famous Rock Temple dating to the First Century B.C.
- Proceed to the school and start the service project.
- After the welcome ceremony, ITS will source and provide all project materials in line with the recommendations of the school.

Day 3 - Sigiriya & Service project

- This morning we will climb the 5th century Sigiriya rock fortress which is a world heritage site, built by King Kashyapa (477- 495 AD). The “Lion Rock” is a citadel of unusual beauty rising 200 meters from the scrub jungle.
- Service Project: there will be time today to interact with some of the students in leading some games and spending some time in the classroom. Time will be spent making the finishing touches to the project.

Day 4 - Service project

- Whole day at the school. The students will have a great opportunity to give some time to the children at the school, and take part in a variety of activities throughout the day. The school will arrange some events with our students:
- Sports games: football, Cricket is a must in this country.
- Cultural dances: it may be a good idea to prepare a dance too;
- Questionnary to test our knowledge…

Day 5 - Polonnaruwa & Minneriya NP

- Visit Polonnaruwa by bicycles, a world heritage site which was the 2nd capital city of Sri Lanka and built in the 11th and 12th centuries AD.
- We will do a safari at Minneriya National Park, a 8889 hectares park famous for its large population of Elephants

Day 6 - Farewell & Kandy

- You will visit the School for a farewell party before transferring back to Kandy.
- On the way we will have time to visit a spice garden in Matale to see the different spices for which Sri Lanka is famous.
- After lunch we will arrive in Kandy which was the last capital of the Sri Lankan kings and is a World Heritage Site. The name “Kandy” conjures visions of splendor and magnificence.
- Before dinner at our hotel, we will attend to a Dance & Music Cultural Performances for which the city is famous.

Day 7 - Departure

- After check out, visit the Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic, which holiness has grown in Sri Lanka and throughout the Buddhist world. It is considered Sri Lanka’s most prized possession.
- We will take our bus to Negombo where we will enjoy a relaxing time at our hotel before your flight home in the evening.
Today’s activities and overnight will depend on your flight schedule.