Sri Lanka Foodies Tour - 7N 8D

Day 01 - Airport / Negombo - (Approximate travel time 20 mts) Day Negombo

1 This bustling, fishing town on the west coast of Sri Lanka (and close to the Bandaranaike International Airport), had a rather turbulent colonial history involving the Dutch, Portuguese and British due to the cinnamon trade. In fact, the wild cinnamon that grew in the region was described as ‘The very best in the universe as well as the most abundant’. The remnants of this colonial period remain with the strong Catholic Church influence in the town. The Negombo Lagoon and the many canals offer excellent birdwatching, the town’s Old Quarter is worth a visit, and the community is friendly and welcoming.

Welcome at the Airport by Helanka Vacations Representative and transfer to Negombo.

On arrival enjoy the Welcome Drinks, King Coconut. A tropical drink in Sri Lanka.

Arrive and check in to Hotel in Negombo.

Rest of the day at leisure after the flight.

Evening you will be able walk through the beach area. Seafood dishes such as the batter fried prawns are a specialty here. Other international and Sri Lankan cuisines are also available with special attention to presentation of food. Overnight stay in Negombo.

Day 02 - Negombo Day Breakfast at Hotel.

2 Following Breakfast, you will be visiting “Lellama” (the local fish markets), an auction which contains many species of fresh fish. With the assistance of your guide you may choose to bid for fish which you can use to cook later at the culinary class that is to be conducted.

A local chef will share his/her knowledge of Sri Lankan home cooking and familiarize you with components of a typical Sri Lankan sea food dish with Lunch.

Return to the hotel.

Evening free time to enjoy the beach or by the poolside.

Sea food / BBQ Dinner at the hotel.

Enjoy servings of fresh seafood and an array of mouth-watering dishes prepared by Hotel's culinary team through their Seafood BBQ Dinner Buffet. The feast is sure to satisfy your seafood craving with the array of crabs, prawns, fish and mussels.

Overnight stay in Negombo.

Day 03 - Negombo / Habarana - (Approximate travel time 3 - 4 hours) Day Habarana Situated towards the center of the island of Sri Lanka, northeast of Dambulla, 3 Habarana is the gateway to many of the region’s top attractions. The central highlight of the town is the beautiful Habarana Lake, around which bananas grow and elephants wander and bathe. Wildlife enthusiasts flock to the Minneriya and Kaudulla National Parks which are well populated with elephants and other wildlife. For those looking to take in some Sri Lankan culture, the sacred city of Anuradhapura, cave temples in Dambulla, and the UNESCO world heritage site of the Sigiriya Rock Fortress are all accessible from Habarana. A short 30-minute drive will take visitors to the magnificent Golden Buddha in Dambulla. This cave temple consist five caves filled with countless exquisite Buddha statues and murals.

Breakfast at Hotel. Proceed to Habarana.

On your way to Habarana, taste Pol Roti.

A rustic flatbread made up flour, grated coconut with diced green chilies and onions for extra texture. Since the Roti is made with flour and coconut the recipe is also vegan and vegetarian. They are served with a Spice Lunumiris Sandwiched between two Rotis with a curry.

En route visit Dambulla (The city where the famous cave temple is located) En route to Dambulla, you will take a stop at the wayside boutique at Kurunegala for a light but spicy snack of the famous "Pol roti" or coconut roti. You will also be able to cool your buds by trying King Coconut water, which of course has been the drink of choice in our island paradise.

Arrive and check in to Hotel in Habarana. Afternoon Safari tour of Minneriya National-Park.

The Minneriya National Park rests within the North Central Plains of the Island. Engulfed by an abundance of nature’s best, this park proves abode for verdant flora and stunning fauna alike. However, as each of Sri Lanka’s parks are renowned for varying reasons that relate to the animals that reside within, Minneriya does too in a gorgeous manner. The park is known for being the central gathering point of the magnificent Asian Elephant with numbers of up to 500 at once during the gathering season between June and September. Elephants of different herds, areas, communities, and families come together to bathe, feed, and interact with each other over the course of this phenomenal gathering. The Minneriya national park’s faunal species also include 24 species of mammals, 160 species of birds,

9 species of amphibians, 25 species of reptiles, 26 species of fish, and 75 species of butterflies.

Return to the hotel.

Overnight stay in Habarana.

Day 04 - Habarana / Village Tour / Habarana - (Approximate travel time 1hour) Day Breakfast at Hotel.

4 Today, you will be the witness of the authentic Sri Lankan village life with a visit and walk around the Hiriwaduna village which is set around a manmade reservoir with

amazing bird life. Enlightening and exhilarating, this authentic experience gives you

a glimpse of Sri Lankan village life where the villagers go about their daily chores, be

it fishing or laundry. You have not really eaten until your taste buds have

experienced the spicy local fare of traditional rice with Lunch.

Enjoy a local arrack cocktail and cooking demo before your lunch.

Return to the hotel and rest of the day at leisure.

Overnight stay in Habarana.

Day 05 - Habarana / - (Approximate travel time 2 – 3 hours) Day Kandy The second major city in Sri Lanka (the other being Colombo) lies in the midst of the 5 Kandy Plateau, an area of tropical tea plantations. A prominent feature is the , to the north of which lies the golden-roofed Relic, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and important place for Buddhist worship, as it is said to house a tooth relic of the Lord Buddha. Other fascinating places include the , the Buddhist Publication Society, the Kandyan Art Association and Cultural Centre, where crafts people can be seen at work, and the Kandy Muslim Hotel, which offers the finest spiced curries served with naan or roti’s.

Breakfast at Hotel.

Morning at leisure and proceed to Kandy, and en route visit a spice garden at Matale.

If variety is the spice of life, the variety of spices hand-reared and harvested at Matale Spice Garden, this is where you are heading to following breakfast. Here you’ll be able to watch the intricate process that results in Sri Lanka producing some of the best spice in the world.

Typical rice and curry lunch at the spice garden.

Following which you will continue to Kandy and enjoy a city tour, including the significant Temple of the Tooth Relic.

Dinner (Sri Lankan Kottu) at a local restaurant. Kottu, also known as koththu rotti or kothu roti is a Sri Lankan dish made from godhamba roti (a type of Sri Lankan roti) and vegetables, egg and/or meat, and spices. The bread is described as very similar to the type found in the south Indian kothu parotta. A common dinner dish, kottu has become popular in cities with a significant Sri Lankan diaspora population, such as Scarborough, Toronto and New York City's Tompkinsville neighborhood. Generally, the consumer chooses what and how much of the amount of ingredients are included if someone else is preparing. Koththu is considered the Sri Lankan equivalent of the hamburger, in terms of its popularity. Return to the hotel.

Overnight stay in Kandy.

Day 06 - Kandy / Nuwara Eliya - (Approximate travel time 2-3 hours) Day Nuwara Eliya 6 Nuwara Eliya is a beautiful mountain station in Sri Lanka known for its incredible scenery and abundant tea plantations. Sometimes referred to as “Little England’, the city is well-kept and neat and features British-style red-brick walls, mock-Tudor half-timbering and a very English country club. The surrounding areas offer breath- taking views of valleys, meadows, mountains and greenery, and most importantly a wonderful break from the heat and humidity of the coast. Tea Estates, waterfalls, and mountains complete the picture. Visitors can take guided tours of the tea plantations, meander through the roses, take a picturesque walk to the ‘Lovers’ Leap’ waterfall, and meander through orchids and giant cypresses at the Hakgala Gardens. Other highlights include the Seetha Amman and Nuwara Eliya Buddhist Temples and the Galway's Land National Park.

Breakfast at Hotel.

Proceed to a village home in Kandy.

Arrive and meet the people. Explore their lifestyle.

Enjoy a cookery demonstration, which will begin with paying a visit to the market to select from the fresh harvests. The demonstration will predominantly focus on the preparation of a typical menu consisting of fish, prawns, lentil vegetable curries, Sambal & rice. Enjoy the Lunch!

Thereafter proceed to Nuwara Eliya. Arrive and check into the hotel.

Nuwara Eliya has a salubrious climate with breath-taking views and is a resort city in the central mountain range of Sri Lanka. Following breakfast, you will travel to Nuwara Eliya to gain this exposure, visit a Tea Factory en route.

Tea tasting at the Factory. Sri Lankan tea known for generations as “Ceylon Tea” is reputed for its’ taste and aroma world over. Sri Lanka is the largest producer of

orthodox tea in the world. Currently, Sri Lanka ranks as the fourth largest tea producer of the world. In the global export front, the country holds the position of third largest exporter of tea. Sri Lanka applies ISO 3720 as the minimum standards for tea.

Arrive and check in to Hotel in Nuwara Eliya.

Overnight stay in Nuwara Eliya.

Day 07 - Nuwara Eliya / Colombo - (Approximate travel time 5 - 6 hours) Day Colombo Sri Lanka’s seaside metropolis of Colombo offers a laid-back atmosphere coupled 7 with a mixture of crumbling colonial buildings and glinting skyscrapers. Stroll to Pettah, Colombo’s main market and be dazzled by the variety of gems, the brightly colored fruit and vegetable stalls and the plethora of ayurvedic medicines on offer. Sample some of the city’s fine fare, from curries to crabs, in any one of the beachfront bistros or inner-city dining rooms. Nature lovers should head to Galle Face Green, a grassy promenade along the Indian Ocean for a stroll or take a scenic train ride to Mount Lavinia Beach.

Breakfast at Hotel.

Set on city tour in Nuwara Eliya. During the tour you will be able to vist the local market. Taste some fresh fruits.

The fruit and vegetable shops are full of wholesome local produce; mostly farmed organically. Stacked on makeshift shelves in attractive arrays the fruits are ready to eat with many varieties including apples, mangoes, oranges, melons, pineapples, grapes, wood apples, dragon fruit, mangos teens, strawberries and more. Some are imported and will have the sticker announcing the country they were imported from, along with being overpriced. You may want to avoid these if they wish for organic fresh fruit. The vegetables are usually fresh and homegrown; brought to the market straight from the farm.

Proceed to Colombo.

Colombo is a busy and vibrant city with a mixture of modern life and colonial buildings and ruins and on this day, you are headed out to explore to discover the countryside of Colombo.

Check into the hotel.

Evening visit and enjoy street food at Galle Face Green.

The Colombo Street Food Walk, starting at sundown with a shot of local alcohol, is geared for those prepared to take their taste buds on an adventure. Your guide will lead you through a maze of streets busy with workers and small clusters of people whiling away the evening after a tough day. Let your senses explore the sights and sounds of the food (Dinner but depending on the food guest taking on street. There

are several of different food) – the vibrant colors of the concoction that creates a sweet beeda (a curious digestive aid originating in India), the bubbling of the fiery red curries and the sweet earthy fragrance of hot porridge. End the evening with a meal by the sea, a traditionally popular haunt for much of the Colombo crowd, be it families or friends. Your evening with the host will last about two hours and we do recommend dressing conservatively as the walk takes you through areas steeped in culture.

Dinner at Nuga Gama.

Trust this restaurant set around a 200 year-old banyan tree, to cast its rural charm on you. ‘Nuga’ our pet cow who was rescued from the butcher, moos in the background, while the ‘kade’ or local grocery shop plays classic songs on the radio. When caw atop the banyan tree, our staff crows rings the bell hanging from one of the branches to shoo them away.

As the air around grows on you, enjoy our signature preparations made using jackfruit, wild mutton and village chicken as the main ingredients. The ammes would love to share their handed-down recipes and even patiently teach you how to cook them. As part of this immersive experience, stop by the ambalama, a community resting-place, while you sip on some ‘Yaara tea’; traditionally prepared tea. Take a round of our little organic farm, which adds on to our status as Asia’s first carbon neutral venue. It’s one of the secrets behind our hearty meals. Return to the hotel.

Overnight stay in Colombo.

Day 08 - Colombo / Airport - (Approximate travel time 1 hour) Day Breakfast at Hotel.

8 Morning free for shopping.

Late in the afternoon proceed to Airport in time for your departure

flight.

END OF TOUR…

Rates on request (based on 3* / 4* hotels)

Included  07 nights’ accommodation on Bed and breakfast basis.

 Transport in an air conditioned Car/Micro Van with an English speaking

Chauffeur. (Above 6pax – English Speaking National Guide).  Arrival & Departure transfers.  Lunches on Day 02, 04, 05 and 06.  Dinners on Day 02, 05 and 07.  Entrance fees for the sites as per the program.  Water bottle on Arrival.

 All applicable taxes (Subject to change without any prior notice).

Excluded

 Lunch / dinner during the tour (Except lunches & dinners mentioned above).  Early check in & late check out not included.  Tips and Porterage’s.  Other extra expenses of personal nature.  Camera & Video permits (for tourist sites mentioned).

 All extra expenses at Hotels.

 Visa fee charges.

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