Hummingbird-Experiences-Sri-Lanka
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Experiences of a Lifetime Culinary Journey with a local market visit Season your holiday in Sri Lanka with a culinary journey to understand the subtle art of the island’s exotic cuisines. Visit the local market to pick the correct ingredients to cook that perfect rice and curry in an authentic mud-hut. USD 50 per person (min. 2 guests) Mask Man Spend time with a celebrated local artist from the village of Ambalangoda, and witness how the local masks are being carved and painted. If you want you can learn the art of how to do the carving and painting as well. USD 80 per person (min. 2 guests) Walk with an Elephant Enjoy a peaceful elephant experience where you will walk with an elephant while the European volunteers who work at the foundation will explain what they are all about. Get up-close and personal with the elephants by bathing them in the river and you can get on their back while they sit in the river and the elephant will give you a nice river bath with its trunk. USD 40 per person Virgin White Tea 4000 years ago the Chinese emperor employed virgins wearing soft silky gloves to cut the tea leaves with gold scissors into a golden bowl. It was a drink exclusively served in the Imperial court. Virgin White Tea is the rarest type of white tea, completely untouched by humans from the tea bush to production and until it reaches the lips of the consumer. You will visit this tea factory who’s entire production is bought by Mariage Freres International – Paris. The only other place in the world that this brand is available for purchase will be at the factory that you are visiting. USD 15 per person Royal Gardens of Peradeniya with a Botany Host The Royal Botanical Gardens of Peradeniya is house to some of the best plants and herbs in the island. All the Kings, Queens and monarchs who had visited Sri Lanka used to take a stroll down these paths and they left their mark at the garden by planting various trees to remember their visit. Who best to explain about this magnificent story than a Professor of Botany from the Peradeniya University who will give you a private guided tour. He has written many books about the garden as well. USD 65 per person Hummingbird Colombo Journey Think you have seen it all in Colombo? Allow us to take you around and show the hidden gems in the city which are breathtaking to experience. Visit to a place which contains over 200 paintings and drawings which traces the development of art in the island from the 1920’s. These belongs to the original founders of the 43 Group who laid the foundation of modern art. Do you know that the actual hair relics of Lord Buddha is enshrined in a temple in Colombo and it’s visible? Witness the smallest Buddha statue in the world as well. USD 20 per person UNESCO Galle Fort Walk with an expert resident Go on a walk around the 17th century Galle Fort with a 4th generation Galle based resident, exploring the many cobblestoned pathways of the Fort while discovering the secrets behind this UNESCO World Heritage site. USD 65 per person (min. 2 guests) Leopard Man Enjoy a personally guided wildlife safari experience with Noel Rodrigo – one of the best veterans in the island for leopards and bears. He discovered his passion for wildlife at a young age and loves sharing his knowledge of Sri Lanka’s national parks with like-minded individuals. This experience includes 2 game drives and doesn’t include the camping expenses. USD 225 per person (2 game drives – min 2 guests) Hummingbird Jaffna Journey Explore ruins from Colonial era, then from the Jaffna Kingdom times which was founded in 1215 and from the civil war times, during your journey through the North most city of the island. Discover a bottomless well even many European professional divers failed to find the bottom. Visit the Jaffna fort and the Nallur kovil while visiting Deegawapi temple which was visited by Lord Buddha himself. Bathe in a sacred pond in Keeramalai which is said to have healing powers. USD 100 per person (min 2 guests – including private boat ride to Nagadeepa island) Black Prince of Ceylon Visit the house of the most notorious monarch during the Colonial era where he lived like a king in his own domain. His house had 121 rooms and he controlled over 80,000 acres. Had his own courthouse in the house which could seat upto 100 people. The Black Prince decorated his floor with British coins with the Queen’s face upwards so that everyone would walk over. USD 15 per person Underground Ancient Castle Ever seen an ancient castle built underground, deep inside the Earth’s core? Gear up and climb down to the depths of the world and be amazed by how air circulation is provided even after several hundred meters in. Bathe in the Royal Pond which is also called the “Blue Pond” since the water is of clear blue color. From this point on you will see the chambers of the castle. Rates on request Colonial Silence at the Delft An island frozen in time with no vehicle sounds but filled with ancient colonial castles, courthouses, mythical shrines with growing stones and giant foot prints, hundred meter long horse stables, etc. This is the only place in Sri Lanka where you can see wild horses running around freely in their natural habitat. USD 310 per person (min. 2 guests – including a private boat transfer to Delft Island + packed lunch) Hidden Rock Fortress in Ampara A lost and forgotten rock fortress built in Ampara around 1st century BC where the man made 60 feet by 60 feet royal pond is at the top of the rock with ancient inscriptions and a stone paved pathway to the top. USD 80 per person (min. 2 guests) Great Barrier Reef of Sri Lanka Looking for something that only a few had explored? About ten kilometers away from the south east of Sri Lanka, there exists a place of great mysticism & romance. Spanning almost Forty Kilometers and being the last frontier for an island against the merciless forces of a massive ocean which only ends at the frigid wastelands of Antarctica, this is the magnificent Basses Ridge, the great barrier reef of Sri Lanka. On the reef itself are two off shore lighthouses built by the British called Little Basses & Great Bases which even withstood the great tsunami without any damages. To this date the lighthouses are maintained by the UK Lighthouse Authorities. USD 150 per person (min. 2 guests) Hummingbird Anuradhapura Journey Tired of the guided tours visiting temple after temple? Our Journey through Anuradhapura is a highly personalized and hand picked collection of sites. Did you know that Mirisaveti, Ruwanweli and Jetavana temples align perfectly with the Orion’s Belt star constellation? The only other 3 places this happens in the world are with the great pyramids of Egypt, Mayans pyramids and in Angkor Wat. Also did you know that Sri Maha Bodhiya is the oldest living tree in the world with a known planting date? USD 40 per person Ceylon Walkabout with the Veddas At Gal Oya remains the last communities of a dying Vedda tribe - the ancient forest-dwelling, indigenous people of Sri Lanka. You will take a walk with the village Chief through the jungles of his ancestors. Discover and learn about local nature as he brings the forest alive, explaining his tribe’s use of medicinal plants, ancient hunting grounds and cave dwellings. It’s a fascinating insight into how the hunter- gatherers lived in the jungles of Gal Oya. USD 60 per person High Tea with a Celebrity Author Enjoy an evening with one of the island’s best recognized modern authors who had written many award winning books. Meet Ashok during high tea at the Galle Face Hotel and discuss what inspired him to write these many diversified books. Rates on request Viceroy Vintage Train Carriage Train travel in Sri Lanka is a unique experience. The train still runs on the legendary route built in the 19th century. The carriage has been refurbished in period style to reflect an ancient charm to be compatible with the authentic Viceroy Special. This special carriage has a scheduled train ride on the months of August and December. USD 35 per person Ceylon Tea Journey by Cycle Scotsman James Taylor planted the first tea bush in the island in 1867 and now Sri Lanka is very famous for its Tea. Start the journey by cycling to the Nuwara Eliya Golf Course for a morning Ceylon Black Tea and explore the golf club which was founded in 1889. Afterwards cycle to Pedro Tea estate to learn the art and secrets of Ceylon tea with a guided tour and taste the factory’s signature tea brand – “Champagne of Sri Lanka”. Then cycle through the tea estates and country side to the Hakgala Botanical Garden. USD 105 per person (min. 2 guests) Lost World Exploration in Kumana National Park Kumana is very famous for its many varieties of birds, but deep inside the jungle lies a slumbering city, waiting to be discovered with 30 meter long giant sleeping Buddha statues, ancient caves with Brahmin inscriptions. Another well kept secret is that the jungles of Kumana is filled with leopards and sloth bears. Therefore this is another good substitute to Yala, without all the tourists.