Itinerary for Ms. Danielle Beaudette & Party Prepared in association with Largay Travel March 06th – 20th, 2017 (800) 318-7801 GREAVES TOURS LLC Complex and dazzling, India is a place where destination knowledge is paramount. With our help, traveling to the Sub-Continent is easy and fun. From our offices in the US, UK and India, Greaves provides expert advice, tailor- made or custom itineraries and on-the-ground support. A WORLD OF EXPERIENCE Family owned and operated and now with three generations working in various offices, Greaves’ professional and cultural roots lie in India and stretch back over several generations. Armed with specialist knowledge of the Sub-Continent, having taken clients there for over 30 years, Greaves can offer a unique and expert experience to the modern traveller. Expect a high level of service from your first point of contact to your last moments in India; Greaves can orchestrate your whole itinerary helping you to decide the destinations that appeal specifically to you – from India to Nepal, Tibet, Bhutan, the Maldives, Sri Lanka and the Indian Ocean Islands. Greaves provides personal support and invaluable advice – from fine-tuning your expedition, to arranging reassuring airport meets, English-speaking guides and efficient transfers. Greaves can provide private planes to remote safari parks, a private chauffeur driven car to navigate the Golden Triangle, or a traditional train journey with panoramic views through some of India’s remotest countryside. With this personalized attention from Greaves’ staff in the US and on the ground in India, you are able to completely relax and enjoy a stress-free, inspirational and truly unforgettable vacation. Ms. Danielle Beaudette & Party Page 2 of 21 ©Greaves Tours LLC in association with Largay Travel – Tel: 203 346 1693 www.greavesindia.com Itinerary DATE DAY DESCRIPTION ACCOMMODATION MEALS* The Gateway Airport Garden - - - Mar 06 Arrive Colombo – Negombo Hotel Mar 07 Negombo – Kandy Amaya Hills Hotel B - - Mar 08 Kandy Amaya Hills Hotel B - - Kandy – Peradeniya – Hatton – Mar 09 Melheim Resort B - - Haputale Mar 10 Haputale Melheim Resort B - - Mar 11 Haputale – Colombo – Chennai The Leela Palace Hotel B - - Mar 12 Chennai – Mahabalipuram – Chennai The Leela Palace Hotel B - - Mar 13 Chennai – Coimbatore – Coonoor The Gateway Hotel Church Road B - - Mar 14 Coonoor The Gateway Hotel Church Road B - - Mar 15 Coonoor The Gateway Hotel Church Road B - - Mar 16 Coonoor – Munnar Windermere Estate B - - Mar 17 Munnar Windermere Estate B L - Mar 18 Munnar – Kochi Brunton Boatyard Hotel B - - Kochi – Alleppey – Houseboat – Mar 19 Brunton Boatyard Hotel B L - Alleppey – Kochi Mar 20 Depart Kochi - - - B - - *B = Breakfast, L = Lunch, D = Dinner Ms. Danielle Beaudette & Party Page 3 of 21 ©Greaves Tours LLC in association with Largay Travel – Tel: 203 346 1693 www.greavesindia.com MONDAY MARCH 06 ARRIVE COLOMBO – NEGOMBO Arrive Colombo International Airport (Flight details to be advised) On arrival, transfer to The Gateway Airport Garden Hotel (Standard Room – reserved from 1400 hours of this day) www.thegatewayhotels.com/airport-garden-colombo/overview.html Rest of the day at leisure Overnight at hotel TUESDAY MARCH 07 NEGOMBO – KANDY Morning transfer by road to Kandy en route visiting the Millennium Elephant foundation (approximately 04 hours and 30 minutes drive including stop) Sri Lanka has a long and complicated history with Elephants, many of whom live in captivity in poor conditions. There are numerous organizations within Sri Lanka who ‘rescue’ captive Elephants (privately owned by temples, organizations or individuals) and provide these elephants a retirement home as most of them are old, sick and/or badly injured. Spend a few hours with an elephant expert and animal rights activist who will give you the unique opportunity to meet, walk with, and bathe the elephants she looks after at the Millennium Elephant Foundation, an organization that have been working continually to improve the care, protection and treatment of captive elephants in Sri Lanka by providing a place of sanctuary and medical services and facilities. Ms. Danielle Beaudette & Party Page 4 of 21 ©Greaves Tours LLC in association with Largay Travel – Tel: 203 346 1693 www.greavesindia.com Meet an authority on Sri Lankan Elephants for the morning or afternoon to learn about the real story behind Elephant captivity. You will visit the Millennium Elephant Foundation (MEF), an organisation with eight Elephants in residence. The foundation pays for all food and medical bills for the elephants and also provide elephants specialist care with their individual mahout and a supporting team. The elephants do no heavy manual work and are well provided for with food, water, vitamins, regular vet checks and medical treatment and regular exercise. Your host, along with a dedicated team at MEF, are fighting for more rights for their elephants, however, captive elephants still have owners and ultimately these owners get decisions over how the elephants are treated. Most of the elephants at MEF are chained up due to the requests of their owners. The foundation also offers elephant riding. Your host is working with the foundation to try and change this, to eventually release the elephants from their chains and stop elephant riding all together. She will talk you through the efforts of the foundation, give you an opportunity to walk with the elephants, bathe the elephants, and visit the on- site elephant dung factory. This experience allows you to get up-close-and-personal with the elephants whilst understanding the complex issues that effect their conservation within Sri Lanka. Captive Elephants – What to Expect: The chains that some elephants wear are considered to be for safety, both for their own and of the people they interact with as some elephants can be temperamental. Each elephant has a mahout, a caretaker that stays with the elephant throughout the day, and sometimes at night as well. Being a mahout is a dangerous job, all mahouts use a hook that touches some 96 pressure points in the animal’s body to control it – when used correctly, the hook does not hurt the animal. None of the elephants at MEF are used for labor. On arrival in Kandy, check-in at Amaya Hills (Deluxe Rooms) www.amayahills.com Afternoon visit the Degaldoruwa Temple The Degaldoruwa Temple was built in 1771 AD by King Rajadi Rajasinha and was initiated during the rein of his elder brother King Kirti Sri Rajasinha [1747-1782 AD. This is considered as a Cave Temple with Kandyan era Paintings and Architecture. This temple is situated at Amunugama, a village near Kandy Town. Overnight at hotel Ms. Danielle Beaudette & Party Page 5 of 21 ©Greaves Tours LLC in association with Largay Travel – Tel: 203 346 1693 www.greavesindia.com WEDNESDAY MARCH 08 KANDY Morning visit the Kandy town and street markets followed by Tea at the Queen’s Hotel Kandy Market is the central retain and wholesale market for the city and surrounding areas. This walk takes you through the city center and into the central market. One of the most interesting aspects of this walk is the contrast of people, religions and ethnicities you encounter in Kandy, all living in perfect chaotic harmony. A church sits in the vicinity of the Temple of the Tooth, side by side with a Kovil and the great Red Mosque. The market itself is full of weird and wonderful vegetables, fruits and spices, and is – as you would expect – noisy and smelly! The early morning is the best time to visit when the fish, vegetables and other goods are fresh and the morning sun shines through the stalls. Your guide will show you the vegetable, meat and fish markets and walk along the main streets of Kandy ending / or starting at the Queens Hotel. This visit is very much tailored to your interests and to the time you have. Nothing is set in stone. The walk could be a 30 minute walk or a 1.30 minute walk. Kandy is safe, but still keep your valuables, as streets are sometimes congested with pedestrians. Appreciate the hustle and bustle, and the madness of it all around you. Your guide will attempt to make sense of it all for you. The walk will finish up with a cup of tea at the historic Queen’s Hotel. Later take a guided tour of the Botanical Gardens with a Botanist (approximately 01 hour and 30 minutes) The Peradeniya Royal Botanical Gardens is the largest of the botanical gardens of Sri Lanka and the finest of its kind in Asia. In the Mediterranean climate of Kandy, the gateway to the central highlands, the gardens lies at an elevation of 460 meters above sea-level, tightly bounded on three sides by the loop of the River Mahaweli (Great Sandy River), Sri Lanka’s largest river. During WWII the gardens were the headquarters of the allied command for the pacific. Your expert in Botany is a walking encyclopedia. Even if you have very little interest in Botany he makes the visit interesting and insightful with plenty of quirks and little side stories. For some it’s the best visit of them all in Sri Lanka. Ms. Danielle Beaudette & Party Page 6 of 21 ©Greaves Tours LLC in association with Largay Travel – Tel: 203 346 1693 www.greavesindia.com Early evening visit the sacred Temple of the tooth Sri Dalada Maligawa or the Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic is a Buddhist temple and is located in the royal palace complex which houses the relic of the tooth of Buddha. Since ancient times, the relic has played an important role in local politics because it is believed that whoever holds the relic holds the governance of the country. Kandy was the last capital of the Sri Lankan kings and is a UNESCO world heritage site partly due to the temple.