Sri Lanka
2014

Letters at bottom of page
All the images & the heading above have links to further info

This was a huge success take a look at our Photo Album

I’m so excited to be proposing this trip in 2014

Bursting with rich cultures, amazing biodiversity and a memorable history, the small island of Sri Lanka offers
pupils a real educational extravaganza and an exciting adventure. This wonderful journey takes our pupils to
beaches, temples and jungle. They’ll visit local factories, take boat trips, work at a primate research centre and will
find themselves immersed in the wonderful and unique culture. To add a twist of adventure we’ll take a catamaran
excursion, ride elephants and venture into the jungle.
This is a wonderful holiday, full of culture, excitement and intrigue. Every moment is designed to ignite interest and
inspire pupils outside the classroom.

This trip is suitable for younger children, parents are welcome to join us, as are alumni.

Trip Overview:
Day 1 Overnight flights
Day 2 Morning arrival transfer to beach resort (overnight Negombo)
Day 3 Day at the beach with beach activities (overnight Negombo)
Day 4 Boat ride negombo lagoon / coconut processing plant / Habarana (overnight Dambulla)
Day 5 Bike to Sigirya / Elephant back safari (overnight Dambulla)
Day 6 Catamaran excursion on Polonnaruwa Lake / drive to Primate Research Camp
(overnight Polonnaruwa)
Day 7 Full day at the research centre (overnight Polonnaruwa)
Day 8 Cave Temple / Drive to Kandy / evening fire show (overnight Kandy)
Day 9 Royal Botanical Gardens / Tea plantation and factory (overnight Kandy)
Day 10 Kitulgala boat trip / Jungle walk (overnight Kitulgala Rest House)
Day 11 Morning Jungle walk / Drive to Colombo beach resort (probably
Negombo again as its very near the airport) (overnight Negombo)
Day 12 Morning at the beach, Flight home (usually a lunchtime flight)

Day 1 Overnight flights

Day 2 Arrive Colombo transfer to beach resort
After our flight, we make the short transfer to our first night's accommodation at Negombo. We’ll have plenty of time to relax at our hotel and recover from our long flight.
Overnight: Rani Beach Resort Negombo (D)

Day 3 Day at the beach with beach activities (overnight Negombo)

Day 4 Boat ride Negombo Lagoon / coconut processing plant / Habarana
Leave early morning for a boat ride on the Negombo lagoon to explore the mangrove ecosystem.  
We’ll then venture on to visit a coconut processing plant before heading onto Habarana and an afternoon at leisure.

Overnight: Pelwehera Village Resort Dambulla (BLD)

Day 5 Bike to Sigirya / Elephant back safari
Today we’ll head to Sigiriya by bike, riding through villages and on forest trails beside dry zone lakes. There we’ll have the opportunity to climb the amazing Sigiriya rock to marvel at the views from the top.

In the afternoon we’ll take an elephant back safari ride.

Overnight: Pelwehera Village Resort Dambulla (BLD)

Day 6 Catamaran excursion on Polonnaruwa Lake / drive to Primate Research Camp
An early start a for catamaran excursion with fisherman at Polonnaruwa lake:

Visit the ancient city of Polonnaruwa and head to the Primate Research Camp of Dr. Dittus for an afternoon briefing and primate observation programme in preparation for our full day at the camp when we will support the researchers track monkey’s and learn about their conservation work.

Overnight: Sudu Araliya Hotel, Polonnaruwa (BLD)

Day 7 Full day at the research centre
Early morning observation of monkeys. Full day at the research centre learning about the natural environment of the monkeys and conservation efforts being made to protect their natural habitat.

Overnight: Sudu Araliya Hotel, Polonnaruwa (BLD)

Day 8 Cave Temple / Drive to Kandy / evening fire show

After breakfast visit the Dambulla cave temple.
Dating back to the 01st century BC, this complex of 05 caves was used as refuge by an ancient king who on regaining his throne, commissioned magnificent carved images within the living rock. Later kings made further improvements and most of the paintings are from the early 19th century – A UNESCO World Heritage site.

Travel to Kandy
Kandy is a lovely city, the Hill Capital and last stronghold of the Sinhala Kings retains an aura of grandeur, which time has not affected. Encircled by hills, with a tranquil lake in its center, it is the site of the renowned "Temple of the Tooth" and the Royal Botanical gardens home to one of the best collections of Orchids. Kandy and its satellite villages are the centre of the islands handicraft industry and its traditional dances are the most spectacular in the country.
In the evening enjoy a city tour of Kandy with a visit to the sacred Temple of the Tooth and watch a cultural dance
performance.

Overnight: Senani Hotel, Kandy (BLD)

Day 9 Royal Botanical Gardens / Tea plantation and factory
After breakfast visit the Royal Botanical Gardens,
About 6km (4miles) southwest of the town centre at Peradeniya on the Colombo highway, close to the banks of the Mahaweli Ganga, these gorgeous gardens were first planted and laid out for king Kirthi Sri Rajasingha (1747-1780) and cover some 60ha (150acres) of trees lawns and flowering shrubs, including a 20-ha (50acre) arboretum of more than 10,000 trees. Under British rule, the royal park became a botanical garden in 1821 and is the largest of Sri Lanka's three main botanical gardens. Here, exotic crops such as coffee, tea, nutmeg, rubber and cinchona (quinine) - all of which later became important to Sri Lanka's economy - were tested. Sights include a palm avenue planted by the British in 1905. Another British import was the enormous spreading Java figs which sprawl across the lawn, grown from a sapling brought from the East Indies. The gardens also have stands of towering bamboos
from Burma, Japan China and the East Indies, and a fine collection of orchids from Sri Lanka and further afield. In
the centre of the gardens is an artificial lake in the shape of the island of Sri Lanka, beside which a white- domed
rotunda commemorates George Garder, superintendent of the gardens in the mid 19th Century.

Later visit a tea plantation and a tea factory and observe how the raw green leaf is processed into the final product.

Overnight: Senani Hotel, Kandy (BLD)

Day 10 Kitulgala boat trip / Jungle walk

Leaving Kandy you take a bus journey through the green ranks of tea bushes which cover the higher hillsides on our way to Kitulgala. Our journey takes around two and a half hours and we travel accompanied by exceptional all-round scenic views of the tea plantations as we head further into the hill country. We continue your drive through this beautiful landscape, descending to Kitulgala, to arrive around lunchtime.
Located amidst thick forest on Sri Lanka’s second-longest river, the Kelani, Kitulgala is rapidly becoming something of an adventure centre and is a great place for a variety of activities.
The river, setting for the epic film ‘The Bridge on the River Kwai’ is an ideal location for swimming and other water-based activities. The surrounding forests with their wide variety of flora and fauna offer you a variety of spectacular walks, with some stunning views over the valley. This afternoon you will enjoy a dugout canoe ride across the Kelani River and a jungle walk in the forest reserve, where you may be able to spot various endemic bird species.

Overnight: Kitulgala Rest House (BLD)

Day 11 Morning jungle walk / Drive to Colombo & beach resort
More time to explore the jungle before traveling back to Colombo & the beach resort to unwind before the flight home tomorrow.

Overnight: Rani Beach Resort Negombo (D)

Day 12 Morning at the beach, Flight home (usually a lunchtime flight)
Short transfer to airport & flight home

Departure date : July 2014
Duration : 10 Days
Total anticipated group size : 12 students & 2 teachers
Board basis : Full board
Basic tour price : £2,500 per student (Subject to flight and land price at the time of booking)
(Most of our children raised 1/2 this amount themselves)
Single supplement : £ 180

Payment schedule:
Deposit by Mon. 24th Sep. 2012 (Non refundable) £ 200
Last Mon. of each month, 20 installments £80

Included:

Excluded from the quotation:

This is so exciting I do hope you can join us.

Mr Jenner Jr

Letters