Day 11: Hatton
This morning, visit a working tea factory with Bernard Holsinger, a veteran Tea Planter who is now the resident tea planter at Tea Trails. You will learn about how different types of teas are created. You will be taken through the entire process—from the drying of the green leaf to the process of dehumidifying and provoking the chemical reaction that turns green leaf into tea, to the segmenting of the different particles which result in the different grades, to finally the packing and distribution.

Afterwards you will be returned to your bungalow with the rest of the day is free to explore the area. There are plenty of optional activities to choose from, but snuggling up with a good book and a hot cup of tea is a great way to spend the day in Sri Lanka's Tea Country. Whatever you decide to do, it's sure to be a beautiful day when you are at Tea Trails. There are many walks in the area which your private butler will be happy to assist you with. We would also recommend the following experience for you indulge in during your stay at the Ceylon Tea Trails:

• Leopard Conservation Station: staffed by the Wilderness & Wildlife Conservation Trust. The unit primarily engages in research, conservation and awareness work – from monitoring leopard movement to educating the estate communities on peaceful coexistence with leopards.

• Child Development Center: setup by Merrill J. Fernando, the founder of Dilmah and the MJF Foundation. The center looks after children of the Dilmah tea garden workers. The kids receive daily care and nutrition while their parents work in the tea fields.

• Hatton: Explore the vibrant town of Hatton, filled with a potpourri of colors and sounds. Mingle amongst the predominantly Hindu community clad in their colorful attires, traversing the streets each on their own quest of chores. Meet the many street vendors trying to haggle their way to sell everything ranging from street food, sweet drinks to fancy items. Step into a few dodgy bars to observe how the locals enjoy their favorite dose of elixir after a hard day of work. Be enticed by the evening chants of a Hindu Kovil whilst the sun goes down far in the horizon under the green tea hills.

All meals included.
Accommodation: Ceylon Tea Trails (Garden Suite) - Hatton

Day 12: Hatton / Yala National Park
This morning, say a sad farewell to your hosts at Tea Trails and take a scenic seaplane ride on a scheduled Cinnamon Air flight to Mattala, the gateway to Yala National Park. Upon arrival at Mattala, continue towards Wild Coast Tented Lodge. Wild Coast Lodge's unique design, masterminded by a consortium of Dutch, English and Sri Lankan designers, sees the man-made structures blending seamlessly into the surrounding landscape thanks to the use of carefully selected natural materials. The use of fabric and bamboo allows each of the 28 tents to take on the shape and color of the rocks and boulders that lay scattered nearby, while a clever layout in the shape of a leopard's paw alludes to the area's elusive resident.

You'll have a little time to relax and get settled at the resort before your first private wildlife safari with a naturalist guide in the park this afternoon. Yala National Park consists of dry-mixed evergreen forests and scrublands along with open grasslands, water holes, brackish water lagoons and riverine forests. The park's diverse habitat supports large numbers of mammals, such as spotted, barking and mouse deer, sambar, wild boar, water buffalo and the endangered sloth bear. This is also one of the best places in the country to see wild elephants and the rare leopard. Large waterholes and lagoons support the high density of endangered crocodiles. You can also see large flocks of migratory and resident birds—142 species of birds have been recorded in the park. Of particular note is the rare black-necked stork, the largest bird in the country. All meals included.
Accommodation: Wild Coast Tented Lodge

Wild Coast Tented Lodge: Wild Coast Tented Lodge is adjacent to Yala National Park, renowned for its leopard population. This spectacular luxury tented camp is situated on a rugged, empty beach, overlooking the Indian Ocean. The unique design sees the man-made structures blending seamlessly into the surrounding landscape.

Day 13: Yala National Park
This morning, depart at dawn for another private 4WD jeep wildlife safari into the national park. among the many wondrous sites and experiences today our main goal: a glimpse of the magnificent yet elusive leopard. A variety of lectures and workshops are offered through your lodge with focuses ranging from wild elephant behavior to bird watching and nature walks, which will offer an insight into the fascinating natural surroundings. The resort also offers fascinating excursions to the ancient Buddhist sites in the area. 

Alternatively, you might like to join another game drive this afternoon which is an option, but will be at an additional cost to be paid directly to the lodge. You may also learn Sri Lankan cooking with the chef in a hands-on cooking class at midday. For a different experience, you have the option to go on a game drive in the Bundala National Park, one of the best places for bird watching in Sri Lanka.

This evening, you are joined for dinner at the hotel by Dr. Preethiviraj Fernando, a well-known researcher & scientist who is recognized internationally (Subject to his availability). He has resided in the area for the past five years with his wife, Dr Jennifer Pastorini, (who herself is a renowned scientist) has been heading the “Center for conservation and research, Sri Lanka” on a clear mission
to find new strategies for conservation and to resolve the human-elephant conflict, the topic of tonight’s dinner conversation. All meals included.
Accommodation: Wild Coast Tented Lodge

Day 14: Yala National Park / Galle
This morning, head to Galle. En-route, we visit the unique Top House Cinnamon Estate for a tour, followed by a delicious home-cooked lunch. Top House is a beautiful, working cinnamon estate of 25 acres, a mere 10-minute drive inland from Weligama. The resident owners, a British couple who fell in love with Sri Lanka on a visit and chose to move here permanently, have restored the plantation to its former glory and now produce true Ceylon cinnamon, which grows on the steep slopes of a high hill. The plantation house is perched on the hilltop with spectacular views over the jungle to the north and the Indian Ocean to the south. The owners have also built an artisan distillery where they extract pure cinnamon leaf oil according to age-old techniques fine-tuned with modern technology.

Afterwards, make a stop to view the traditional technique of spear fishermen wading the shallows on stilts. Stilt fishing, termed as 'Ritipanna', is a traditional fishing method practiced by fishermen along the Southern coast. These are the fisher folk who engage in fishing from a narrow pole tied to a stick installed on the sea bed. Get to know the fisherman and about their lifestyle as they may invite you to get on the stilts to try your hand at stilt fishing. If you are lucky and the catch is good, there is a good chance a smiling fisherman may bargain for the fish you caught.

Later this afternoon, meet the resident guide Shanjei, a former advertising executive from Colombo who succumbed to the mysteries and magic of Galle Fort. In your 90-minute private tour, he will bring an interesting spin to an ordinary tour, fusing together the historical significance of Galle along with the interesting stories and legends of this unique area as you explore the Galle Fort, a UNESCO World Heritage site originally built by the Portuguese and later extended by the Dutch in 1663. They built a fortified wall using coral and stone, and built three bastions known as "Sun," "Moon" and "Star." Breakfast and Lunch included.
Accommodation: Amangalla (Verandah Chamber) - Galle

Amangalla: Amangalla lies within the ramparts of Sri Lanka’s 17th-century Galle Fort. Offering views of the Fort and harbour on one side and the hotel’s lush gardens and swimming pool on the other, the historic residence presents lofty-ceilinged suites, elegant fine dining and a tranquil spa complex known as The Baths.

Day 15: Galle / Colombo / Airport / Home
Check out after breakfast and drive to Colombo, the commercial capital of Sri Lanka. Have an alfresco lunch at Barefoot Café a popular and trendy café in town. Here, we will be joined by Geoffrey Bawa’s apprentice, and a living legend himself, Mr. Channa Daswatta (Subject to his availability). Channa Daswatte is one of Sri Lanka’s leading architects in Sri Lanka at present. He was a friend, confidant and the principal assistant to Geoffrey Bawa, Sri Lanka’s most prolific and influential architect. Most have referred to Mr. Daswatte as the spiritual successor of Geoffrey Bawa, but Mr. Daswatte says that Geoffrey Bawa is a hard act to follow and that he just happened to be lucky to be with him when he did. During lunch, Mr. Daswatte will talk about architecture in the crossroads of history.

After lunch, visit the residence of Geoffrey Bawa, at Number 11 Colombo, with our host, Channa Daswatte. Number 11 Colombo is an essay in architectural brilliance. As we walk along the corridors and the pathways of the house, we learn about Bawa’s inspirations and how he transformed them into ideas and won him the title as the inventor of ‘Tropical Modernism’, an eccentric form of architecture.

Later this afternoon, embark on a private heritage tour of Colombo with your host, Mark. Every city has a character that loves it, studies it, and shares his knowledge and passion with those who want to learn about it. Colombo has Mark, Shanelle & Sri. Their walking tour will take you through the years of the Portuguese and Dutch Fort right at the heart of the city to the most recent British period. Start with a visit to the outer streets of Pettah where your tour will commence. Along the way, you will explore a handful of the many lively streets that sell everything from textiles to electronics to spices. Hidden within these streets you will find yourselves coming up to the Old Dutch Museum where you can feast your eyes on the pristine architecture of the mansion that was built in the latter part of the 17th century and was initially the residence of Count August Carl Van
Ranzow.

Sit down for a Special Farewell Dinner tonight at the Ministry of Crab, one of the most popular restaurants in Sri Lanka and listed in the top 50 restaurants in Asia. After dinner, return to your hotel to freshen up and then head out to the Bandaranaike International Airport (BIA) in time for your flight home. We have arranged a special VIP Departure Service for your comfort and convenience.
Day-Use Accommodation: Shangri La (Deluxe Lake View Room) - Colombo

We hope you had a wonderful journey!

Please Note: The rates listed are for a custom journey based on most of the elements above. Some optional tours and guest speakers require extra costs to be added to the program. Some dates fall under premium or peak seasons and will also result in higher rates.