Classic Tour of Sri Lanka

We add Sri Lanka as an appendix to a trip to India; from Italy we book a tour with Gorgonia Viaggi, which perfectly meets the requests we make, unlike other tour operators who are less flexible; with about 1100 euros in total for 2 people we secure on-site assistance from an Italian-speaking driver/guide, hotels with a standard equivalent to 3 stars with breakfast included, and access to all the sites described below. 7 AUGUST Arrival at Colombo airport at 16:05; customs formalities, meeting with the guide and transfer to The Ocean Colombo. A surprise at the hotel: an ocean-view room on the ninth floor, and a complimentary drink on the terrace. Compared with India, Sri Lanka immediately comes across as more welcoming, cleaner... More Western!! We go out looking for a place to have dinner and settle for a Pizza Hut with a spicier menu than the standard we know.

8 AUGUST At dawn we leave some luggage in storage at the hotel to collect it on the evening of the 10th, the last day of the tour. Departure for Sigiriya for an excursion to the Rock Fortress; thanks to the driver's shortcuts (!!) we arrive after 6 hours by car; what remains of the palace on the summit is reached via a narrow staircase between the enormous paws of the stone lion. The view is spectacular, it looks like the set of Jurassic Park. In the afternoon, an excursion to Polonnaruwa, the ancient capital of the kingdom of Sri Lanka. Dinner and overnight stay at Habanera. 9 AUGUST Departure for Kandy with a stop at the Temple of Dambulla, where 150 statues of Buddha are kept in 5 caves. Next stop at Matale, at a farm, for a brief explanation of the plants and spices grown in Sri Lanka; a pleasant surprise awaits us, a 10-minute massage.

The prices of the products are inflated, and we buy only a few of the more exclusive products; we will find the rest directly at a supermarket in town. Continuation to Kandy. Free evening to attend the Esala Perahera, the greatest traditional parade in all of Asia; dancing, singing and men in traditional dress accompany elephants decked out for the festival. We return to the hotel by tuk tuk; the Hill Top hotel is on a hill from which you can see much of the city. 10 AUGUST At 8 a visit to the Sacred Tooth of Buddha in Kandy, then on towards the botanical gardens of Peradeniya; we are struck by the variety of plants that grow in this garden and by its beauty. We stop for at least an hour just to take photos. Next we visit a tea plantation, its factory and shop; here too prices are very high, but after the tasting we decide to treat ourselves to a few souvenirs.

Departure for Pinnawela, where a visit to the elephant orphanage awaits us; I don't miss the chance to feed a pachyderm by the river. In the afternoon, transfer to Colombo for a short car tour; the city is very clean, it feels like being in the West, absolutely light-years away from the nearby chaotic Indian cities; we don't regret having devoted all our available time to the Sri Lankan interior, Colombo has little to offer a tourist. 11 AUGUST At dawn, transfer to the airport. Flight to New Delhi at 8:20, landing at 11:55 and departure at 13:05 for Kathmandu. The checks at the transfers almost make us miss the connecting flight because of the slowness and unpreparedness of the staff