New Year - The Best of Sri Lanka from Sofia

Welcome the New Year on an island where ancient temples, green tea plantations, wildlife and golden beaches come together in an unforgettable experience. Sri Lanka, called “the Pearl of the Indian Ocean”, enchants with its rich culture, welcoming locals and incredible natural beauty. A journey full of the exotic, adventure and memories that will last for ever awaits you.

Day 1: Sofia - Istanbul
Meeting at Sofia Airport, Terminal 2, for the 10:05 Turkish Airlines flight to Istanbul. Arrival in Istanbul at 12:35. Departure for Colombo at 19:35.

Day 2: Colombo - Ella
Arrival in Colombo at Bandaranaike International Airport at 06:10 local time. Welcome to Sri Lanka - the island of elephants, spices and hospitality. Welcome by a representative of the partner company and transfer
to Ella. On the way you will enjoy amazing views of beautiful waterfalls and see the so-called Nine Arch Bridge, also known as “the Bridge in the Sky”. About 91 m long, about 7.6 metres wide and between 24 and 30 metres high, it offers a panoramic view and is a remarkable example of colonial-era railway building. Check-in at the Heaven’s Edge 4* hotel (or similar). Dinner. Overnight stay.

Day 3: Ella - Nuwara Eliya - Kandy
Breakfast at the hotel. Check-out and departure for Nuwara Eliya. City tour of Nuwara Eliya. Founded in 1846 by the explorer Samuel Baker, Nuwara Eliya is also known as “Little England”. Nestled in Sri Lanka's hill country, the town's name translates as “city on the plain” or “city of light”. Nuwara Eliya is hugely important to Sri Lanka's tea industry and is considered the country's most important tea-producing area. The picturesque landscape, cool climate and high altitude create ideal conditions for growing it.
Transfer to Kandy. Kandy is also known as the cultural capital of Sri Lanka or the City of Kings. Far from the beautiful sandy beaches of the coast, it offers a different kind of experience - a touch of the country's traditional and historic side. Protected by its geography and less accessible terrain, the mighty ancient Kingdom of Kandy managed to hold back both the Portuguese and the Dutch colonisers in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, becoming the last standing bastion of independent Ceylon. In this way the city preserved unique customs, culture and arts that had largely been subdued in other parts of the country - until 1815, when it too finally came under British rule. A visit to the Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic of the Buddha. Kandy is a sacred place for Buddhists, and the temple is one of their most important sites. It holds a relic - the sacred tooth of the Buddha. It is also called “Sri Dalada Maligawa” and has both religious and historical significance. Thousands of local and foreign pilgrims and visitors come every day to pay their respects. In 1988 UNESCO recognised the temple as a World Heritage
Site for its cultural and religious value. Its architecture follows a unique Kandyan style, combining elements of the shrines that previously held the Sacred Tooth relic in other kingdoms. The temple is decorated with intricate carvings using gold, silver, bronze and ivory. Check-in at the Amaya Hills 4* hotel or similar. Free time or the option of an additional excursion. Dinner. Overnight stay.

Day 4: Kandy - Dambulla
Breakfast at the hotel. Transfer to Dambulla. Dambulla, also known as Dam̆ bulla in Sinhala and Tampuḷḷai in Tamil, is a town in the north of Matale District, within Sri Lanka's Central Province. The cave temples of Dambulla date from the first century BC and are decorated with statues and paintings. These caves sheltered King Valagamba during his 14-year exile from the kingdom of Anuradhapura. Buddhist monks meditating in them protected the exiled king from his enemies. In gratitude, King Valagamba commissioned a magnificent rock temple in Dambulla after returning to the throne. A visit to the Dambulla Cave Temple. The Dambulla cave temple complex is the best-preserved and largest in Sri Lanka. It sits at the top of a rock that rises 160 metres above the surrounding plains. More than 80 documented caves surround the area, five of them the main ones. The main attractions are in five caves, each containing intricate statues and ancient paintings related to Gautama Buddha and his life. Transfer to the Amaya Lake 4* hotel or similar. Check-in. Dinner. Overnight stay.

Day 5: Dambulla - Sigiriya - Pasikudah
Breakfast and check-out. Departure for Sigiriya. Near the town of Dambulla lies Sigiriya, literally “Lion Rock”. Rising majestically to a height of 180 m in the north of Matale District, the rock draws visitors from all over the world at all times. According to Sri Lanka's ancient chronicle, this area was once a vast forest. Over time, storms and landslides turned it into a hill, which King Kassapa (AD 477-495) chose as his new capital. On top of the rock he built his palace, decorated its walls with colourful frescoes and created a gateway in the form of a huge lion - hence the name Sihagiri (Sigiriya), meaning Lion Rock. After the king's death the capital and the royal palace were abandoned. Sigiriya later served as a Buddhist monastery until the fourteenth century. A UNESCO World Heritage Site, it stands as one of the best examples of ancient urban planning that has stood the test of time to this day. Departure for Pasikudah. Check-in at the Amaya Beach 5* hotel or similar. Dinner. Overnight stay.

Day 6: Pasikudah
Breakfast at the hotel. Free time for the beach and relaxation. Optional additional excursions on site.
Pasikudah is one of the most popular resorts in Sri Lanka. Known for its sparkling blue waters, it has one of the longest stretches of shallow reef coastline in the world and is an attractive place for both local and foreign visitors. Dinner. Overnight stay.

Day 7: Pasikudah
Breakfast at the hotel. Free time for the beach and relaxation. Optional additional excursions on site. Overnight stay.

Day 8: Pasikudah - Colombo
Breakfast and check-out. Departure for Colombo. Colombo is the administrative capital and most populous city of Sri Lanka. It is the island's financial centre and a popular tourist destination. Here you will feel the unique mix of modern life and colonial heritage, with a combination of contemporary buildings and historic monuments. City tour of Colombo. Check-in at the Pegasus Reef 4* hotel or similar. Dinner. Overnight stay

Day 9: Colombo - Istanbul - Sofia
Breakfast at the hotel. Check-out. Transfer to the airport for the 07:40 flight to Istanbul. Arrival in Istanbul at 14:15. Flight to Sofia at 20:30, arriving in Sofia at 20:50.

*The order of the days and of the sightseeing in the programme may change.

Flight information:
TK1028 SOF 10:05 - 12:35 IST
TK730 IST 19:35 - 06:10* CMB
TK731 CMB 07:40 - 14:15 IST
TK1029 IST 20:30 - 20:50 SOF

*Flight times are given in local time
*The flight schedule is subject to reconfirmation

Additional excursions:
Excursion to Minneriya - 95 euro per adult/45 euro per child
(the excursion runs with a minimum of 10 people booked)

Minneriya is one of the largest national parks in Sri Lanka. It lies in the country's North Central Province and covers an area of approximately 9000 hectares. It received official protection as a park in 1997 because of the wildlife on its territory and to protect its lakes. Minneriya National Park is world-famous for its Asian elephants. Here visitors have the unique opportunity to watch and photograph the elephants at close range. People and these animals coexist quite naturally, and the elephants are used to the dozens of vehicles that come every day. Besides elephants, the park is full of monkeys, chameleons, flamingos and all kinds of birds, peacocks, water buffalo and other animals. There are also leopards, although they are very hard to spot. The park's vegetation consists of tropical dry evergreen forests mixed with grasslands, scrub and wetlands. Some of the trees found in Minneriya are native to the island and can only be seen in this country, such as the Ceylon palm. The warm and rainy climate creates a place of unique natural beauty.

* We recommend booking in advance to guarantee places and for better organisation.
* They are run in English, with translation into Bulgarian for larger groups.
* The tour operator reserves the right to change the order of the excursions in the programme.
* Excursion prices may change.