Walking time: 2016.8

Day 1    Shanghai - Colombo - Dambulla (direct flight)

01:10-05:55  Pudong International Airport - Bandaranayake International Airport Sri Lankan Airlines UL867

Itinerary: Minneriya National Park

Meals: Lunch: Local lunch. Dinner: Buffet in the hotel.

Accommodation:  Sigiriya Village ( Colombo Fort Hotel) (Since the hotels in Sri Lanka are very unique, there is a detailed introduction below)

Day 2 Dambulla - Kandy

Itinerary: Sigiriya Rock; Matale Spice Garden; Temple of the Tooth Relic ; Kandy Gem Museum

Meals: Breakfast: Buffet in the hotel. Lunch: Restaurant near the Spice Garden. Dinner: Buffet in the hotel.

Check-in: HotelSuisse ( Swiss Hotel )

Day 3 Kandy - Nuwara Eliya, the origin of Ceylon black tea

Itinerary: Kandy Royal Botanical Gardens ; Drive to Nuwara Eliya Tea Plantation Town; Visit Nuwara Eliya and Blue Fieldtea Factory 

Meals: Breakfast: Buffet in the hotel. Lunch: Restaurant. Dinner: Buffet in the hotel.

Check- in : OakRay Hotel - Tea Bush Ramboda

Day 4 Nuwara Eliya – Southern Coast ( Galle /Bentota )

Itinerary: Drive to the southern coastal city, Kogalla stilt fishermen; Galle Fort

Meals: Breakfast: Buffet in the hotel. Lunch: Buffet. Dinner: Buffet in the hotel.

Check- in : ThePalms Hotel Beruwala

Day 5 Southern Coast (Galle/Bentota)

Itinerary: Free activities at the beach; mangroves

Meals: Breakfast: Buffet in the hotel. Lunch: Self-catered. Dinner: Seafood dinner at the beach

Check- in : ThePalms Hotel Beruwala

Day 6 Southern Coast (Galle/Bentota) - Colombo

Itinerary: Free activities at the beach; Spirited Away seaside train; Tour of Colombo ;

Food: Breakfast: Buffet in the hotel. Lunch: Restaurant near the train station; Dinner: Tang Dynasty Restaurant

Kandy, a city in central Sri Lanka: Located in a small basin surrounded by mountains at an altitude of 300 meters, Kandy is the second largest city in Sri Lanka and is famous for its Buddhist holy land. Due to its geographical location, many people also use it as a transportation hub to go north or south.

Matale Spice Garden Spice Garden:

Sri Lanka's rich landforms have created a paradise for plants. The central mountainous area is where spice gardens are concentrated. The spice industry began during the Dutch colonial period and is still one of Sri Lanka's main industries today.

The Spice Garden in the ancient capital of Kandy is full of flowers and plants. According to the staff of the garden, there are more than 85 kinds of herbs in the garden. In the garden, you can appreciate many familiar but rare plants. Interested friends can fully understand the knowledge and planting process of Southeast Asian spices here.

He picked up some seemingly ordinary flowers and plants, which turned out to be pepper, turmeric, cinnamon, cardamom, cloves, sandalwood... These are all spices commonly used by local people.

This plant, which looks like bitter gourd, contains purple nuts when cut open. These are the cocoa fruits.

The golden pineapple is for medicinal purposes only and cannot be eaten as a fruit.

Aloe vera.

These herbs and fruits are dried or specially processed to become spices with edible value or therapeutic effects. After visiting the spice park, it is the product promotion area, where various products are introduced. I believe these are all natural good things, but because the packaging is very simple or rough, I really have no desire to buy. There is an item that uses their spices to massage the neck and shoulders, 5 yuan tip for ten minutes, I tried it.

The last step, of course, is to go shopping in the store. The wide variety of spice products fills this small house.

Kandy Gem Museum:

In addition to its rich flora and fauna, Sri Lanka also has a gorgeous treasure - sapphire. Sapphires can be purchased in many places, but Sri Lanka is a supplier of high-end gems. Our itinerary included a visit to the Sapphire Museum of "Madara" Co., Ltd. in Kandy. It is located in a two-story building on the street. It is a museum that integrates a factory, a store and a museum. After entering the gem store, we first came to the introduction room on the second floor to listen to the staff's explanation of the processing and production process of sapphires.

Craftsmen polished and made it by hand.

This is a scene introduction of mining. The surface of the gem mining well is 10 to 12 square feet and 2-5 meters deep. Miners dig gravel from the bottom of the well, transport it to the surface of the well in baskets, and then put it in rattan baskets and take it to the nearby stream or water storage pit to pan for natural gems.

Then, after careful design and processing by jade craftsmen, the gems emit brilliant luster and become treasures in the world.

The Gem Museum's store is located in the lobby on the first floor. The store is spacious and bright, and the dazzling array of gems and jewelry sparkles under the lights, attracting people's attention. Star rubies, blue sapphires, cat's eyes, rich colors and shapes, excellent texture, especially famous for the best blue sapphires. Moonstones, garnets, topaz, etc. are also not inferior. You can buy finished jewelry, or you can choose loose stones and set them in the store or bring them back to China. The gem products sold here will be issued with professional certification certificates, so there is no need to worry about quality assurance. I really don't understand how to buy jewelry, and there is no clear price here. You can bargain here with your own psychological price. This way of shopping is very difficult for me. In addition, cat's eyes, star stones, and topaz are so beautiful in my eyes that I have no choice. Friends who know the business and like it should not miss this place. Compared with other shopping malls, the quality here is still very good. Although I don't understand, I can tell this.

Kandy Royal Botanical Gardens:

It is the best tropical botanical garden in the world. The botanical garden covers an area of 60 square kilometers. There are a considerable number of plant species and scientific and technological>The white flower columns and green iron gate complement the green of the botanical garden.

On one side of the park are various tall trees. Today, the park has planted and collected more than 4,000 species of plants native to Sri Lanka and introduced from overseas, including some very rare and precious tropical plants. Each tree has a sign. The signs are distinguished by four colors, and we can tell from the color whether it is a native or imported species.

Giant tropical tree.

Friendship Forest, many of the trees here were introduced from abroad and planted by foreign leaders. Our country’s leader Premier Zhou also visited here and planted a friendship tree.

Rows of royal trees surround the vast green and lush lawn.

Like a phoenix tail pointing straight to the sky.

The sudden heavy rain made us take a break here. In fact, the rain here comes and goes quickly, and it stopped in the time it took to drink a drink. But the raindrops made the place brighter and fresher.

The sign at the door of the shop.

The food in the snack bar is very cheap, unlike our impression that things in tourist spots are expensive.

The yellow walls and red tiles stand out so beautifully against the green.

There are tall trees lined up neatly on both sides of Palm Avenue.

The entire park is shaded by green trees, with birds singing and flowers blooming. The fresh scent of grass and trees in the air after the rain is charming.

Gardeners.

Crows can be seen everywhere in Sri Lanka, more than you can imagine. I used to think that crows were lucky birds in Sri Lanka from travel notes, but the tour guide corrected this view. Crows are actually garbage collectors and guardians of the environment.

The trees are densely packed with bats hanging upside down. It is so dark that people with trypophobia must be uncomfortable here.

This is what mangroves look like, not the red color we imagine.

Along the way there are parasitic plants. They grow by relying on other plants, creating an intimate picture of you in me and me in you.

The tropical sun of the equator and the Mediterranean climate of Kandy make the botanical garden like spring all year round, with lush plants and blooming flowers everywhere.

Walk, appreciate, and take photos along the way. As long as you freeze the moment, it will be a painting.

Boulevards of different types and styles, towering jungles.

The house with red walls and glass roof is the orchid house. Duckweed is floating in the pond in front of the door, and small turtles are living freely in the pond.

The orchid house, which is full of flowers, covers a small area but breeds nearly a hundred species of orchids. Each orchid welcomes our eyes with different postures and colors.

All kinds of flowers and plants, postures, shapes, can make flowers become paintings... When I asked the tour guide the name of the flowers, he uttered a string of Sri Lankan gurgling pronunciations, which made me even more confused. We are not plant experts, so we don't bother about their names. As long as they look good, we will look at them more. Visual enjoyment can be so simple.