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Sri Lanka spa holiday

country:Sri Lanka
trip type:This trip can be tailormade at a time to suit you and can be adapted to suit your interests, budget and requirements as necessary
price:From £1240 (14 days) excluding flights. Includes twin share bed & breakfast accommodation, naturalist guide, transport, and airport transfers. Excludes charges for spa treatments
vouchers:Gift vouchers can be used with this holiday
 
the amazing things you'll be doing
Combine a stay at the world’s finest spas with the best of Sri Lanka's sightseeing and game viewing

Some of the world’s magnificent spas are found in Sri Lanka.

Spa treatments offered by some of the hotels listed in the tour are amazing and would provide the best chances for pampering your senses.

The hotels being strategically located in peaceful environment, make this an ideal getaway for those who are looking for an absolutely perfect relaxation with a blend of nature, comfort and luxury.

Sri Lanka is an island which defies convention as according to classic island bio-geographic theory, small islands don't have large mammals. Sri Lanka however is an exception as the largest terrestrial mammal in Asia, the Asian Elephant, is found on the island. Then there is the Big Spotted One; the leopard, elusive all over the world and almost impossible to see in most of Asia. In Sri Lanka however, the leopard is the Top Cat and reigns supreme. Unchallenged by lions or tigers, it can be seen at times having a siesta on the road under the shade of a tree.
day-by-day itinerary
Day 1:Arrival in Sri Lanka and transfer to Negombo for two nights.
Day 2:Enjoy a stress relieving deep tissue muscle massage, the “Elemis” body therapy at the Spa.
Day 3:Transfer to Vil Uyana, Sigiriya for three nights.
Day 4:Revel in the romantic setting while enjoying the Vil Uyana signature spa treatment, “Kashyapha and Uppula” at The Island Spa.
Day 5:Morning, visit Polonnaruwa (A UNESCO World Heritage Site) where you will encounter troops of Toque Macaques who were famously featured in both the BBC’s ‘Temple Troop’ and David Attenborough’s ‘ Life of Mammals’. One will be intrigued by the power play between the Macaques and Hanuman Langur. Afternoon safari at Minneriya National Park where over 300 elephants gather on the receding shores of the Minneriya Tank. ‘The Gathering’ of Elephants at Minneriya is one of those awesome spectacles, which should rank alongside better-known wildlife spectacles such as the migration of wildebeest in Africa.
Day 6:Transfer to Hunas Falls, Kandy for one night. En route visit The Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic, which is an object of veneration to Buddhists and the most important sacred relic in the country. Afternoon walk in the hotel gardens.
Day 7:Transfer to St. Andrew’s, Nuwara Eliya for two nights. Afternoon, visit Hakgala Botanical Gardens. Here we photograph the highland races of Purple-faced Leaf Monkey and Toque Macaque. The Torque brim with self-confidence and may approach the visitors!
Day 8:Morning visit to Horton Plains National Park and chance to see the endangered Sri Lanka Whistling Thrush. Other highlights include Sri Lanka Bush Warbler, Wood Pigeon. Afternoon, visit Victoria Garden for Himalayan migrants Kashmir Flycatcher, Pied Thrush Indian Pitta and Indian Blue Robin. Other highlights include Yellow-eared Bulbul, Sri Lanka Hill White-eye and Dull blue Flycatcher
Day 9:Transfer to Lighthouse, Galle for two nights.
Day 10:Balance and stimulate your body’s vital pressure points with an Ayurvedic aromatic herbal oil massage, the “Marma” at The Spa.
Day 11:Transfer to The Blue Water, Wadduwa for three nights.
Day 12:Assist the proper flow of energy through your body with the Blue Water Signature Treatment at The Spa Pavilions.
Day 13:Morning, leave for a day trip to Sinharaja Rain Forest (A UNESCO World Heritage Site) and the chance to see low land endemics and mixed species bird flocks. According to a study of the mixed species bird, on average 42 individual birds occur in the flocks, which makes this the world's largest mixed species bird flock. The mixed species bird flock study of Sinharaja forest has been continuing since 1981 and is considered as the world's longest studied bird flock study. Birding highlights include Red-faced Malkoha, Sri Lanka Blue Magpie, White-faced Starling and Scaly Thrush.
Day 14:Transfer to Bandaranayake International Airport.
travelling with a local operator
This holiday is operated by a company based in the holiday destination and they will be able to provide expert local knowledge. They will be able to tailor make your holiday to suit your requirements not only concerning the dates of travel but also typically the standard of accommodation, and thus price. It is rare for local operators to be able to help with the booking of your flights.
how this holiday makes a difference
We have structured our business processes to ensure that we minimize consumption from the environment. All hotels listed in the tour have a green directory. The hotels have strict environmental practices such as they use energy saving bulbs at all locations inside the hotels other then the lobby area. The hotels use pots made out of clay to store shampoo in the hotel rooms, so that we avoid the use of traditional plastic bottles. The hotels do not use the modern air fresher sprays; instead they use drops of cinnamon oil. The hotels have zero tolerance on polythene and use bags made out of cloth.

Every hotel has a naturalist who is responsible for implementing the environmentally friendly practices. All hotels listed in the tour have well maintained green gardens. The hotels engage students in the local village in its effort to save the earth. Students are trained and educated to minimize consumption of the resources and the local village persons are encouraged to participate in the re-forestation projects carried out by the hotels.

We believe in fair trade. We are emphatic that we will not 'squeeze' local suppliers of goods and services for bargain prices. The price of the tour reflects our ability to pay fair prices to everyone in the supply chain. We accept that clients (trade and non-trade) who cannot or do not wish to do so, do not fit our client profile. We have a policy of paying all suppliers promptly without delaying payments to maximize interest income or ease company cash flows. We recognize that for small local suppliers prompt payments are critical.

We pay our guides fair wages. Our top naturalist guides earn some of the best guide fees in the local industry. As a company we do not accept commissions from shops and other vendors for touristy shopping. The fact that we reward our guides sufficiently means they will not force you for touristy shopping during your tour, unless you require to visit any of the shops.

A significant amount of time and the company's profits are allocated to being an advocate of conservation so that the very resources the company depends are conserved for future generations. We encourage clients to purchase carbon offsets for their long distance travel. We hire safari jeeps from local suppliers. The hotels purchase vegetables and fruits from local vendors to support the local village people. The hotels provide training on customer care and English language to local students and successful students are offered job contracts at the hotel.

Whenever you visit National Parks and Rainforests, you will be following the designated pathways inside the park so that you will not disturb the wildlife whilst attempting to view them. Our naturalist guides do not use birdcall tapes as a short cut to show you the birds; instead they are trained to be at the right place at the right time to see the birds of the sites. The money you pay as the entrance fee for the parks you would be visiting would be invested in maintaining the parks and protect the wildlife.

Tourism can be good and bad for destinations & local people.

We carefully screen every holiday against our criteria for responsible travel.

'Look behind the brochure' to find how each holiday makes a difference (see left).

We don't claim to be perfect - there is no global accreditation - but we've led the way since 2001 and screened 1000's of holidays.

We invite every traveller to write a review about their experiences and responsible tourism.

This valuable feedback is sent to the people who run the holidays. We keep a very close eye on it and take off holidays that don't live up to our standards.

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