May 2003

Habanara

Kandy

Bentota Beach

Day 1 - Flight from Heathrow to Colombo

Day 2 - Arrive in Habanara Lodge Hotel, just in time to go on a bird watching walk in the hotel grounds - 133 types of birds have been found here !

Day 3 - Visit Polonnaruwa and then a Sri Lankan farm for tea.

Day 4 - Jeep safari - saw wild elephant on the way there no elephnats or big animals (except water buffalo) once we got there.

Day 5 - Climbed the rose quartz mountain

Day 6 - Move to Kandy vititing the spice garden on the way

Day 7 - Visit tea plantation and factory - walked around Kandy

Day 8 - Visited temples in Kandy

Day 9 - Long drive to Bentota but stopped at botanical gardens on the way and then spent time and had lunch at the elephant orphanage.

Day 10 - Hung on the outside of a train (!) and then went to the turtle hatchery.

Day 11 - Walked to a nearby village - Aluthgama (spelling varied!!)

Day 12 - Boat trip on the river - saw lizards and crocodiles

Day 13 - Looked around the area of Bentota Beach

Day 14 - The only bad weather day - the start of the rainy season - so bought lots of jewellery !!