A fantastic two-week small group cycling holiday taking you through the heart of Sri Lanka. Explore the Cultural Triangle and also two national parks. Highlights include myriad opportunities to see wildlife, and magnificent views of tea and spice plantations. The tour takes you to some of the most extraordinary sites on this 'teardrop island', an idyll with landscapes that range from its Indian Ocean coastline to the tropical Central Highlands, which are still home to tea plantations and hill stations, dating back to its colonial past when it was known as Ceylon. After landing in Colombo, the capital, and taking a private vehicle transfer to the first cultural highlight on this tour, the ancient palaces and remnants at Sigiriya, we are able to cycle from one place to the next, without transfers. We cycle to some of the other the main points on the celebrated Golden Triangle, which is the ancient artery of Sinhalese civilisation in Sri Lanka, including the ruins of Polonnaruwa and Dambulla Caves, which boasts eighty caves packed into a giant rock which stands 160m over the town. But also packed with Buddhist statues and iconic gifts. Cycling to these wonderful sites really helps put their magnificence into perspective, seeing how they have evolved in the stunning natural environs all around. And also how real life continues all around them. The natural wonders that we also visit on our cycling tour include Bundala National Park, with particularly spectacular birdlife, and Yala National Park where we have a safari. If we are lucky, we will see the elusive leopard, but the park is also home to elephant, deer, wild boar, sloth bear, Asian jackal and many more. No trip to Sri Lanka is complete without a trip to its coastline, and we spend two nights in the coastal town of Ahangama. There is also an option to go whale and dolphin watching off Mirissa, between the months of November and April. Before being transferred back to Colombo for departure, we take time in the historic and gorgeous city of Galle, a UNESCO World Heritage Site with its 16th century coastal fort, it is a maze of shops and cool cafes, with a wonderfully chilled coastal feel about it. A great way to finish this carefully crafted itinerary through the peaceful, pretty and totally made for pedalling, Sri Lanka. Small group tour, max 16 people. Min. age 16. Moderate-challenging, varying between 32-102kms per day. 11 nights in comfortable, standard hotels, 2 nights guesthouses. Includes flights, accommodation, all breakfasts, 10 lunches, transport, activities, tour leader, bike hire. Dinner costs approx. £5-8 per day. Solo travellers welcome, with surcharge for single rooms. We can cater for vegetarian and vegan diets.
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