CME, Eco & Cultural Tour Program of Sri Lanka | doctors-on-tour

Introducing Sri Lanka... the Island Jewel of South Asia...

Explore the best of the tropical island of Sri Lanka in the Indian Ocean and visit the country’s natural and historical sites. The country is rich in scenery, with pristine beaches and cool highlands, full of incredible wildlife both on land at sea, an ancient culture dating back over its 2500 year history with Arab, Malay, Portuguese, Dutch and British settlers having left their mark on its culture, architecture, and cuisine since the early Sinhalese civilization and a charming and hospitable population. 

Our tailored 2 week itinerary will showcase the highlights and diversity of this South Asian nation.

Fly into the country’s capital, Colombo, and head to the coast for a couple of days at a resort, complete with Ayurvedic spa, sat on the Indian Ocean.

Then you’re off to Dambulla which boasts Sri Lanka’s most impressive cave temple, dating back from the 1st century B.C.. Head on to Polonnaruwa to explore hundreds of temple ruins and tombs spread out across an ancient royal city and visit the massive rock of Sigiriya (Lion’s Rock), the country’s most iconic site rising out of the misty forests and featuring a massive plateau adorned with ancient ruins.

Continue on to Kandy, where you’ll get a taste for ordinary Sri Lankan life with its most famous landmark being the sacred Temple of the Tooth Relic, which holds a tooth of the Lord Buddha himself.

Next, you’re boarding a train to take a spectacular journey south through the central highlands and tea plantations to the charming lakeside town of Nuwara Eliya, dubbed, Sri Lanka’s “Little England” due to its numerous colonial bungalows and old school charm. Visit one of the “Great Gardens of the World”, Peradeniya, take the iconic ‘World’s End’ trail in the Horton Plains National Park, visit a dairy farm and, of course, a tea plantation to see how the island’s most famous is cultivated and produced. 

Next is Wellawaya, a quaint village, east of the central mountains in one of the island's vital rice heartlands and once home to the ancient Sinhalese Kingdom where you will stay at the island’s first agro eco-luxury resort and learn about Sri Lanka’s farming culture as well as participating in a cooking class to enjoy its traditional local cuisine.

Continue your journey to the south-east coast and Yala National Park, the country’s most famous nature reserve, where monkeys, elephants, sloth bears and buffalo roam across a landscape of plains, forests, and lagoons. The park also has the highest density of leopards in the world. Your game drives through Yala are a great way to spot some incredible wildlife.

Pass westward along the coast to Galle, an old Dutch trading port that is famous for its colonial buildings, mosques, churches, and mansions and another UNESCO World Heritage Site, the 16th century Portuguese Fort - unique for being surrounded by the ocean on three sides. Close by is the coastal town of Mirissa which has many species of whales that inhabit its waters including one of the highest concentrations in the world of for Blue Whales.

Close out your Sri Lanka vacation in the capital, Colombo, a strategic port city on the East-West sea trade routes for over 2,000 years - a heady admixture of Asian anarchy, colonial charm and modern chic where the old and the new co-exist side by side.

This trip to Sri Lanka promises the best of this incredible South Asian nation.

Tour Highlights

• Kick back on the sparkling sounds of Sri Lanka’s beaches

• Climb the indomitable Siguriya Lion’s Rock and roam around the elaborate gardens and exquisite frescoes in the ancient fortress on the rock’s plateau summit

• Walk amongst the ancient palaces and super-sized Buddhas in the old royal capital of Polonnaruwa

• Make the pilgrimage to the Temple of the Tooth Relic in UNESCO World Heritage listed Kandy

• Experience the various forms of cultural dance of the island at a Kandyan dance performance

• Stroll through one of the “Great Gardens of the World” at Peradeniya Botanical Gardens

• Relax on a spectacular train journey through the tea plantations of the Central Highlands

• Learn about the country’s colonial past and visit a tea plantation in Nuwara Eliya, known as “Little England”

• Stay in a luxury agro-resort and learn about ancient farming techniques in the islands rice heartland

• Search for crocodiles, elephants, monkeys and the ever-elusive leopards in the foliage of Yala National Park

• Marvel at the stilt fishermen of Weligama

• Look through a window into the Dutch colonial past in historic Galle

• Search for blue (and other…) whales in Mirissa - one of the whale watching capitals of the world

• Immerse yourself in the ancient and modern cultures of the country’s capital, Colombo

• Haggle for that unique souvenir in one of the island’s many markets and bazaars

CME Program - Group Medical Director: Dr. Peter Bloch, Oakville, On.

(15+ CME hours focused on Health and Healing; Certificate of Attendance provided)

• Academic Session #1 with a presentation by a local practitioner on Sri Lanka’s Ayurveda medicine and its interwoven culture and lifestyle

• Visit a wellness sanctuary to learn to meet with a Indigenous holistic medicine ‘hela vedekama’ specialist (Siguriya)

• Learn about the medicinal properties of various plants at the Royal Botanical Garden Peradeniya (Kandy)

• Visit to an SOS Children's Village in Nuwara Eliya

• Learn about the medicinal properties of various kinds of rice (Wellawaya)

• Academic Session #2 with presentations and interactive discussions on current medical topics by Canadian presenters

• Visit a holistic wellness center to learn about their holistic healthcare practices offering a combination of Ayurveda, osteopathy, acupuncture, yoga and meditation and other healing modalities while still embracing modern healing practices (Netolpitiya)

• Visit to a local hospital in Colombo to learn about the Sri Lankan healthcare system and meet with local doctors.