Cultural Tour of Sri Lanka
5 days Colombo to Colombo
- Day 1. Arrive Sri Lanka [D]
- On a Sri Lankan Airlines flight then transfer to Dambulla. Time permitting; you will visit the Dambulla Cave Temples and their extensive murals. Check into the Kandalama Hotel, Kandalama for two nights.
- Day 2. Polonnaruwa & Sigiriya [B, L]
- Spend the morning exploring the ancient city of Polonnaruwa. Sri Lanka's capital in the 12th century, the site has many fascinating monuments, including the Royal Palace & Audience Hall of King Parakramabahu I, and the four beautiful rock cut Buddhas. Visit Polonnaruwa Museum one of the modern museums in Sri Lanka and see the Parakrama Statue.
In the afternoon visit the ancient royal rock citadel of Sigiriya, the 'Fortress in the Sky', rising 200 metres above the surrounding plain. This site, the best preserved in Asia, gives an intriguing insight into town planning in the 5th century.
- Day 3. Kandy via Dambulla and Matale [B, D]
- Visit Alu-Vihara Temple where the doctrine of the Buddha was written for the first time in the 1st century BC. In Kandy visit the Royal Palace of Kandy (now a museum), other historic buildings, and the Royal Botanical Gardens, with over 4,000 species of trees and plants. In the afternoon see a Kandyan Dance performance and visit the Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic to witness and take part in the evening 'Pooja' (offerings). One night at the Amaya Hills Hotel, Kandy.
- Day 4 Kandy to Negombo [B, D]
- Visit Gadaladeniya and Lankatilake Buddhist Temples, dating to 1344 A.D. Then leave for Negombo and The Beach Hotel, where you can shop or relax on the beach.
- Day 5. Homeward [B]
- Transfer to the airport for your Sri Lankan Airlines flight home.
