Arrive in Dambulla

Meals: None

On your arrival at the airport, you will be welcomed by our representative who will then transfer you to Dambulla (140 km / 4 hours). Check-in to your hotel and relax before you head out to explore the famous Royal Rock Temple dating to the 1st century BC. The beautiful Royal Rock Temple sits 100m to 150m above the road in the southern part of Dambulla. The hike up to the temples begins along a vast, sloping rock face with steps in some places. The caves’ history as a place of worship is thought to date from around the 1st century BC, when King Valagamba (Vattajamini Ahhaya), driven out of Anuradhapura, took refuge here. When he regained his throne, he had the interior of the caves carved into magnificent rock temples. In the evening, you will head out to explore Sigiriya. Rising 200m straight up over the dusty plains of north central Sri Lanka, the flat-topped rock formation of Sigiriya is not only one of the island’s most impressive geological formations but also one of its greatest archaeological legacies. After the tour return to your hotel for overnight stay.

From Dambulla to Kandy

Meals: Breakfast

After breakfast at the hotel, check-out and thereafter transfer to Kandy (80 km / 2 hours). Relax for a bit and then head out on your tour of Kandy in the evening. Some say Kandy is the only other real ‘city’ in Sri Lanka, other than Colombo. The easy-going capital of the Hill Country has a lot to offer – history, culture, forested hills and a touch of urban buzz. The highlights of the tour include visits to Upper Lake Drive, Market Square and the Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic. The Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic houses Sri Lanka’s most important Buddhist relic – a tooth of the Buddha. The tooth is said to have been snatched from the flames of the Buddha’s funeral pyre in 543 BC, and was smuggled into Sri Lanka during the 4th century AD, hidden in the hair of a princess. At first it was taken to Anuradhapura, but with the ups and downs of Sri Lankan history it moved from place to place before eventually ending up at Kandy. Other major attraction is the Royal Botanical Gardens, which was started in 1374 as a pleasure garden of the Kings of Gampola and Kandy. At the end of the day, return and spend the evening at leisure in the hotel.

Day at Leisure

Meals: Breakfast

Post a filling breakfast at the hotel; you have the rest of the day at leisure. You could spend it relaxing in the hotel or explore the city on your own. You could visit the Malwatte Maha Vihara, the principal vihara (Buddhist complex) in Kandy. The high priest of the temple is the most important in Sri Lanka.  A short walk uphill behind the National Museum is the old British Cemetary. There are 163 graves and around 500 burials. At the end of the day, return and spend the evening at leisure in the hotel.

From Kandy to Colombo

Meals: Breakfast

After breakfast at the hotel, check-out and proceed to Colombo (120 km / 3 hours). Colombo, Sri Lanka’s capital, biggest city and major port, draws together all the colours and cultures that make up this island nation, condenses them into a patchwork of markets, gardens and buildings both humble and grand, and knocks them against a narrow slab of beachfront. You will appreciate Colombo’s colonial heritage, its fine dining and shopping opportunities, and the dash of urban buzz in an overwhelmingly rural country. Check-in to your hotel, relax and spend the rest of the day and the overnight stay at leisure.

Exploring Colombo

Meals: Breakfast

After breakfast, You will embark on a tour of Sri Lanka’s capital.  The tour will take you to the busy commercial areas as well as the tree-lined residential, Cinnamon Gardens. One of the first stops on the route is the Fort.  During the European era Fort was indeed a fort, surrounded by the sea on two sides and a moat on the landward sides. Today it’s a curious mix of brash modern structures, such as the World Trade Center, and venerable red-brick institutions from the Colonial-era, such as Cargills and Millers. You are also taken to visit Sea Street – the Goldsmiths quarters, where you will also find a Hindu temple with elaborate stone carvings. Nearby is the Wolvendaal Church, the most important Dutch building in Sri Lanka. When the church was built in 1749, this area was a wilderness beyond the city walls. The Europeans mistook the packs of roaming jackals for wolves, and the area became known as Wolf’s Dale, or Wolvendaal in Dutch. The historic Dewatagaha Mosque and the former Eye Hospital are two buildings in Cinnamon Gardens worth visiting. Also visit the BMICH (Bandaranaike Memorial International Conference Hall), see the replica of Avukana Buddha and the Independence Square. Return and stay overnight at the hotel.

Depart from Colombo

Meals: Breakfast

After breakfast, check-out from the hotel.  You will be transferred to the airport to board your flight back home.

Tour Ends.