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8-day Tour To Towns And Cities Of Sri Lanka From Colombo

  • Tour Category

    Private Tour

  • Tour Types

    Safari, History, Sightseeing

  • Duration

    8 Days

  • Activity Level

    Easy

  • Language

    English

Description

Sign up for a tour, specially designed for couples, through the cities and towns of Sri Lanka for 8 days. Visit the massive Sigirya Rock and meet elephants in Minneriya National Park. Then, dive into archaeology at Polonnaruwa and go to the famous attractions of Kandy. Hike to the Little Adam`s Peak and Ella Rock in Ella, go for a wildlife safari in Yala National Park, watch whales and dolphins in Mirissa and end your tour at the majestic Galle Fort.

Highlights
  • Visit the massive Sigiriya Rock & Ritigala Rain ruins 
  • Meet large herds of elephants at Minneriya National Park 
  • Explore the archaeological park in Polonnaruwa 
  • See Dambulla Cave Temple, a UNESCO World Heritage Site
  • Go to the Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic in Kandy
  • Hike to the Little Adam's Peak in Ella, a picturesque hilly region
  • Head to Yala National Park for a wildlife safari
  • Get a chance to see whales and dolphins in Mirissa
  • Dive into history at the Galle Fort
  • Day 1: Arrival - Sigiriya expand_more
    • On your arrival, meet your tour guide at the airport and drive towards Sigiriya. 
    • Visit the Sigiriya Rock. Deep in the middle of Sri Lanka, a massive column of rock juts out from the green tropical forest. It reaches 660 feet tall and features frescoes, graffiti, and landscaped gardens. The rock is known as “Sigiriya” and holds a special place in the island’s cultural history. 
    • Then, head to see Ritigala Rain ruins. Ritigala is a mountain in central Sri Lanka that is home to an ancient Buddhist monastery. It is located 43 km (27 mi) away from the ancient monastic city of Anuradhapura. The ruins and rock inscriptions of the monastery date back to the 1st century BCE.
  • Day 2: Sigiriya expand_more
    • Visit Minneriya National Park, situated in the North Central Province of Sri Lanka. The area was designated as a national park on 12th August 1997, having been originally declared as a wildlife sanctuary in 1938. 
    • You can see around 200 elephants here at the same time.
    • Next, head to Pidurangala Rock which is one of the oldest places in the Sigiriya area. You can see a spectacular view of Sigiriya from Pidirangala rock.
  • Day 3: Polonnaruwa expand_more
    • Drive to Polonnaruwa for a sightseeing tour. Kings ruled the central plains of Sri Lanka from Polonnaruwa 800 years ago, when it was a thriving commercial and religious center. The glories of that age can be found in the archaeological treasures that still give a pretty good idea of how the city looked in its heyday. 
    • You'll find the archaeological park a delight to explore, with hundreds of ancient structures – tombs and temples, statues and stupas – in a compact core. The Quadrangle alone is worth the trip. That Polonnaruwa is close to elephant packed national parks only adds to its popularity. And with good accommodation and plenty of bikes for hire, the town itself makes a pleasant base for a day or two. Nearby Kaduruwela, 4km east of Polonnaruwa, has the lion's share of banks, shops and other facilities.
    • Return to the hotel.
  • Day 4: Kandy expand_more
    • Travel to Kandy, a large city in central Sri Lanka. It is set on a plateau surrounded by mountains, which are home to tea plantations and biodiverse rainforest. The city's heart is scenic Kandy Lake (Bogambara Lake), which is famous for strolling. Kandy is famed for sacred Buddhist sites, including the Temple of the Tooth (Sri Dalada Maligawa) shrine, celebrated with the grand Esala Perahera annual procession. 
    • Visit Dambulla Cave Temple, also known as the Golden Temple of Dambulla. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site in Sri Lanka, situated in the central part of the country.  The Buddhist temple complex of Dambulla consists of five cave temples carved under a huge overhanging rock. The temples were carved out over several centuries, but the oldest dates back to the 1st-century B.C.E.
    • Many spice gardens exist in and around Kandy, such as the New Ranweli Spice Garden in Kandy, which is located within the Royal Peradeniya Gardens, New Paradise Spice and Herbal Garden in Mawanella, which is on the way to Kandy, Isiwara Ayurvedic Village in Matale which is an hour drive away from Kandy. 
    • See the Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic or Sri Dalada Maligawa, a Buddhist temple in Kandy, Sri Lanka. It is located in the royal palace complex of the former Kingdom of Kandy, which houses the relic of the tooth of the Buddha. 
    • Visit the Gem Museum, which exhibits rare minerals in the world found in Sri Lanka and the oldest fossils of living beings from the Cambrian era about 541 – 485 million years ago. The museum also gives its visitors detailed knowledge of how Sri Lankan minerals and gems outshine the ones found worldwide. 
    • Visit Peradeniya Botanical Garden and then attend a Kandyan Dance Program.
  • Day 5: Ella expand_more
    • Travel to Ella, which has become to go-to town in the hill country for tourists and, as a result, has a reasonably well-established tourism-orientated economy. For example, there is espresso coffee and fish and chips on offer and lounge/backpacker-style bars aimed solely at the visitor. Unfortunately, there is not much more than the touristic infrastructure, which means no local life. The recent push in popularity also means most things you get here are costly. Ella is situated in the middle of beautiful countryside, with small vegetable plots in the valleys, tea plantations on the hill slopes and forests on the tops. 
    • Go for a hike to Little Adam`s Peak and visit Ella Rock. 
  • Day 6: Explore Yala expand_more
    • Go for a wildlife safari in Yala National Park. Nestled in the south-eastern corner of Sri Lanka, Yala National Park is the island’s principal national park. It offers the most incredible diversity of animal and birdlife in the country. The habitats found in the park are wide-ranging, from freshwater lakes to beaches, rocky outcrops to green plains and jungle. This creates an area of immense biodiversity and is one of the world’s most popular destinations to spot the elusive leopard, who love to lounge on the huge granite boulders that dot the parkland. 
    • Don't forget to look for pugmarks and follow them! If you’re lucky, a leopard will oblige you with a sighting. If you are fortunate, you might spot a hunt. The grace with which the cat conducts itself is quite a sight to behold. Allow the wilderness to capture your heart fully, just before you capture it on your lenses.  
    • Next, go to Kataragama, a pilgrimage town sacred to Buddhist, Hindu and indigenous Vedda people of Sri Lanka. People from South India also go there to worship. The town has the Kataragama temple, a shrine dedicated to Skanda Kumara, also known as Kataragama deviyo.
  • Day 7: Mirissa expand_more
    • Travel to Mirissa, a small town on the south coast of Sri Lanka, located in the Matara District of the Southern Province. It is approximately 150 kilometres south of Colombo and is situated at an elevation of 4 metres above sea level. Mirissa's beach and nightlife make it a popular tourist destination.
    • You will see Dondra, which was historically known as Devinuwara temple port town or Devinuwara temple town. Dondra was, until the late 16th century, a historic temple port town complex. A multi-religious site, its primary deity was the Buddhist god Upulvan. At its zenith, it was one of the most famous religious sites of the island, containing a thousand statues of the various sects of Hinduism and Buddhism. 
    • Next, visit Hummanaya Blowhole, the only known blowhole in Sri Lanka, which is considered the second-largest blowhole in the world. Hummanaya refers to the noise, "hoo", which can be heard a distance away from the active blowhole. 
    • Go for whale and dolphin watching in Mirissa, one of the most exciting water activities you can do during your holiday in Sri Lanka. Often spotted blue whales are the most giant animals globally, and Mirissa is the best place for whale and dolphin watching tours in Sri Lanka. 
    • You can also go for a snorkelling experience in Mirissa.
  • Day 8: Explore Galle expand_more
    • Visit Galle Fort, in the Bay of Galle on the southwest coast of Sri Lanka, which was built first in 1588 by the Portuguese, then extensively fortified by the Dutch during the 17th century from 1649 onwards.
    • Return to your hotel. Then, transfer to the airport for departure. 
What's Included
  • Sigiriya 3-star hotel with comfortable rooms (244 USD per night)
  • Kandy 3-star hotel with comfortable rooms (260 USD per night)
  • Nuwara Eliya 3-star hotel with comfortable rooms (200 USD per night)
  • Ella 3-star hotel with comfortable rooms (205 USD per night)
  • Yala 3-star hotel with comfortable rooms (100 USD per night)
  • Mirissa 3-star hotel with comfortable rooms (100 USD per night)
  • Breakfast
  • Transportation Included
  • Native English Speaking Driver
What's Excluded
  • Any services which are not mentioned under price
  • Lunch and Dinner 
Know before you go
  • Sigiriya is famous for its palace ruins on top of a massive 200-meter high rock surrounded by the remains of an extensive network of gardens, reservoirs and other structures. The rock itself is a lava plug left over from an ancient long extinct volcano. It is also renowned for its ancient paintings (frescoes), which are similar to those found at Ajanta Caves in India. It is generally agreed, however, that the Sigiriya Frescoes exhibit a uniquely Sri Lankan style.
  • Yala National Park is an arid land with the highest density of leopards in the world! While the elusive cat is the star here, 215 species of birds and over 44 diverse mammals call this expansive space of wonder their home. Bird Watching is quite an endearing experience in the National Park. Different species of birds such as the Paradise Flycatcher, Bee-eaters, eagles and jungle fowls keep giving special appearances as most people track the bigger animals. The area is covered mostly with scrub vegetation with over 280 species of plants.
  • Train from Kandy to Ella available.
Meeting Point

Sri Lanka

Cancellation Policy

For cancellations upto 2 days before the tour -

Refund of 50% of the tour price.
Price Details
Standard
2 To 2 USD 1891 Per Person

This is a private tour
Starting From

Fromss

see details
USD 1891 / person