4 Days 3 nights city tour to Sigiriya, Polonnaruwa, and Negombo You will be able to see ancient monuments older as 2300 years. The ruins of Polonnaruwa and Sigiriya are one of South Asia’s most evocative sights. The sprawling complex contains a rich collection of archaeological and architectural wonders like enormous dagobas, soaring brick towers, ancient pools and crumbling temples, built during Polonnaruwa’s thousand years of rule over Sri Lanka. Today several of the sites remain in use as holy places and temples. Sigiriya is an archeological site in North Central Sri Lanka. It contains the ruins of an ancient palace complex, built during the reign of King Kasyapa (477AD – 495 AD). It is one of the 7 world heritage sites in Sri Lanka and is one of it’s most popular tourist destinations.
Pinnawala Elephant Orphanage: While on the way to Sigiriya you will be able to visit Elephant Orphanage at Pinnawala. Transport from airport to Pinnawala takes 2.5 hours so that it is preferred morning arrivals.
Dambulla Temple: Dambulla cave temple also known as the Golden Temple of Dambulla is a World Heritage Site in Sri Lanka, situated in the central part of the country. This site is situated 148 km east of Colombo and 72 km north of Kandy. Within these five caves is housed a collection of 157 valuable images of the Buddha and Bodhisatta etc. Inside the caves, the rock surfaces, ceiling, and side walls are covered with paintings executed with indigenous traditional color schemes to an extent of about 22,000 square feet. The inscription in the premises records that the temple had been named “Rangiri Dambulla” when the images were painted in gold by King Nissankamalala of the Polonnaruwa regime. The temple with its historical, archeological and artistic significances had in the year 1991, been declared one of the world heritage sites by the UNESCO.
Visit Sigiriya Lion Rock: Sigiriya is an ancient palace located in the central Matale District near the town of Dambulla in the Central Province, Sri Lanka. The name refers to a site of historical and archaeological significance that is dominated by a massive column of rock nearly 200 metres (660 ft) high. According to the ancient Sri Lankan chronicle the Culavangsha, this site was selected by King Kasyapa (477 – 495 CE) for his new capital.
Ayurvedic spa (in Sigiriya) (Optional) : Ayurvedic Spa is an ancient philosophy. It is the oldest healing from on earth going back to the days of Brahma! The Father of all Gods. Ayurveda looks to balance the mind & body by returning to the Five Elements – earth, water, fire, air & ether. Nature has the finest ingredients that our body needs and our Ayurveda Spa seeks to unearth these purest and finest resources and their secrets to invigorate your mind & ease your body, enabling you to glow inside out. The Ayurveda spa takes you back to the elements its rustic earthly & minimalist interiors & the perfect spiritual retreat.
Elephant Ride (Optional) : Unique experience with elephant ride.
Polonnaruwa – Polonnaruwa was the second capital of Sri Lanka after the destruction of Anuradhapura in 993. It comprises, besides the Brahmanic monuments built by the Cholas, the monumental ruins of the fabulous garden-city created by Parakramabahu (I) in the 12th century. This immense capital created by the megalomaniac sovereign, Parakramabahu I, in the 12th century, is one of history’s most astonishing urban creations, both because of its unusual dimensions and because of the very special relationship of its buildings with the natural setting. It is also a shrine of Buddhism and of Sinhalese history. The tooth of the Lord Buddha, a remarkable relic placed in the Atadage under Vijabayahu, was considered as the talisman of the Sinhalese monarchy, its removal by Bhuvanaikabahu II confirmed the decline of Polonnaruwa. The ruins of the ancient city stand on the east shore of a large artificial lake, the Topa Wewa Lake, or Parakrama Samudraya (the Sea of Parakrama), built by King Parakramabahu I (1153-86), whose reign was Polonnaruwa‘s golden age.
Lunch at Girithale (Optional)
Minneriya National Park – Located between Habarana and Polonnaruwa, the 8890 hectares of Minneriya National Park is an ideal eco tourism location in Sri Lanka . The park consists of mixed evergreen forest and scrub areas and is home to Sri Lanka ‘s favourites such as sambar deer, leopards and elephants.However the central feature of the park is the ancient Minneriya Tank (built in 3rd century AD by King Mahasena). During the dry season (June to September), this tank is an incredible place to observe the elephants who come to bathe and graze on the grasses as well as the huge flocks of birds (cormorants and painted storks to name but a few) that come to fish in the shallow waters. Minneriya forms part of the elephant corridor that joins up with Kaudulla and Wasgomuwa national parks, and large numbers of the beasts can be found here at certain times of year during their migrations between the various parks – local guides should know where the greatest concentrations of elephants are at any given time. They are most numerous from July to October, peaking in August and September when water elsewhere dries up and as many as three hundred or more come to the tank’s ever-receding shores from as far away as Trincomalee to drink, bathe and feed on the fresh grass that grows up from the lake bed as the waters retreat – as well as to socialize and search for mates. This annual event has been popularly dubbed “The Gathering”, the largest meeting of Asian elephants anywhere in the world.
Airport transfer
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