Day 1 -

Arriving in the Colombo airport you will be picked up by our representative and driven to Kandy, the capital of hill country. Set amongst the central hills with cool climes and full of history and culture this charming city provides the absolute heaven for holiday makers. Checking into your hotel and a brief rest you will visit the sacred Temple of The Tooth, Buddhism's most important religious shrine. The 16th century edifice which used to be the royal palace of Kandian kings houses the tooth relic of lord Buddha. Sinhalese kings always made sure that they had the custody of the sacred Tooth relic as it was believed that whoever had the Tooth relic could claim to be the rightful owner of the throne. Hence a part of the royal palace was allocated as a shrine for the tooth relic. Afterwards you will see the cultural dance show , an electrifying display of Sri Lankan folk dances. Be awed by the spectacular dances, acrobatics, costumes and music. This cultural show depicts various forms of Kandyan dancing including dances which depict the graceful movements of birds and animals and ritualistic performances meant for deities and spirits. This is a must see for any tourist visiting the city of Kandy.   

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Day 2 -

This morning outing will first take you to Lankathialaka ancient temple , a 14th century edifice built on a huge granite rock. It is renowned for its unique architecture, Kandian era murals and carvings. Situated on a small hill top overlooking green forests and yellow paddy fields this elegant ancient structure is amongst the most impressive ones to visit during a trip to Kandy.  Afterwards you will visit Peradeniya Royala Botanical Garden , a spectacular garden full of wonderful trees and plants. It's the largest and the most extensive garden in Sri Lanka with over 10000 tress and plants. During the time of Kandian kings this was exclusively reserved for royals to stroll through, Later ruling Britishers transformed it into its present form. During the time of world war 2  Lord Louis Mountbatten, the supreme commander of the allied forces in Asia, used the garden as his headquarters. In the evening you pay a visit to the Buddha on the hill top. Bahirawakanda which the Buddha sits atop offers incredible panoramic views over the city below at the sunset.

 

Day 3 -

Today after breakfast we are leaving for Sigiriya, en route  you will visit the Golden Temple ,Dambulla , a well preserved cave complex dating back to1st century BC and a world heritage site. The beautiful  Rock Temple complex sits about 160m above the plains below. There are five separate caves that  contain about 150 absolutely stunning Buddha statues and finest wall paintings. Inhabited by forest-dwelling Buddhist monks since the 1st century BC, these natural caves have been transformed continuously throughout the history into its present form. At the foot of the cave temple hill stands this modern temple, on top which sits a huge golden Buddha image. Overnight stay in Sigiriya. 

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Day 4 -

Climbing the Lion Rock Fortress Sigiriya this morning, a world heritage site and Sri Lanka's landmark historic monument. Rising dramatically from the plains below this imposing fortress had once been the capital of ancient Sri Lanka in the 5th century.

The ruling center atop the 200 m high rocky plateau complete with fortifications, palaces , shrines, art galleries , archaic frescoes and various other architectural formations is an exceptional master piece of ancient urban planning, landscape & architecture. The beautiful  frescoes of alluring Sigiriya Damsels are among the most preserved murals of that era in the south Asian region up to this day. The Mirror Wall of Sigiriya, once a wall so shiny that the king could see his face in it, is now covered with ancient graffiti, mostly commentaries written by ancient tourists admiring the beauty of semi nude Sigiriya Damsels.  At the entrance to the flat top of the rock stands a pair of colossal lion's paws carved into the rock face. Originally a part of a larger lion-statue, the final ascend to the top terrace led through its open mouth, this monumental pair of lion’s paws give a glimpse of its former splendour. At the base of the Sigiriya rock is a beautifully  landscaped area dotted with terraced gardens ,pretty water features, natural boulders , sparkling ponds and cascading fountains. These elegantly landscaped gardens which extend a few hundred meters from the base are said to be some of the oldest landscaped gardens in the world. The somewhat strenuous climb will compensate you by way of breathtaking panoramic vistas from atop the rock. 

 

Day 5 -

Seeing the magnificint ruins of Polonnaruwa. Polonnaruwa, a part of Sri Lanka's famed cultural triangle and a world heritage site was a great city in Sri Lanka which came to prominence during 12th century following the destruction of Anuradhapura, its predecessor as the Island's capital. Once an  impressive metropolis and a thriving commercial and religious center this fascinating city is filled with archeological treasures that bear silent witness to its former grandeur. The city is dotted with ruins of temples, shrines, palaces and statues that are in much better shape than ruins of Anuradhapura.

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You will visit the following archeological sites in Polonnaruwa today

 Archeological museum ,Royal Palace, Audience Hall, Watadage (Circular Relic House),  Pabalu Vehera (Temple of Marbles), Rankoth Vihara (Golden  pinnacle Dagoba ), Kiri Vihara (Milky white Dagoba), Thivanka Statue House , Lankathialaka Vihara , Gal Vihara ( Rock Temple) ,Lotus Pond 

 

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​Day 6 -

The city of Anuradhapura , the ancient capital of Sri Lanka and a world heritage site, was founded in 5th century BC and first made the capital of the Island in 4th century BC. It remained as the capital for almost 15 centuries under 119 kings until the end of the reign in 1017 AD. One of the longest serving capitals of the world , and one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities Anuradhapura was a prominent political, commercial and religious center in Asia during the thousand years of its rule. It became one of the first formally planned cities in the world featuring palaces ,monasteries ,temples ,hospitals , cemeteries, pleasure parks and water tanks. This great monastic city ,the cradle of Sinhala Buddhist civilization treasure a rich collection of archeological and architectural wonders, all inspired by Buddhism, Buddhis arts and Agriculture. Among an impressive collection of treasures now you see today are renovated monuments ,restored edifices, preserved ruins and remodeled structures of significant archeological, architectural and artistic value. You will visit following sites during your stay in Anuradhapura

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The sacred Bo tree , Ruwanweli seya (Great Dagoba), Abhayagiriya Dagoba,Rathnaprasada ( Palace of Gem ), Eth Pokuna (Elephant pond ) ,Jethavan Dagoba, Lowamahapaya (Great Mansion), Isurumuniya Temple ,Royal plesaure Gradens , Wessagiriya cave complex ,Kuttam Pokuna (Twin ponds) ,Thisa wewa ( Lake Thisa )  -  

 

With its peaceful, serene atmosphere that surrounds the lake Thisa wewa is the ideal place to spend the evening watching magical scenes at the sunset. 

 

​Day 7

After a memorable trip through the great cultural triangle in Sri Lanka we are heading to the airport. On the way you will have the chance to relax a bit on the beautiful Negambo beach if time permits .    

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