Travelpack

Highlights: Negombo - Anuradhapura - Habarana - Sigiriya - Polonnaruwa - Kandy

Other Departures: Manchester - £1299, Birmingham - £1279, Edinburgh - £1309

Day-to-Day Summary

Itinerary:

AYUBOWAN!!!
On arrival at the Bandaranaike International Airport, you will get your first taste of warm Sri Lankan hospitality; you will be welcomed by our Viluxur holidays representative and transferred to Negombo.
(Duration from Airport to Negombo – Approx. 15 Mins)

Negombo The Sea and catamarans is the backdrop of the Negombo scenery. Take a leisurely walk in the area to explore the various trinket shops that occupy this fishing village. You may visit the Negombo lagoon and a fish auction, and make an unforgettable visit to the Dutch fort and an old Catholic Church. Check in at the hotel and spend the rest of your day at leisure by the beach/pool
Overnight stay at the hotel in Negombo Breakfast at the hotel.

Proceed to Yapahuwa.
Yapahuwa - An ancient fortress and capital built in the year 1301. Yapahuwa is a rock rising to a height of 90 meters. Many traces of ancient battle defenses can still be seen, while an ornamental stairway, remains its biggest showpiece. "Yapahuva" the the 13th Century capital in Sri Lanka was made King Buvanekabahu I. Here the chief object is the rock, which rises about 300 ft above the surrounding land. The land at the base to the south is fortified with two moats and ramparts. In this enclosure there are the remains of a number of buildings.

Transfer to Anuradhapura
Anuradhapura is Sri Lanka's ancient capital, 5th century BC - 9th century AD and the centre of the island's Buddhist civilization. In antiquity and the interest, it is the equal of any ancient 'buried city'. Impressive white 'dagabas' (relic chambers) and monuments, embellished with handsome stone carvings and sculpture, the oldest documented tree on earth - The Sri Maha Bodhi (over 2000 years old), pleasure gardens, beautifully executed stone baths and ponds, a superb irrigation system of reservoirs and canals are the attractions of Anuradhapura.
Overnight stay at the hotel in Anuradhapura
Breakfast at the hotel.

Transfer to Habarana.
Visit iriwaduna Village walk in the afternoon, This is a unique jungle and village experience which is popular with most clients. Depart early from the hotel to a point off the main road where you begin a scintillating walk over village paths, a tank (ancient reservoir) bund and forest. Cross a little jungle rivulet by catamaran to reach a farmers simple "wattle and daub" house. Begin the next phase of your trek, which will lead you through vegetable plots and into a scrub forest, where a waiting bullock cart will transport you through jungle and passed paddy fields. A truly Sri Lankan experience. Overnight stay at the hotel in Habarana, breakfast at teh hotel

Transfer to Sigiriya to visit the Rock Fortress Sigiriya.
The Lion rock was a citadel of unusual beauty rising 200 meters from the scrub jungle. The rock was the innermost stronghold of the 70 hectare fortified town. The base of the rock is ringed by a moat, rampart, and extensive gardens including the renowned water gardens. The world-renowned frescoes of the heavenly maidens of Sigiriya which are in a sheltered pocket of the rock approached by a spiral stairway are one of the main attractions. The frescoes are painted in earth pigments on plaster.

Transfer to visit the Polonnaruwa Ruins.
Polonnaruwa rose to fame as the capital after the decline of Anuradhapura. Its period of greatness was from the 10th - 12th centuries AD. The entire landscape of the region is punctuated by huge man-made reservoirs, veritable inland seas the most famous of which is the Prakrama Samudra or the Sea of Parakrama, larger in size than the Colombo harbor. The monuments of this medieval city are relatively well preserved and give clear evidence of the glory of Sri Lanka's past. See the Royal Palace complex, the Quadrangle with its concentration of ancient heritage and the spectacular Gal Vihare complex of four massive images of the Buddha, cut from a single slab of granite – a highlight of ancient Sri Lankan rock carving. Return to the hotel for overnight stay. Breakfast at the hotel

Transfer to Kandy via Matale. Visit to a spice garden en-route
Followed by a visit to the spice garden where the clients will be shown as to how the finest Sri Lankan spices are grown and processed. A processing and training unit has been set up in the area and farmers are grouped in a cooperative to ensure fair prices and you will also be able to purchase spices (Duration from Habarana to Kandy – Approx. 3 Hours)

En-route visit the cave temple in Dambulla.
Dambulla Rock Temple - was built by king Walagambahu in the 1st century B.C. Dambulla is a world heritage site and is the most impressive of Sri Lanka’s cave temples. The complex of five caves with over 2000 sq. meters of painted walls and ceilings is the largest area of paintings found in the world. The caves contain over 150 images of the Buddha of which the largest is the colossal figure of the Buddha carved out of rock and spanning 14 meters.
Visit the ancient Kandy city in the afternoon by Tuk - Tuk
Kandy a lovely city, the Hill Capital and last stronghold of the Sinhala Kings retains an aura of grandeur, which time has not affected. Encircled by hills, with a tranquil lake in its center, it is the site of the renowned "Temple of the Tooth" and the Royal Botanical gardens home to one of the best collections of Orchids. Kandy and its satellite villages are the centre of the islands handicraft industry and its traditional dances are the most spectacular in the country. Overnight stay at the hotel. Breakfast at the hotel

Proceed to visit the Royal Botanical Garden in Peradeniya.
Royal Botanical Gardens - was first built as a pleasure garden by a Sinhala king and was expanded by the British. It is 147 acres in extent and provides an amazing variety of trees, plants and flowers. Here, exotic crops such as coffee, tea, nutmeg, rubber and cinchona (quinine) - all of which later became important to Sri Lanka's economy - were tested. Sights include a palm avenue planted by the British in 1905.

Transfer to visit the Three Temples in Kandy.
Gadaladeniya , Embekke Devalaya and Lankathilake is called the Three temples which is located in the Kandiyan city. Kandy is studded with temples. The Sacred Temple of the Tooth (Sri Dalada Maligawa) at the heart of the city is the holiest temple in the world of Theravada Buddhism.
These temples are located 10km west of Kandy built during the time Kandyan kingdom was ruled from the city of Gampola.To the east of Kandy within 2km are another three important temples: Ganga

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