Explore ancient Lanka with the tour that was inspired by the Lonely Planet Sri Lanka Travel Guide recommendations. During this tour you will get a chance to relax and enjoy the magic of the beaches of Sri Lanka in Negombo and then there onwards to the more enchanting ruins of ancient Lanka in the North Central region of the island – namely Sigirya Rock Fortress, Dambulla, to designate few

Day 01 – Negombo City

Your Ranfer  Travels Sri Lanka tour guide will await your arrival at the Colombo International Airport (Flight at your own arrangement). You will be transferred to your hotel in Negombo where you can enjoy the evening at leisure on the beach. Dinner and overnight stay at Golden Star Beach Hotel or similar.

Day 02 – Day At Leisure

After breakfast enjoy the day at leisure on the beaches of Negombo. You can explore the city of Negombo on your own as the city offers many bustling road side cafes, visit the historic remains of the Old Dutch Fort and other charming Old Catholic churches and monuments. A visit to the Negombo canal fish market is also worth your while as the entire place comes alive with the daily screams from the traders and fishermen.

Optional – Take a half day excursion to the nearby Muthurajawela swamp land for a bird watching tour. The Muthurajawela Marsh land is today a heaven both endemic and migratory birds. The area was once a thriving rich paddy growing area but the Portuguese occupiers at the time started developing canal ways in the region which led to the area being contaminated by sea water. The area today has gradually adapted to the present conditions and is today Sri Lanka’s biggest salt-water wetlands.

Dinner and overnight stay at Golden Star Beach Hotel or similar.

Day 03 – Pinnawela Elephant Orphanage / Ancient City Of Anuradhapura

After an early breakfast you will travel to Anuradhapura via a stop at the Pinnawella Elephant Orphanage Tour.

Pinnawella Elephant Orphanage – Started in 1975 to house the abandoned and the wounded elephants. The orphanage has grown to be the largest of its kind in the world today. This is a unique experience and one that is undoubtedly unforgettable. Visitors to the orphanage can experience the staggering daily march the elephants make to their bathing place to the nearby river, see their feeding rituals and also have a chance to feed the young calves their portion of milk for the day.

On arrival at Anuradhapura check in to your hotel and enjoy the evening at leisure.

Dinner and Overnight stay at Shanthi Hotel Anuradhapura or similar.

Day 04 – Ancient City Of Anuradhapura – City Tour

After breakfast tour the ancient city of Anuradhapura. The city was the first capital city of Ancient Lanka and the ruins stand testament to the great powers of its era. The entire area houses a well preserve historical park with many ruins of monasteries, citadels and stupas. A short drive from Anuradhapura is Mihintale, which is the birth place of Buddhism in Sri Lanka. This peaceful hill, houses a quaint monastery with captivating views of the entire region. Visitors to Mihintale can also explore the remains of the ancient Ayurvedic hospital that once stood here. Dinner and Overnight stay at Shanthi Hotel Anuradhapura or similar.

Day 05 – Sigiriya Rock Fortress

After an early breakfast travel to Sigiriya Rock Fortress, known by the locals as the ‘Eighth wonder of the world’. Afterwards visit a Batik Factory where you can experience the manufacture of this beautiful traditional art form of making Batik prints.

Sigiriya is home to the 5th Century ‘Fortress in the Sky’ which is undoubtedly the most fantastic single wonder of Sri Lanka. Locals in the area also refer to it as the ‘Lion Rock’ because of the huge lion that use to stand at the entrance to the fortress. Today sadly only its giant paws remain. Within its triple-moat defense system, the huge rock rises to a sheer height of 500ft. On its summit are the foundations of what was once King Kashyapa’s great and sumptuous palace and gardens complete with swimming pool and cooling systems. On one of the stairways the only known ancient work of Sinhala secular painting survived in the form of frescoes of life sized damsels in all the freshness and delicacy of their original color. It is important to state that Sigiriya was never conquered by any of the invading forces that had such an effect on the island of Sri Lanka. It was however, abandoned by the British during the colonial rule which further added to the citadel’s neglect and deterioration. In the afternoon enjoy an elephant back safari tour in Habarana.

Dinner and Overnight stay at the Hotel Kassapa Rock Dambulla or similar.

Day 06 – Minneriya National Park / Polonnaruwa City Tour

An early morning start to enjoy a trilling 4x 4 Wheel jeep safaris at the Minneriya National Park. In the afternoon head for a captivating city tour of Polonnaruwa. Polonnaruwa was the 2nd ancient capital of Lanka, after the fall of Anuradhapura. The area is home to ruins that date back over a 1000 years and visitors can explore ancient Buddhist sculptures and monasteries.

Dinner and Overnight stay at the Hotel Kassapa Rock Dambulla or similar.

Day 07 – Dambulla Cave Temple

After breakfast travel to Negombo. En route visit the Dambulla cave temple and the Matale spice garden. At the Spice Garden at Matale witness the luscious Cinnamons, Cardamoms, Pepper plants and other endemic herbs of Sri Lanka. This is a perfect place to stock up on your Sri Lankan spices. Dambulla is famous for the five cave Temples on a rock. The first 03 caves are better, older and larger than the other two. Some caves date to 1st Century B.C. All the 5 cave walls and ceilings are covered with Buddhist murals. There are more than 130 Buddha statues and statues of Gods and Kings are also found here.

Optional – Extend your stay by a night and experience a city tour of Colombo and enjoy a thrilling shopping spree with items at unbelievable bargain prices. This will certainly be worth your while.

Dinner and overnight stay at Golden Star Beach Hotel or similar.

Day 08 – Departure

Checkout of your hotel and transfer to Colombo International airport. Your tour of Sri Lanka ends here. Have a nice flight and we look forward to seeing you again soon.

Note: Hotel stipulates checkout is before 12:00hrs noon time. Late Checkout between 12:00-18:00 requires half of the room rate. Any checkout after 18:00 will cost one extra night room rate.

PRICE INCLUDES

• 7 Nights accommodation on Half Board basis (Breakfast and Dinner).
• Transfers in an excellent Air Conditioned vehicle accompanied with a fluent English Speaking Chauffer Guide. (Multi-lingual Guides can be organized on request. Additional charges apply)
• All Entrance Ticket charges for the mentioned visits.
• All local and government Taxes for services mentioned.

PRICE EXCLUDES

• Transportation, entrance & other Charges for optional visits & activities. Tips for Hotel & Guide / Driver.
• All additional expenses not mentioned on the package.
• Video Camera Permits at selected sites.