Family Getaway 8 Days 7 Nights Polonnaruwa Tour Package

Pegasus Reef Hotel 3

The group flight arrives at Colombo/’s Bandaranaike Airport and transfer to our hotel at Wattala on the coast. The rest of the day is free to relax at the hotel and recover from the flight. Those not flying with the group will meet us at the hotel.

Giritale Hotel 3

Today we travel to Giritale, where we will stop in one of three parks, either the Kaudulla or Minneriya National Park or the Hurulu Eco Park for a game drive. We will take to jeeps to explore the park and observe elephants in their natural habitat. We then continue onto Giritale where we stay overnight.

Giritale Hotel 3

Today we cycle at a leisurely pace through a series of small villages to Dambalawewa Lake. We should see plenty of bird life including Egrets, Brahmany Kites, Kingfishers, Bulbuls. We stop for lunch in a traditional village which will break up the journey. In the late afternoon we return to our hotel in Giritale.

Hotel Sigiriya 3

After breakfast we take a short drive to Polonnaruwa, the ancient capital of the Sinhalese. There are many Buddhist relics and ruins dating from a thousand years ago when Sinhalese culture reached its zenith. Polonnaruwa flourished in the 12th century after the decision was made to move the capital from Anuradhapura so it was further away from the incursions from southern India. We visit many of the temples, palaces, huges dagobas and remarkable Buddhist sculptures. After lunch we drive to Sigiriya about an hour away. This impressive 5th century rock fortress rises 180 m from the plains overlooking the surrounding countryside giving far-reaching views.

Hotel Topaz 3

Today we head into the hills to the picturesque town of Kandy. On the way we stop at Dambulla, famous for its cave temple, one of Sri Lanka/’s most impressive sights. There are colorful, well preserved paintings and statues of the Buddha inside, some of which date back as far as the 1st century BC. Kandy is located on a small lake and we spend time in and around the town. Visiting the Temple of the Tooth, which houses Sri Lanka/’s most important Buddhist relic. The Tooth of Buddha which was taken from the funeral pyre in 543 BC and only found its way to Sri Lanka in the 4th century AD. There are literally hundreds of worshipers who visit the temple each day and in July August the most spectacular ceremony takes place. Some of our trips in July August should coincide with the Kandy festival, but the exact dates, decided by priests (depending on the auspicious time), are not known until 5 months prior to the event. We drive to a beautiful viewpoint to get a great view of Kandy and its environs that are overlooked by a huge Buddha and visit a gem museum where you can see the products of the traditional methods of gem extraction.

Hotel Topaz 3

Today you are free to explore Kandy at your leisure or take an optional excursion to Knuckles Mountain Range (including Lunch). This mountain range is named due to its formation that resembles the knuckles of a clenched fist. They loom 1860 m above the Dumbara Valley. The surrounding areas have been declared as a strict natural reserve. A large variety of indigenous plants are found in this area. We return to Kandy in the evening.

Ramada Hotel 3

An early departure to Colombo as the drive is approximately 4 hours (115 km). En route we/’ll stop at Peradeniya Botanical Gardens with its vast array of orchid species endemic to Sri Lanka. The lunch stop will also be a traditional Sri Lankan rice and curry . On arriving in Colombo our guided walking tour commences in the Galle Face Green area focusing on Colombo/’s colonial architecture . It includes the old Parliament, Old Fort City area and the Old Dutch Hospital.

The trip ends after breakfast. Those on the group flights will be taken to the airport in time for their flight home.