Colombo Caves & Kandy Festival
See the best of central Sri Lanka on this all-encompassing tour and join in the festivities of the exhilarating Kandy aka...
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Sigiriya Holidays
Sample Itinerary - REF SRI LANKA 156
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Day 1: Negombo
Welcome to Sri Lanka and the start of your holiday! Arrive Colombo, included transfer to your hotell in Negombo. You can take a short cycle ride to get fimilialize with climate, humidity etc. Overnight Negombo - Goldi Sands Hotel - 3 star - Standard Room.
Day 2: Negombo - Sigiriya
Total cycling distance approximately 35km, roughly 5 hrs (soft & moderate). Opt to extending cycling sections. Check into your hotel in Sigiriya. Later this afternoon we climb the 5th century Sigiriya rock fortress which is a world heritage site, built by King Kashyapa (477-495 AD). The ‘Lion Rock’ is a citadel of unusual beauty rising 200 meters from the scrub jungle. The rock was the innermost stronghold of the 70 hectare fortified town. A moat, rampart, and extensive gardens including the renowned water gardens ring the base of the rock. Visit the world-renowned frescoes of the ‘Heavenly Maidens’ of Sigiriya, which are in a sheltered pocket of the rock approached by a spiral stairway.
Day 3: Sigiriya
Total cycling distance approximately 40km, roughly 5 hrs (soft & moderate). Opt to extending cycling sections. Visit the first capital and undoubtedly the grandest city of the ancient Sri Lanka, Anuradhapura. It is the home of two World Heritage sites. Many places of historical and archaeological interest could be visited including Sri Maha Bodhi (Sacred Bo-Tree), Brazen Palace (2nd century B.C), Ruwanweliseya (2nd century B.C), Samadhi' Buddha statue (4th century AD), Isurumuniya rock temple (3rd century B.C) and Thuparama Dagoba (3rd century B.C).
Day 4: Sigiriya
Total cycling distance approximately 40km, roughly 4 hrs (soft). Opt to extending cycling sections. We visit Polonnaruwa, which was the 2nd capital city of Sri Lanka, built in the 11th and 12th centuries AD, and which is a world heritage site. Here you can see the ruins of the Royal Palace, the Gal Viharaya, where 4 splendid statues of the Buddha in ‘Upright’, ‘Sedentary’ and ‘Recumbent’ postures carved out of rock, the Audience Hall, the Lotus Bath, King Parakramabahu’s statue, and the Parakrama Samudraya lake built by King Parakramabahu the great. There are also monuments of famous places of worship such as the Shiva Temple, the Lankathilake, the Watadage, the Galpotha, the Kiri Vehera and the remains of a former Temple of the Tooth Relic.
Day 5: Sigiriya - Kandy
Leave for Kandy today. Total cycling distance approximately 55km, roughly 5 hrs (moderate). Opt to extending cycling sections. En route visit the Dambulla Rock Temple. Climb up to the temple, which was donated by king Walagambahu in the 1st century BC to Buddhist monks. Dambulla is a World Heritage site and is the most impressive of Sri Lanka’s cave temples. These caves contain over 150 images of the Buddha of which the largest is the colossal figure of the Buddha carved out of rock spanning 14 meters and a spice garden in Matale, to see the different spices, which Sri Lanka is famous for. You will be introduced to different spices and shown how some of these spices are grown and processed.
Day 7: Kandy
Total cycling distance 26km, roughly 4 hrs (moderate to hard). Visit the elephant orphanage in Pinnawala. Returns to Kandy enroute visit the Peradeniya Botanical Gardens. Do a city tour of Kandy. Kandy was the last capital of the Sri Lankan kings, and is a World Heritage Site. The name Kandy conjures visions of splendor and magnificence. Many of the legends, traditions and folklore are still lovingly kept alive. Drive around the Kandy Lake built by the last Sinhala king Sri Wickrama Rajasinghe in 1798. Visit the Kandy town and Bazaar, the arts & crafts centre and a gem museum and a lapidary. In the evening visit the Temple of the Tooth Relic and thereafter witness a cultural show featuring traditional Sri Lankan dancing.
Day 8: Kandy - Nuwara Eliya
Today we ride to Nuwara Eliya. Total cycling distance 30km, roughly 5 hrs (hard).
Day 9: Nuwara Eliya
We take a little break today and drive from Nuwara Eliya to Arugambay. Overnight Arugambay - Stardust Hotel - 2 star - Standard Room.
Day 16: - Yala National Park
Today, we drive to Yala National Park. The largest national park in Sri Lanka, Yala is home to elephants, wild boar, buffalo, leopard, crocodile and myriad birdlife.
Day 17: Yala National Park
Morning at leisure. This afternoon visit Yala National Park by safari jeeps to witness game (shared canter).
Day 18: Yala National Park - Kalutara
We visit the town of Galle and it’s 17th century fort. Within the fort, are narrow streets filled with churches and colonial buidings. We then continue to Kalutara, an ideal tropical beach holiday with it's sparkling warm blue seas and a lush fringe of palm trees, all bathed in warm golden sunshine.
