Summer East Coast Culture & Beaches Experience 2023

Arrive at the Bandaranaike International Airport and transfer to your first hotel in Negombo. Negombo is famous for its beach, the Dutch Heritage Sites, and, of course, fresh seafood. Acclimatize & relax at the beach restaurant or swimming pool. Overnight Negombo.

After breakfast leave Negombo for Sigiriya. On the way visit the Dambulla Rock Temple is a magnificent gallery of Buddha images and wall and ceiling paintings not seen anywhere else on the Island. It is a complex of five cave temples with its origin going back to the first century BC. Dambulla and its five cave temples are filled with Buddhist murals and many Buddha statues. Visitors must remove their shoes and approach the shrines barefoot. The first cave is filled with the 47-foot-long recumbent image of the meditating Buddha. In the second cave, there are 150 beautifully carved and preserved gilded statues of gods and Buddhas. The rock ceilings are painted in brilliantly preserved and intricately detailed patterns and images of the holy figures. Overnight Sigiriya.

Free in the morning, but you can also take an optional excursion to Polonnaruwa. You can go by mountain bike to the ruins of Polonnaruwa, a fun and active excursion. An exciting bike ride of about 10 kilometers through the region. A nice introduction to local daily life. Admire the bright green rice fields, visit local villages, meet friendly people, and see how you get a coconut from the tree. The route is flat and you have plenty of time, so you certainly don’t have to be in top condition to make this excursion, it is mainly about enjoying yourself. On arrival leave the bicycle(s) behind and explore Polonnaruwa on an extensive tour by car, past the remains of the palace and the famous reclining Buddha. You can also choose to just cycle through the ancient city. The historic city of Polonnaruwa is full of ruins and landmarks from the 11th to 13th centuries. These were the heyday of Sri Lankan sculpture. In addition to the many ruins, the royal palace, the Gal Vihare complex, and the tomb of Alahana Pirivena are also of interest. In the afternoon we make an adventurous jeep safari in the Minneriya National Park. The park is known for the many hundreds of elephants that live there. You make a safari through this beautiful park by 4WD, where the chance that you see elephants drinking in the lake is almost guaranteed. Then back to the hotel. Overnight Sigiriya.