cultural ceylon
(Colombo-Kandy-Sigiriya-Dambulla-Peredineya-Pinnawela)
Day 1 Colombo-Sigiriya: Upon arrival at
Colombo International airport, meet and greet by Concept Voyages' representative and transfer to
Sigiriya. Overnight stay in Sigiriya.
Day 2 Sigiriya-Dambulla-Kandy: After breakfast at hotel, Morning climb the 5th century Sigiriya rock fortress. Sigiriya is a world heritage site, built by King Kashyapa (477-495 AD). The '
Lion Rock' is a citadel of unusual beauty rising 200 metres 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. These frescoes are painted in earth pigments on plaster. Transfer from Sigiriya to
Dambulla. Dambulla rock temple was built by king Walagamba in the 1st century B.C. and it is a World Heritage Site. It 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. It contains over
150 images of the Buddha of which the largest is the colossal figure of the Buddha carved out of rock and spanning 14 metres. Overnight stay in Kandy
Day 3 Kandy: After breakfast at hotel, proceed for visiting the
Royal Botanical gardens in Peredineya. This botanical garden 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. Afternoon proceed for 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 splendour 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 and crafts centre, a gem museum and a lapidary. Also visit the
Temple of the Tooth Relic in Kandy. Evening view the cultural show. Overnight stay in Kandy
Day 4 Kandy-Pinnawela-Colombo: After breakfast, transfer from Kandy to Colombo via
Pinnawela, assisted by Concept
Voyages' representative. The
Pinnawela Elephant Orphanage,
established in 1975, commenced with seven orphans. Today some of these orphans enjoy the fortune of seeing their grandchildren born in the same location. The original objective of establishing the orphanage inclined more towards tourism, but is soon became a conservation and educational centre. With the help of local and foreign elephant experts, Pinnawela started a scientific captive-breeding programme for elephants. Afternoon proceed for a city tour of Colombo. Colombo, like many capital cities in developing countries is fast changing its face. Almost overnight, skyscrapers arise from where old buildings once stood. Yet in some parts, the old world charm is retained. For example, there is a
100-year-old clock tower and several British built colonial buildings. Other places of interest are a Hindu and a Buddhist temple, residential areas where you find the stately homes of the affluent, the
Bandaranaike Memorial International Conference Hall (BMICH) - an outright gift to Sri Lanka from the People's Republic of China & the old parliament. Also visit
House of Fashions, ODEL, Noritake ceramic shop & a local souvenir shop. Overnight stay in Colombo
Day 5 Colombo departure: After breakfast checkout and transfer to Colombo airport board flight for onward journey.
End of Tour!
Tour Booking Code: CVILK-02
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