Special Sri Lanka Buddhist & Cultural Tour

Airport / Seeduwa 05km (15min) Arrive at the Airport. Meet & Assistance on arrival by a representative of Connaissance de Ceylan. Transfer to Seeduwa. Arrive at the hotel and check-in with welcome drink and refreshing towels.

Seeduwa / Polonnaruwa 198km (5hrs) Polonnaruwa / Sigiriya 58km (1hr & 15min) After breakfast checkout from the hotel and transfer to Polonnaruwa. Visit Polonnaruwa medieval capital. Polonnaruwa was established as the capital city after the fall of Anuradhapura and is known as the mediaeval capital of Sri Lanka. Pollonaruwa contains the ruins of some of the masterpieces of Buddhist sculpture and remarkable feats of engineering that were well ahead of their time. Most outstanding amongst these is the Gal Vihara temple with its famous rock carvings of the Buddha and Parakrama Samudra, a vast man made reservoir covering an area of over 23 kilometers. Continue to Sigiriya Visit the Rock Fortress The Sigiriya rock fortress is a remarkable feat of engineering and a fascinating example of artistic craftsmanship. Hewn out of the living rock, the Sigiriya fortress was the stronghold of King Kashyapa, a formidable royal palace and city. Sigiriya, or the 'Lion Rock' is most famous for its frescoes, a series of 'heavenly maidens' painted on the rock surface itself. From halfway up the rock you can witness the elaborately landscaped water gardens containing the royal baths and fountains some of which still work today during the rainy seasons. Sigiriya is a still standing monument to Kashyapa, and the vision of a truly egotistical monarch. Arrive at the hotel and check-in with welcome drink and refreshing towels.

Sigiriya / Wewala 22km (30min) After breakfast transfer to Dambulla to visit the Rock cave temple The Dambulla cave temple, also known as the Golden Temple of Dambulla was founded in the 1st century by King Valagamba. Ancient sculptures and paintings of the Buddha and various Hindu deities and are located in five central caves. The original sculptures and paintings have gained additions throughout the centuries and stand monument to the evolving artistic styles of the ancient Ceylonese. Continue to Wewala temple. Arrival at the Buddhist monastery and meeting with the head monk Buddhist monks are necessarily unmarried dressed in orange robes and shaved head. You owe them great respect. Set up the 'Dana Shala' (the place where people offer meals for the monks) to offer meals for the monks. Afternoon A meditation session. Return to the hotel. Note: There must be proper outfits with pale colors. Prepare a small bag with clothes and a towel.

Sigiriya / Matale 75km (2hrs) Matale / Kandy 26km (45min) After breakfast checkout from the hotel & transfer to Kandy. En-route visit Matale Spice garden & Batik factory. For centuries, spices have been one of Sri Lanka's celebrated exports. Spices are mostly grown in home gardens (as a home industry) and used not only to flavor food but also in medicine and cosmetics. Visit a Spice Garden and sample such scents and flavors as cinnamon, ginger, pepper, vanilla, cardamom etc. Batik has been an ancient art of painting cloth and today Sri Lanka is among the world leaders in the design of batik. Batik galleries and factories offer batik from simple single-colored designs to intricate multi-colored masterpieces. Visit Batik Factory and see the various phases of batik manufacture. Continue to Kandy. Visit temple of tooth relic + Kandy city tour Sri Lanka's second city is Kandy, a beautiful historical city in the citadel of the country. It is not only known for its great kings who ruled the city for almost 225 years independently until the British took over in 1815, but it is also the place where the Sacred Tooth of Lord Buddha is laid in a magnificent temple. The incomparable Perahera celebration, a procession of more than 100 elephants, is held every August here. Visit Gemological museum View cultural show. Arrive at the hotel and check-in with welcome drink and refreshing towels.

Kandy / Peradeniya 5km (15min) After breakfast leave for visit 'Peradeniya Botanical Garden' The Royal Botanical Garden at Peradeniya was established in 1821 and now covers 140 acres, smuggled in a loop in the Mahaweli River, the longest river in Sri Lanka. Its primary purpose was the testing and acclimatizing of plants for commercial use in Sri Lanka. Today the Gardens have one of the largest collections of flora from sub tropical climates around the world. After visiting botanical garden proceeds to visit 3 temples. Lankatilaka Vihara an image house built solely of brick said to belong to the Gampola period. Situated on a hilltop, the temple houses a large image of the Buddha and is adorned with murals. Gadaladeniya Temple, a largely stone temple built on a rock. It is characterized by a stupa - like brick structure on an octagonal base with a moonstone at the entrance, lacquered door and numerous carvings and frescoes. Embekke Devalaya, built by King Vikramabahu - III of Gampola in the14th century, the Devale is principally dedicated to Skanda.It is renowned for its numerous carvings of human figures, fabulous animals and floral motifs.

Kandy / Pinnawala 46km (1hr & 30min) Pinnawala / Colombo 86km (2hrs & 30min) Colombo / Airport After breakfast checkout from the hotel and transfer to Colombo. En-route visit Pinnawala Elephant orphanage. The Orphanage was established to feed, nurse and house young elephants abandoned by their mothers, displaced from their natural environment by development projects. Most of the orphans cannot be introduced back into the wild, as other elephant family groups will not accept them. They enjoy a good life with their human parents, and many find good foster homes in zoos around the world. It is more interesting to visit an Orphanage at feeding or bathing time. Feeding time: 09:15', 13:15', 17:00'/Bathing time: 10:00'- 12:00', 14:00'- 16:00' Continue to Colombo Colombo city tour. Colombo stretches along the western shore of Sri Lanka for nine miles. It is not just a simple city of one and half million people, but a metropolis, where different ethnic groups, religions and cultures intermingle. Here the contrast between high raise hotels and colonial mansions, supermarkets and street bazaars, dazzling cars and motor-rickshaws is found anywhere you look. Shopping at ODEL. Transfer to Airport.