Glimpses of Culture - Sri Lanka

Day - 01 - Dinner & Overnight stay at Amaya Lake Resort, Dambulla

You will be met by SENSES representative on arrival and driven to Dambulla which is a
03 & ½ - 4 hour drive from the Katunayake Bandaranaike International Airport. The city of Dambulla is situated in the Central Province of Sri Lanka, 148KM north-east of Colombo and 72KM noth of Kandy. Major attractions of the city include the largest and best preserved cave temple comples of Sri Lanka, and the Rangiri Dambulla International Stadium, famous for being built in just 167 days. The city also boasts to have the largest rose quartz mountain range in South Asia, and the Iron wood forest, or Namal Uyana.
P.M. at leisure Or Optional elephant back safari through the jungles of Habarana Or Jeep safari to Minneriya National Park to witness the Wild Elephants. MINNERIYA NATIONAL PARK- This National Park with 8889 hectares in extent is famous for its large population of elephants in herds of 100 to 150 roaming in the jungle and seen in the catchment area of the lake. Entrance is at Ambagaswewa about 6 km from Habarana on the main Habarana Polonnaruwa road. Office is by the side of the main road. Elephants, about 300 wild elephants, wild buffaloes, wild boar, spotted deer, sloth bear, Sambhur, leopards, crocodiles, jackals, 9 kinds of amphibians, 25 kinds of reptiles, 160 species of birds, 26 varieties of fishes, 78 varieties of butterflies are recorded from the Minneriya National Park.
Dinner & Overnight stay at Amaya Lake Resort, Dambulla

Day - 02 - Excursion to Anuradhapura

After breakfast excursion to Anuradhapura. (One way 66KM " transfer time 1 & ½ hour)

ANURADHAPURA - the capital of Sri Lanka from the 05th Century B.C. to the end of the 10th Century A.D. was the most celebrated of Sri Lanka’s ancient ruined cities. The city’s greatest treasures are its dagobas constructed of bricks and are hemispherical in shape. The most notable of these dagobas are the Ruvanveliseya dating back to the 2nd Century B.C. and is 300 feet in diameter, the Jetawanarama is 370 feet and the Thuparama Dagoba is enshrined with the collarbone of the Buddha. The city’s most renowned relic is the sacred Bo Tree, which is said to have grown from a branch of the tree under which the Buddha gained Enlightenment. It was planted 2250 years ago and is the oldest historically authenticated tree in the world. Anuradhapura is a “World Heritage Site”. Afternoon visit Mihintale.
MIHINTALE " is 140 miles from Colombo, 8 miles from Anuradhapura. Mihintale is called the “Cradle of Buddhism in Sri Lanka”- it was here that the Buddhist doctrine was first preached by the monk ‘Mahinda’, son of Asoka, Emperor of India, to King Devanampiyatissa more than 2000 years ago. Mihintale - ‘the hill of Mahinda’ is approached by a magnificent, wide, ancient stone stairway of 1,840 steps. This is the World’s first declared sanctuary from 247 B.C. and continues to be one up to this day. Some of the monuments found here are the oldest in the country and the large number of Brahmi inscriptions dates from the 3rd century B.C.
Kantaka Cetiya, Ambastala Dagoba, Maha Thupa, At Vehera, Alms Hall, Girihandu Seya, Indikatu Seya, Old Hospital and Kaludiya Pokuna are some of the interesting sites at Mihintale.

Dinner & Overnight stay at Amaya Lake Resort, Dambulla

Day - 03 - Excursion to Polonnaruwa

After breakfast excursion to Polonnaruwa another “World Heritage Site”
(one way 68KM " transfer time 1 & ½ hours).
POLONNARUWA " is another “World Heritage Site” was the Capital of Sri Lanka from
11th - 13th Centuries, contains some splendid and spectacular statues. Lankatilake, Tivanka and Thuparama are the most beautiful and largest Image Houses and Tivanka has the best examples of frescoes of the Polonnaruwa period. Rankoth Vehera and Kirivehera are well preserved large stupas, and Gal Vihare - a rock shrine, has four Buddha statues, two seated, one standing and one reclining and Parakrama Bahu statue are examples of Sinhalese stone carver. The Vata-da-ge is a unique creation of the Sri Lankan artists. The medieval capital, Polonnaruwa was fortified with inner & outer moats and inner & outer walls. The Parakrama Samudra is on the western side of the city. The Royal Palace, Audience Hall and other buildings in the inner city were enclosed by another tall wall.

Afternoon back to Dambulla. En-route visit Ritigala.
The ruins of Ritigala. Ritigala Mountain situated 21 km off Habarana, Sri Lanka. The monastery at Ritigala consists of meditation platforms and walkways that are in perfect harmony with the huge boulders, trees and streams of the serene environment in the Habarana jungle. Some opinions point out that Ritigala may also have housed a hospital. After the monastery had been abandoned for a very long period, it was rediscovered by the then government surveyor James Mantell in 1872. Ritigala had been used as a base for battle by Pandukabhaya the founder of Anuradhapua city.

Dinner & Overnight stay at Amaya Lake Resort, Dambulla

Day - 04 - Leave for Sigiriya to climb the fortress

After early breakfast visit and climb the Sigiriya Rock Fortress.
Enjoy the early breakfast and then leave for Sigiriya to climb the fortress.

"SIGIRIYA" is a “World Heritage Site” and the 5th Century “Fortress in the Sky” which is perhaps the most fantastic single wonder of the Island. It is also known as Lion Rock because of the huge lion that used to stand at the entrance to the Palace on the summit of the 600-foot high rock. On its summit are the foundations of the Royal Palace, Water Tanks to supply water and all other buildings and at the edges the guardhouses. On one of the stairways the only known ancient work of Sinhala secular painting survived in the form of Frescoes of 21 life sized damsels still shining in their original colours.

The Water Gardens, Fountain Garden, Summerhouses, Boulder Gardens and the Caves within the enclosed area should not be missed. Thereafter visit Dambulla Cave Temples.
DAMBULLA CAVE TEMPLES - is a vast isolated rock mass 500 feet high and a mile around the base. Here is found the famous Rock Temple dating to the First Century B.C. The caves of Dambulla sheltered King Walagamba during his 14 years of exile from Anuradhapura. When he regained the throne he built the most magnificent of Rock Temples to be found in the Island. In the first Cave is a recumbent image of the Buddha 47ft long cut out of the Rock. There are images of deities associated with Buddhism all around. The frescoes on the walls and the ceiling are the oldest here but they are over painted in the Kandy period.

In the Second Cave, the finest and the largest of all, there are 150 life-size statues of the Buddha in various postures with few statues of Gods and Kings. The ceiling is also covered with frescoes, which depict great events in the life of the Buddha and landmarks in the history of the Sinhalese people.

Dinner & Overnight stay at Amaya Lake Resort, Dambulla.

Day - 05 - Proceed to Colombo via Kurunegala

After Breakfast proceed to Colombo via Kurunegala.
(Dambulla - Colombo 145KM " transfer time 3 & ½ to 4 hours)
P.M. City tour of Colombo including Shopping.
COLOMBO " is the business and commercial center and the new capital is Sri Jayawardhanapura Kotte, only a few miles away. Colombo was only a small seaport, which came into prominence in the 16th Century with the arrival of the Portuguese in 1505 and the development of it as a major Harbour took place during the British period. Colombo became the capital of Sri Lanka in 1815 after Kandyan Kingdom was ceded to the British. The remains of the buildings during the period of the Portuguese, Dutch and British rule are found in every area of the city. None of the Portuguese & Dutch fortifications are found today but some of their buildings and churches could be seen in the Fort & Pettah areas.

Visit Fort, the former British administrative center and military garrison, Sea Street - the Goldsmith’s quarters in the heart of Pettah, the Bazaar area where there is also a Hindu Temple with elaborate stone carvings, the Kayman’s Gate with the Belfry at the original gate to enter the Fort, the Dutch Church of Wolfendhaal dating back to 1749, Kelaniya Buddhist Temple dating to 6th C.B.C., Davatagaha Mosque, Colombo Museum and the Natural History Museum are some of the sites to be visited. Also visit the BMICH (Bandaranaike Memorial International Conference Hall), see the replica of Avukana Buddha in front and the Independence Memorial.

Dinner & Overnight stay at Trans Asia Hotel, Colombo

Day - 06 - Depart Sri Lanka

Depart Sri Lanka according to the flight OR transfer to preferable beach stay.