Culture Tours (8 Days|7 Nights)

AM : Arrival at the Colombo Airport. Assistance on arrival by a representative of asanga Tours Transfer to Dambulla and check into Hotel.

PM : Free at the hotel for the rest of the day. Dinner & overnight stay is at Hotel.

Stay at dambulla

AM : After Breakfast, Leave for Anuradhapura. En-route visit Aukana Buddha, undoubtedly one of the best-undamaged images of Buddha in South Asia, dated back to the 5th century AD. Arrive to Anuradhapura and visit ruins of the Old City. Anuradhapura was the first ancient capital of the country of kings for about 1400 years. In pinnacle of its glory the city extended over a surface of 52 sq. km and the population amounted to several tens of thousands. Its magnificent monuments, refined sculptures and paintings are testimony to a veritable and original Sri Lankan culture.

PM : Visit the Archaeological Museum and proceed to Mihintale. Mihintale regarded as the cradle of Buddhism in Sri Lanka. The rock is dotted with shrines and rock dwellings. A grand stairway of 1840 steps, 5 m wide, leads to the summit with its splendid views of the surrounding countryside. Return to Hotel for dinner & overnight stay.

AM : After Breakfast, Leave for Sigiriya and visit the rock fortress. Sigiriya, a massive rock in the green scrub jungle, is perhaps the most memorable place for visitors to Sri Lanka. The site was known from ancient times as a hermitage for Buddhist monks. A well-planed monastic complex included caved temples, bathing pools, lovely ponds and Asia’s oldest surviving landscaped gardens. Today Sigiriya is famous for its frescoes painted in the pocket of the rock. The “Lion stairway”, the “mirror wall” and the “water gardens” are it’s other highlights.

PM : Proceed to Polonnaruwa. & visit a Wood Carving Center. Visit the mediaeval capital Polonnaruwa. Polonnaruwa was the mediaeval capital of Sri Lanka, and today it is one of the most beautiful centers of our cultural heritage. With its comparatively brief history and a dozen rules, it is far more completely preserves ruin than Anuradhapura. Visit the ancient ruins and Gal Vihara complex, where 3 gigantic Buddha’s statues are caved out of a single rock. On your way back to the hotel enjoy a Jeep Safari at Minneriya Park. It is a recently declared national park, which is in the north central province. It’s on the banks of the Minneriya reservoir, which was built in the 4th century A.C. Minneriya is a hide-out for many elephants, where you could see herds of elephants approximately 50 to 60 elephants in a herd. Apart from elephants, it is a habitant for migrant and resident built species like Grey heron, Open built storks, Painted storks …etc. And also you could see 3 different species of monkeys like Silica makake, Pink faced leaf monkey and Grey langer. Return to hotel for dinner & overnight stay.

Stay at Dambulla

AM : After Breakfast, Proceed to Kandy visiting the Dambulla Rock Cave Temple. A 1st century BC Rock Caved Temple, which contains the most outstanding collection of Buddha’s images in Sri Lanka. The walls are covered in paintings of images of Buddha during his different reincarnations as well as depicting some historic episodes. Proceed to Kandy visiting the Spice Garden in Matale. For centuries, spices have been one of Sri Lanka’s celebrated exports. Spices 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. Visit Batik Factory en route. 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.

PM : Arrive in Kandy and check in to Hotel. In the evening visit the City of Kandy. Sri Lanka’s second city is Kandy, a beautiful historical city in the citadel of the country. It is not only known for it’s 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 part of the Old Palace and the Temple of the Tooth Relic and view the daily traditional rituals of the Temple. Return to Hotel for dinner & overnight stay. In the evening, view half an hour cultural performance of Kandyan Dancing.

Stay at Kandy

AM : After Breakfast, leave for Rabukkana by Train. Arrive in Rabukkana & Proceed Pinnawala Visit Elephant Orphanage at Pinnawala. 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′

PM : Return to Kandy & Visit the 03 Temples namely are Embekke Devale, 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. 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. Visit a Crafts Center and a Gemological Museum. Return to Hotel for overnight stay.

Stay at Kandy

AM : After Breakfast, Visit the Royal Botanical Garden in Peradeniya. 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.

PM : Leave for Nuwara Eliya visiting Tea Estate & Tea Factory. It is generally accepted that the discovery of tea occurred in ancient China. The Chinese say it was their Emperor Shen-Nung in 2737 BC who first tasted tea. The story goes that while he was boiling his drinking water a few leaves from a wild tea bush accidentally fell into the water. The Emperor liked the delicate flavor they imparted to the water and so the art of tea making was born. Ceylon tea acclaimed as the best tea in the world. The influence of climatic conditions imparts to the product a variety of flavors and aromas, synonymous with quality. The cultivation and manufacture of tea is presently a highly skilled, scientific and technical process, with Sri Lanka producing some of the most fragrant teas in the world. Arrive to N’ Eliya and check in to Hotel. Dinner & overnight stay are at Hotel.

AM : After Breakfast, leave for Colombo via Kitulgala viewing beautiful landscape and waterfalls en route.

PM : Proceed to Colombo en-route visit the commercial capital of Sri Lanka. 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. Check into Hotel for Dinner & Overnight stay.

Stay at Colombo

AM : After Breakfast, Transfer to airport for departure. Please note that you have to be at the Airport 3 hours prior to the departure flight.

Drop to the airport