Royal Culture Tour

• Ayubowan !! Welcome to Sri Lanka.  You will be met by representatives of Real Lanka Holidays at the airport and transferred to Dambulla (4 Hours).
• Climb the Sigiriya Rock. Excursion will take 2 to 3 hours including visit to the museum. Our guide will explain you everything about the Sigiriya and will be willing to answer any of your questions about the its history happily .
• Traditional Sri Lankan dinner and overnight stay in hotel at Dambulla

• After the breakfast proceed to Polonnaruwa, a very ancient city in Sri Lanka. Here you can explore several historic ruins, stupas, kovils, castles and plenty of historical artifacts to add to your photography portfolio.
• On the way back to hotel we can visit the Dambulla cave temple which is largest cave temple in Sri Lanka. This complex dates back to first century BCE 
• Dinner and overnight stay in Dambulla hotel.

Polonnaruwa:  Polonnaruwa was the second capital of Sri Lanka after the destruction of Anuradhapura in 993. It comprises, besides the Brahmanic monuments built by the Cholas, the monumental ruins of the fabulous garden-city created by Parakramabahu I in the 12th century.  Visit the Royal Palace which was built almost a 1,000 years ago. The palace grounds spans for ages and might take a while to explore. Next make your way to Kumara Pokuna – the Royal Baths. After leaving the bath, head to explore the Council Chamber to look out for the engraved details on the ruins. Then head to another section of the ancient city, the bit that is home to the Dalada Maluva, one of the most sacred sites in Polonnaruwa.

Dambulla Cave/Golden Temple : Rangiri Dambulla Cave Temple is a living Buddhist site that is focused on a series of five cave shrines. There is a large rock that thousands of years ago was carved out by hand to create a large type of “cave”. Within this cave, there are five separate rooms, each with its own temple which you get to explore while visiting. Inside the caves, the ceilings had been painted with intricate images of the Lord Buddha and Bodhisattvas, as well as various gods and goddesses following the contours of the rock.

• After the breakfast proceed to Anuradhapura archaeological site including Mihintale Buddhist Temple and the Aukana Buddha statue
• Proceed to Jaffna and in the evening we will visit the Nallur Kovil in Jaffna, most venerated by Tamils.
• In Jaffna we will stay in old fort resort which was made by Portuguess in 1618 AD. (all meals included).

Anuradhapura: This sacred city was established around a cutting from the ‘tree of enlightenment’, the Buddha’s fig tree, brought there in the 3rd century B.C. by Sanghamitta, the founder of an order of Buddhist nuns. Hidden away in dense jungle for many years, the city is rich in archaeological and architectural wonders with elevated brick towers, ancient pools, mammoth dagobas and crumbling temples. All of these wonderful establishments were created during the ruling period of different dynasties.

Jaffna: Known as “Yalpanam” in tamil language, capital of the northern province in Sri Lanka, it served as the capital for four centuries long.  Jaffna kingdom was later siege several times from invaders outside of the country. One can observe significant difference in food, culture, language ,etc with respective to other parts of the country.  Almost three decades of the tearful war Jaffna was ready to rise up from the dust and serve with her beauty to the world.

Nallur Kandasami Kovil: The historical Kandaswamy temple in Nallur was founded in 948 AD not far away from the center of the town. This temple is dedicated to Lord Murugan in the form of the divine spear Vel, a well known symbol of tamil religiousness therefore many temples have been built in Europe and North America using the same name as a cultural memory.

• After the breakfast we will do Jaffna walking tour in the morning.
• Visit the Dutch fort in Jaffna and walk around the fort for 2 hrs.
• Back to the historical hotel to witness the beautiful sunset over the Indian ocean.
• Dinner will be a local cusine, mix of sea food. You can join for cooking with our expert chef.
• Overnight stay in Jaffna Hotel.

Jaffna Fort: This fort build by Portuguese conquerer name Phillippe de Oliveira in 1618 AD. In 1658 Dutch overtook the fort and expanded it eventually British took control of the fort. Even though fort was hit by civil war one can see many Portuguese era buildings such as Governors Residence, Queens House, Kruys Chuch,  police quarters and Garrison Parade Ground.

• After the breakfast proceed to Habarana  town in the north central of the country. This will be 4.5 hrs of driving.
• After check in to the hotel, we can relax at the hotel which is situated in edge of the forest.
• Explore the rural village of Hiriwadunna where you will enjoy an authentic Sri Lankan dinner at the end of this tour.

• Safari Jeep will wait at the hotel premises to take you for safari. Hotel will arrange the breaksfast in a parcels.
• You can see the lot of wild animals with birds during this facinating jeep drive in the jungle. Bring binoculars and suitable camera.
  
• After the safari you will transfer to Kandy.
• On the way to Kandy we will take lunch at the spice garden. You can visit the spice garden to take the knowledg of traditonal Sri Lankan spices.
  
•  In the evening we will partipate in traditional culture dance in Kandy. Your guide will give complimentary tickets for dance entrance. (all meals included)

Kaudulla National Park : It was established in 2002 to provide another link in the migratory corridor for elephants, connecting with Minneriya and Wasgomuwa national parks to the south, and Somawathiya National Park to the north and east. As at Minneriya, the centrepiece is a lake, the Kaudulla Tank, where elephants collect when water dries up elsewhere. The best time to visit is between August and December, with elephant numbers peaking in September/October when up to two hundred congregate at the tank. Outside the dry season much of the park is under water, and elephants can be more difficult to spot. Other wildlife inhabiting the park’s mix of grasslands and scrubby forest includes sambar deer, monkeys and the inevitable (but very rarely seen) leopards and sloth bears, plus a characteristically wide array of bird life.

• After the breakfast our clients can visit the country’s most famous botanical garden, Peradeniya, 147 acres big and collection of country’s all type of trees and plants.
• After walking tour inside the garden, we will visit the most venerated temples in Sri Lanka where Lord Buddha relic of tooth is kept.
• Will finish with Kandy city tour. (all meals included)

Temple of the sacred Tooth Relic: Ever since the 4th century AD,  when the Buddha’s tooth was brought to Sri Lanka hidden from sacreligious hands in an Orissan princess’s hair,  the relic has grown in repute and holiness in Sri Lanka and throughout the Buddhist world. It is considered Sri Lanka’s most prized possesion.

Kandy: The cultural capital of Sri Lanka, a world heritage site sits pretty in a valley surrounded by rings of mountains. Right in the heart of the city center of Kandy is the man-made lake called Kiri Muhuda (Sinhala: the sea of milk), the one and only decorative lake in Sri Lanka. Kandy is most famous for the Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic (Sri Dalada Maligawa). This beautiful city is gifted with scores of attractions that include Royal Botanical Gardens, Kandy Lake, Bahirawakanda temple for spiritual seekers, Udawattekele Sanctuary, Ceylon Tea Museum – a paradise for tea lovers, Wales Park – for a peaceful walk and many more.

• After the breakfast you will take train ride from Kandy to Nuwara Eliya. Real Lanka Holidays will provide the first class compartment’s seats for you. Your guide will receive you at Nanu Oya railway station.
• You can see 2 beautiful waterfalls after the ride St. Clair and Devon waterfalls. 
• After that we check in to a hotel. After couple of hours of break we will visit Gregory park and then take Nuwara Eliya city tour including holy trinity church one of the oldest angelican church in the country. (All meals included)

Nuwara Eliya: Nicknamed as “Little England” it is one of coldest city in the country. All around Nuwara Eliya you will see evidence of the British influence including red telephone boxes and well-tendered hedgerows. The town’s high altitude affords visitors breath-taking vistas over the valleys, grasslands and mountains. Many tourists come through the town on their way to hike up incredible peaks such as Adam’s Peak. You will also see lush vegetation and impressive waterfalls. Nuwara Eliya is also one of the biggest tea plantations areas on the island.

• After the breakfast we will leave the hill side of the country to discover the beaches. Before this we take short drive from the hotel to visit tea plantation and take tea tasting tour inside the tea factory.
• After this we will take the lunch in front of Ramboda waterfall.
• After lunch we will have long drive of around 5 to 6 hours to beaches in the sourh.
• You can have a whole evening with beautiful sunset over the Indian ocean (all meals included)

 Tea plantation in Sri lanka:   With contribution of billion dollars per year to Sri Lankan economy, Ceylon tea industry employs 1.5 million Sri Lankans directly and/or indirectly. Tea was introduced in Sri Lanka in 1867 by a young Scotsman James Taylor. Ceylon tea holds great reputation of being the best tea in the world and holds 4th place as the largest tea producer to the world. You can taste the original Ceylon fresh tea and opportunity to see the tea process at work; how the green tea leaves end up in drinkable tea through various steps of withering (drying), rolling, fermentation, oxidizing, drying again, followed by sorting and bulk packing. 

• After relaxing in the morning hours in the hotel we can spend the full evening inside the colonial fort of Galle.
• You can walk through the passages and narrow roads inside the fort.
• One of the best place to see the sunset in Sri Lanka is near to gunpoint edge on the western side of the fort. Our package includes free tickets to marine museum inside the fort. 

 Galle Old Dutch Fort: Galle Fort is a UNESCO World Heritage site which countless tourists and locals visit throughout the year. The fort is also known as Dutch Fort and Ramparts of Galle. The Portuguese built the majestic fort back in the year 1588 when they were ruling the territory. After the Dutch took over the reins from the Portuguese, the fort was extensively fortified. It is a historical, archaeological and architectural heritage monument, which even after more than 423 years maintains a polished appearance, due to extensive reconstruction work done by Archaeological Department of Sri Lanka. The fort has a colorful history, and now it is one of the main tourist’s attractions in Sri Lanka

• After the breakfast your guide will take you to Colombo which is 3 hrs drive from Galle.
• Will spend the day time with shopping in Colombo fort area or spend in the hotel to avoid traffic.
• We can start the city tour at the night time. Your guide will take you to famous tourist attraction.
• Dinner at outside restaurant and overnight stay in Colombo hotel.

Colombo : Commercial capital and largest city in the island, the name Colombo introduced by the Portuguese in 1505  is believed to be derived from the classical Sinhala name “Kolon Thota” meaning Port on the river Kelani.  Things to do in Colombo take a city tour, visit Gangaramaya temple, admire the Red Mosque, take in the genuine vibe of Pettah Market Colombo, relax at Mount Lavinia beach, take a walk on Galle Face Green, walk around Viharamahadevi Park, be mesmerized by the colorful Sri Kailawasanathan temple, visit the Independence Memorial Hall, Colombo National Museum or go up the Lotus Tower.

• After the breakfast proceed to airport for departure.

Today is the last day of your tour. Our guide will transfer you to departure terminal of the airport. Hope to see you again. Our representative will see you off at the airport. Have a safe flight !! 

 End of the Tour -Thank You !!!!!