Private 7 Days Sri Lanka Trip with Historical Wonders

Welcome to Sri Lanka! Upon your arrival at Colombo International Airport, you will be warmly welcomed by your private driver guide and transferred to the hotel in downtown Colombo. The rest of the day is free for you at leisure.

Let’s start with a visit to Beira Lake, which is an artificial lake located in the center of Colombo and surrounded by many skyscrapers. With Gangaramaya Park and a temple Gangarama Sima Malaka on the water, the lakeside is great for taking a stroll and enjoying the view.

The temple’s buildings are a mix of Sri Lankan, Thai, Indian and Chinese architectural styles. Stepping into the temple, you might be amazed at the large collection of thousands of Buddha statues.

Next, follow the guide to visit Colombo National Museum, the oldest museum in Sri Lanka. Here you could meet the nation’s cultural heritage, including old weaving, statues, paintings, Chinese porcelain and the throne and crown of the Kandyan monarchs.

The intricate alleys in the market are lined with shops and stands selling fruits, vegetables, groceries, traditional sari clothing and textiles made in India and Bangladesh. Strolling around the market, you might notice the nearby Jami Ul-Alfar Mosque. This beautiful mosque features striking red and white striped exterior, making it a popular photo spot in Colombo.

In the late afternoon, you will be accompanied to Galle Face Green - Colombo’s largest open park. Facing the Indian Ocean, Galle Face Green is attractive especially at sunset. The park comes alive every evening with the locals picnicking, children flying kites, and couples walking by the sea. You could also try local food like prawn fritters (isso wade) and fried crabs sold by street vendors. After that, we will escort you back to your hotel.

In the midway, we will stop to visit PGB Kalugalla Park.

Upon arrival in Kandy, the guide will lead you to visit Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic, or Sri Dalada Maligawa in local language. Nestled by Kandy Lake and backed by green hills, the temple is like a pearl embedded in the old city.

Next, you will be treated to a traditional Cultural Dance Show. Used to be a type of sacrificial dance to drive away evil and keep safe in ancient times, the dance is still full of vitality and energy in today’s Sri Lanka. Before all the performances, you will hear a blowing of the conch shell, which is the traditional invocation of the ritual. Immerse yourself in the Raban Natuma dance accompanied by the Rabana drum, Kulu Natuma dance to celebrate the harvest, and the most spectacular fire dance and fire walking. After the show, your driver guide will escort you to the hotel.

After breakfast, we will drive to Royal Botanic Gardens, Peradeniya for a morning visit. Famous for its orchid collection, it’s one of the best tropical botanical gardens in the world. It used to be the imperial garden of the Kingdom of Kandy. Surrounded by Mahaweli Ganga River on three sides, the oasis is covered with dense trees and plants, making it fresh and cool inside.

Then, we will drive 1 hour to visit Dambulla Cave Temple. The cave temple complex is located on the mountainside. You will first see the Golden Temple at the foot of the mountain, which looks like a lion with its mouth wide open, and on the lion there is a 30-meter-high (98 ft.) gold statue of Buddha. You need to walk up the stairs to see the 5 caves of the temple, where you could get up close with a number of perfectly-preserved murals and exquisite statues from 2,000 years ago.

After visiting the temple, you will be transferred to the hotel in Sigiriya.

Today, continue your cultural heritage exploration. We will first take you to visit Sigiriya Rock Fortress, one of Sri Lanka’s oldest and most incredible architectural wonders. Different from other fortresses, most of its buildings were built in the 5th century on a 200-meter-high (650 ft.) massive rock hidden amidst the jungle.

Next, we will proceed to visit Ancient City of Polonnaruwa, which was the second capital city of Sri Lanka. Due to the large scale of the ancient city, we will drive you to tour the sites to help save your time and energy without walking too long in the hot sun. Although the Kingdom of Polonnaruwa lasted only about 200 years, the glory of it was like a renaissance in Sri Lanka. With a history of over 1,000 years, most buildings in the city like the palaces, temples and the imperial pools are well preserved.

After visiting the ancient city, you will be transferred back to your hotel in Sigiriya.

This morning, we will drive for about 1 hour to visit Ancient City of Anuradhapura, which was the first capital city of the island. Being the political center from the 3rd century BC to the 10th century AD, it has a longer history than Polonnaruwa.

Next, we’ll embark on a 4-hour long road trip to the hotel in Negombo.

Today, your memorable tours in Sri Lanka will come to an end. The driver guide will escort you to Colombo Airport for your departure flight. Wish you a nice journey home!