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Minneriya Elephant Safari with Sigiriya Lion Rock From Colombo (Private)
Forget public transport or negotiate with cab drivers and visit two top Sri Lanka sights in one day on this private full-day tour from Colombo. Travel by private vehicle to Sigiriya, Dambulla and Minneriya National Park and enjoy a 4x4 safari, during which you might spot elephants and other wildlife.
Sigiriya Rock, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is an important part of the trip. Explore the fortress as your guide shares its history. Before the tour ends and starts with the return journey, you have the opportunity to explore the Dambulla golden temple.
Start: Colombo, Sri Lanka
Finish: Colombo, Sri Lanka
Ages: Min 15
Group size: Min 1
Nature of tour: private
Is this trip right for you?
- The entire trip is private (transfers and sightseeing), and only you and your associates take part in the trip.
- This 1-day trip packs a lot in. It’s one of the most popular Sri Lanka tours; we run in our original style, perfect for those who look for a one-week trip and a desire to do the most with it. If you are after a more leisurely trip in Sri Lanka or a shorter trip, please check our other tour itineraries.
- Sri Lanka can get extremely hot in the summer. While we aim to do our walking tours and city tours early in the morning or afternoon, when it’s cooler, remember to keep water on you and to bring a hat, sunscreen, a long-sleeved shirt, and anything else that will protect you from the sun.
- Part of traveling with Serendipity means respecting local cultures and sensibilities. That way, you get the most out of your interactions with local people and environments. We visit a number of temples on this trip, and to enter them, you must have clothes that cover your wrists and below the knee. Some times you have to remove the head covers and shoes upon entering the temple. Please click here to know more about the rules and regulations pertaining to Sri Lanka temple visits.
Places you visit on this trip
- Sigiriya rock fortress (UNESCO world heritage site). Read more about Sigiriya Rock Fortress.
- Golden Temple Dambulla (UNESCO World Heritage Site). Read more about Dambulla Golden Temple.
- Minneriya National Park (Safari). Read more about Minneriya Safari.
- Spice gardens.
Highlights
- Explore the Sigiriya rock fortress on a walking tour (UNESCO world heritage site).
- Safari at Minneriya National Park on a private Jeep in search of wild creatures
- Trek to the Dambulla Golden Temple (UNESCO World Heritage Site)
- Explore Sigiriya on a self-guided walking tour
- Hotel pickup and drop-off are included for an added convenience.
Additional information
- Confirmation will be received at the time of booking.
- Guest not accepted with heart problems or other serious medical conditions
- Not recommended for pregnant travelers
- Infants must sit on laps.
- Travelers should have a moderate physical fitness level.
- Not wheelchair accessible
- This is a private tour/activity.
- Only your group will participate.
Trip includes
- Entire ground transportation in an air-conditioned private vehicle
- English-speaking driver
- Hotel pickup and drop-off
- Private tour
- Fuel surcharge
- Bottled water
- All government taxes
Trip excludes
- Entrance tickets
- 4x4 Jeep hire at the Minneriya National Park
- Meals
Book now and pay later.
Reserve your tour now and pay when you meet us. Send us the duly filled-out tour booking form, and we will arrange your tour, and you can make the payment as you meet us on the first day of the trip.
Best price guaranteed
We guarantee the best price. If you find the same tour package at a cheaper price elsewhere, we do match the price of other tour packages and furthermore add a further 10% discount to it.
No hidden fees and commissions
The price you see on the product pages is the exact same rate that you see in the final stage of the trip booking. There are no hidden fees and taxes such as GST, BTT, service charges, nation-building tax, hotel tax, etc.
Additional info
- Confirmation will be received at the time of booking.
- A current valid passport is required on the day of travel.
- Not wheelchair accessible
- Comfortable walking shoes are recommended for this tour.
- All visitors to Buddhist and Hindu temples are expected to remove footwear and hats upon entering the temples.
- Dress code: shoulders and knees should be covered.
- The duration of transfers is approximate; the exact duration will depend on the time of day and traffic conditions.
- A current valid passport is required on the day of travel.
- Subject to favorable weather conditions
- If cancelled due to poor weather, you will be given the option of an alternative date.
- Infants must sit on laps.
- Not recommended for travelers with back problems.
- Not recommended for pregnant travelers
- Not suitable for travelers with heart problems or other serious medical conditions.
- Travelers should have a moderate physical fitness level.
- This is a private tour/activity. Only your group will participate.
sds
Itineraries
Day 1
Time : 4:30 am
COLOMBO / MINNERIYA / SIGIRIYA / DAMBULLA / COLOMBO
Meet and greet by a Serendipity Tours representative and drive to Minneriya National Park for the 4-wheel-drive jeep safari, and later visit Sigiriya Rock Fortress and Dambulla Golden Temple. En route stop at,
Sigiriya rock
Climb the famous Sigiriya rock fortress and visit the rocky abode and water gardens, a UNESCO world heritage and one of the Wonders of the World.
Sigiriya is located in the central Matale District near the town of Dambulla in the Central Province, Sri Lanka. The name refers to a site of historical and archaeological significance that is dominated by a massive column of rock nearly 200 meters (660 feet) high. According to the ancient Sri Lankan chronicle, the Culavamsa, the site was selected by King Kasyapa (477–495 CE) for his new capital. He built his palace on the top of this rock and decorated its sides with colorful frescoes. On a small plateau about halfway up the side of this rock, he built a gateway in the form of an enormous lion. The name of this place is derived from this structure—Sīhāgiri, the Lion Rock. The capital and the royal palace were abandoned after the king's death. It was used as a Buddhist monastery until the 14th century.
Dambulla Golden Cave Temple
The visit to Dambulla Golden Temple is the last activity for the day. You will be visiting Dambulla Temple on your return journey from Sigiriya to Colombo. The trek to the Dambulla golden temple takes around 2 hours.
Minneriya safari (optional)
Get a thrilling look at the elephants of Minneriya National Park during this 3-hour private Jeep safari. Travel to a wilderness refuge known for hosting one of the largest gatherings of Asian elephants on earth (each June through September), observing these giant creatures as they drink, feed, and congregate.
This activity will include a safari tour by Jeep with a jungle tracker, where you can see animals in the jungle, including elephants, bears, wild boars, deer, buffalo, Monkeys and many other animals (if you are lucky, leopards too). Return to Habarana.
After the Minneriya safari, proceed to a hotel in Colombo.
Mustafa hamady– :
Great opportunity to see a lot of interesting places, even though it is a day trip it includes many interesting activities.
Shirly soliman– :
Very interesting program not only with very popular tourist places like Sigiriya but also with a safari at Minneriya safari.
Raja singh– :
Thanks to this one day trip we could do a safari while visiting Sigiriya and Dambulla on one trip. Most tour operators offer safari and Sigiriya tour separately making you do 2 trips. Therefore you have to pay for 2 trips while dedicating 2 days of your trips. But seerendipity has planned this one day trip saving you time and money. highly recommendable trip.
Alam abdul qadir– :
Most other operators offer Sigiriya Dambulla trip only but this serendipity gave us the option to explore Sigiriya and Dambulla while having and do the safari at Minneriya national park. Therefore we did not have to do a separate wildlife safari which could have cost us a few another $100. Our guide was very friendly and knowledgeable.
Alexander gomes– :
This is our 2nd trip with seerendipity, earlier we visited Galle southern coast with their 2 days trip which was excellent. This time we booked the Sigiriya trip which was also a very nice trip. Good service, good vehicle and excellent guide.
Raosul Kiyani– :
We wanted to visit Sigiriya very badly because Sigiriya is one of teh most popular sites. Fortunately, seerendipity organized out pick-up from the beach hotel in Bentonta and they dropped us in Bentota did not charge anything.
Raja Kumar– :
Long drive from Colombo but the reward is great with trekking in Sigiriya, Dambulla and safari of Minneriya.
mylene Soriano– :
We wanted to have a break from the beach holiday and we took the trip. Excellent trip and our guide were very good.
Melan elliathy– :
We had only one day for a trip in Sri Lanka because our ship planned to leave Colombo on the next day. We are glad we opted for this one day trip. We could see a lot and very interesting trip.
Siddique kherr– :
3 interesting activities on one trip visiting Sigiriya, visiting Dambulla and safari.
Rajpal fernadez– :
Many interesting places on a one day trip. Sigiriya and Dambulla were really nice tourist places and Safari was superb. Our Guide Kusum was very good and helpful.
sanket ghodakar– :
Keep in mind the trip does not include a guide at Sigiriya. I wanted to hire a guide at Sigiriya (young guys explain about Sigiriya, who are appointed as the site guides) but they are too expensive (3000 Rs), then we did it without a guide.
Hirtz sirgfrits– :
Very nice trip with Sigiriya, Dambulla and Safari of Mineriya. We were picked up early from the hotel but it was a nice experience. Our guide, Kumara was very nice and friendly.