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Encounter ancient temples, stupas, dagobas, untamed wilderness, beautiful botanical gardens, picturesque hill country, and memorable cultural shows in this memorable Sri Lanka 3-day private tour.
From magnificent temples to wildlife sanctuaries and laid-back villages, the Sri Lanka Cultural Triangle Tour offers a plethora of opportunities to entice those in search of an adventure. This Sri Lanka 3-day trip might seem like a short trip, but it is not short of interesting cultural, historical, and natural attractions. This 3-day Sri Lanka trip through the cultural triangle in the central province reveals the guide. The fabled cities of Sigiriya, Dambulla, Polonnaruwa, and Kandy will impress their grandeur, while Colombo provides a true snapshot of modern life. Search for wild elephants in Minneriya National Park and learn about the Sri Lankan medicine of Ayurveda.
Why you'll love this Sri Lanka Cultural Triangle tour
- Walk around ancient temples, stupas, Buddha statues, palaces, gardens and many more in the Sri Lanka's cultural triangle.
- See the Sigiriya rock fortress up close, which is a wonder of ancient engineers with intricate ancient paintings that date back to the 5th century AD.
- See the ancient paintings illustrate the beautiful ladies who lived in this sumptuous rock fortress with the king.
- You will be visiting Dambulla Golden Temple, and witness hundreds of ancient statues and paintings.
- Take a break from bustling cities at the Kandy hill country resort, where you can catch your breath and spend the night in the faded opulence of your heritage stay.
- You will be trekking through the tea garden, Ceylon tea trail, and hill country.
- Go on a wildlife safari at Minneriya National Park and encounter herds of wild elephants.
Tour itinerary Sri Lanka Cultural Triangle tour
Day 1: Colombo / Sigiriya
Your personal chauffeur guide will meet and warmly greet you at the Bandaranaike International Colombo Airport or your hotel in Colombo. After a 5-hour drive to Sigiriya, you will make a stop in Anuradhapura.
Anuradhapura ancient city tour
Anuradhapura is home to eight significant icons that symbolize Sri Lanka's connection to Buddhism, earning this collection the name "Atamasthanaya," which translates to "eight sacred places." There is a unique story or history connected to each one of them. The kings of the Anuradhapura Kingdom built most of these structures. You'll visit all of these places on our hop-on, hop-off Anuradhapura City Tour.
• Ruwanwelisaya: King Dutugamunu built this "stupa," one of the largest completed ones to date.
• Thuparamaya: It is the oldest ‘dagoba’ in Sri Lanka and possibly the oldest visible one in the world.
• Lovamahapaya: This building's significance stems from the bronze tiles that once covered its roof.
• Abhayagiri: It is one of Anuradhapura's largest viharas. It was a 5,000 monk monastery.
• Jethavanaramaya: At the time, it was a sacred world heritage site that accommodated some 3000 monks. It is also quite similar to Abhayagiri.
• Mirisavetiya: After defeating King Elara, King Dutugamunu constructed this stupa.
• Lankaramaya: During the Anuradhapura Kingdom era, King Valagamba constructed this, making it one of the city's eight sacred sites.
Activities planned for today: We offer a hop-on, hop-off Anuradhapura city tour.
Accommodation: Hotel in Sigiriya / Dambulla
Day 2: Sigiriya / Polonnaruwa / Sigiriya
After a hearty breakfast at the hotel, we set off to visit Sigiriya rock, Pidurangala temple and the ancient citiy of Polonnaruwa.
The Sigiriya Rock
Sigiriya is located in the Matale District of the Central Province, near the city of Dambulla. An enormous rock column approximately 200 meters (660 feet) in height dominates the historical and archaeological site to which the name alludes. The ancient chronicle Culavamsa records that King Kasyapa (477–495 CE) chose this location as the new capital of Sri Lanka. On top of this rock, he constructed his castle and adorned its walls with vibrant frescoes. Halfway up the face of this rock, on a tiny plateau, he constructed a lion-shaped doorway. Shgiri, meaning "Lion Rock," is the origin of the area's moniker. The capital city and the palace remained unoccupied after the monarch's death. Until the early 14th century, it served as a Buddhist monastery.
Pidurangala temple
The temple was said to be panchavasa, consisting of five main ritual buildings. Among the buildings are Ancient Stupa, Chapter House, Image House, Bodhighara, Preaching hall, Sangharama (Bikku Residence Building) and inscriptions with drip-ledged caves can be seen
Polonnaruwa
The city of Polonnaruwa is Sri Lanka's second-most ancient. After Anuradhapura, Sri Lanka's first capital. King Vijayabahu created Polonnaruwa, the second-oldest Sri Lankan kingdom after Anuradhapura.
The city tour features many examples of ancient craftsmanship in Sri Lanka, such as palaces, dagobas, and temples. The following are just some of the sights you'll see on your 3-hour guided tour of Polonnaruwa's ancient city. Nissankamulla Palace (a royal audience hall with outstanding brickwork) and the Royal Palace (the residence of King Parakramabahu, the era's most prolific and skilled builder) are two examples.
- Gal Viharaya is home to some of the country's most impressive rock carvings.
- The Thuparama and Lankathilaka Image Houses are excellent examples of vaulted shrine chambers.
- The vatadage signifies the potential for a complete vatadage to manifest.
- The statue of ancient Sri Lanka's greatest ruler, Parakramabahu, is located at Rankoth Vehera, the largest stupa in Polonnaruwa.
Minneriya safari
This will involve a vehicle safari with a forest guide, where you may encounter elephants, bears, wild boars, deer, buffalo, monkeys, and perhaps even leopards in their natural habitat. Let's go back to Habarana.
Events for the day: Minneriya Safari, Sigiriya Rock Fortress, Pidurangala temple and the ancient city of Polonnaruwa are all worth visiting.
Accommodation: Sigiriya
Day 3: Sigiriya / Kandy / Colombo
After breakfast, you'll check out of your Kandy hotel and begin the drive to your Colombo lodgings, stopping by the Dambulla golden temple, Temple of the Tooth Relic and the Royal Botanic Garden.
Dambulla Cave Temple
Dating back to the 1st century BC, this is the most impressive cave temple in Sri Lanka. It has five caves under an overhanging rock, carved with a drip line to keep the interiors dry. The cave's ceilings are adorned with religious images and various gods and goddesses. There are images of the Buddha and the bodhisattvas. The temple features several caves that have undergone conversion into shrine rooms. The Anuradhapura and Polonnaruwa periods transformed these caves into shrines. UNESCO has declared the famous Dambulla Cave Temple a World Heritage Site. The UNESCO site remains one of the best-preserved ancient temples in the world.
Kandy
While the rest of Sri Lanka was under British dominion, the city of Kandy was under the control of the A dynasty until 1815. The Chieftains of Kandy, who had been dismayed by the king's brutality, eventually gave it to them. Because it is home to the Temple of the Sacred Tooth of the Buddha, Kandy is now considered a major city in Sri Lanka.
Temple of the tooth relic
Kandy, Sri Lanka, is home to the Buddhist Sri Dalada Maligawa, also known as the Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic. The palace complex is owned by the Kingdom of Kandy. Those who believe that whoever holds the relic controls the country have attributed significant political weight to it since ancient times. The temple has partially contributed to the designation of Kandy, Sri Lanka, as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Kandy Cultural Arts Center
Sri Lanka's rich cultural history includes a long tradition of arts and crafts. Wood carving, mask making, drum making, mat weaving, handlooms, lacwork, rush and read items, etc. are all examples of traditional Sri Lankan crafts that are major industries in many regions of the island.
Botanical Grden
In the 16th century, a Kandyan king built the Botanical Garden of Peradeniya as a pleasure garden for himself and his court. Beautiful and a wonderful spot to view birds, this garden is one of the greatest in all of Asia.
Herb and spice garden
Visit a garden in Matale where farmers cultivate the herbs and spices used in Sri Lankan cooking and medicine. Sri Lanka's spices drew early seafaring traders, who braved the treacherous journey to the island to stock up.
Scheduled Events for the Day: Visit the Kandy Royal Palace, the Kandy Museum, the Temple of the Tooth Relic, the Spice and Herb Garden, and the Kandy Arts and Crafts Centre.
Accommodation: no accommodation available today.
- 3 days (2 nights) of accommodation in the chosen category of hotels with daily breakfast and dinner
- Hop-on, hop-off Kandy city tour, Kandy walking tour, and shopping tour
- Hop-on, hop-off Polonnaruwa ancient city tour and museum tour
- Guided cultural tour to Sigiriya rock fortress
- Guided temple tour of Dambulla golden temple and tooth relic temple
- Technical tour of Tea factory and garden (Ceylon tea trail)
- A walking tour of Peradeniya botanical garden
- Entrance fees for
- Spice garden with a serving of herbal drink
- Tea factory and tea tasting
- Pickup and drop-off at the airport or local hotels
- Kandyan cultural show
- Meeting arrangements at the airport
- Entire ground transportation by air-conditioned, modern, fuel-efficient private vehicle
- Service of an English-speaking driver or guide for the entire tour (please inquire about other languages)
- All current taxes
- Walk around temples, palaces, gardens, forts and many other historical monuments in the cultural triangle.
- See the Sigiriya rock fortress up close, which is a wonder of ancient engineers with intricate ancient paintings that date back to the 5th century AD.
- Take a close look at Sigiriya paintings that illustrate the beautiful ladies who lived in this sumptuous rock fortress with the king.
- You will be visiting Dambulla Golden Temple and see the hundreds of ancient statues and paintings.
- Take a break from bustling cities at the Kandy hill country resort, where you can catch your breath and spend the night in the faded opulence of your heritage stay.
- You will be trekking through the tea garden, Ceylon tea trail, and hill country.
- Go on a safari at Minneriya National Park and encounter big herds of wild elephants
- The expenses of personal nature, such as telephone, Internet, and gratuities
- Entrance fees to the below sites
- Entrance fees and jeep hire to Minneriya national park safari
- Sigiriya rock fortress
- Dambulla golden cave temple
- Polonnaruwa historical city
- Tooth relic temple
- Peradeniya botanical garden
- Pinnawala elephant orphanage
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Maarina costa– :
The cultural tour was a very nice trip. Despite it being a short trip, the tour itinerary includes many interesting activities like visiting ancient monuments, wildlife tours, etc. Rohan was a nice guide and drove his vehicle very carefully during the trip. Our Sri Lanka tour was very interesting, partly because of our wonderful guide, Rohan. Thank you, Rohan.
Niklas– :
We were very fortunate to have Bandara as our guide. Always kind and willing to answer any queries. He went above and beyond to show us Sri Lanka and its culture from every angle. But since it stated that you should bring $200 for admission fees, which we couldn’t have done with that, we skipped two or three of the activities because they weren’t worth the money. Overall, though, it was a truly fantastic experience that we heartily endorse and would not want to miss.We were very fortunate to have Bandara as our guide. Always kind and willing to answer any queries. He went above and beyond to show us Sri Lanka and its culture from every angle. But since it stated that you should bring $200 for admission fees, which we couldn’t have done with that, we skipped two or three of the activities because they weren’t worth the money. Overall, though, it was a truly fantastic experience that we heartily endorse and would not want to miss.
Rain– :
I love 3-day cultural traingale trip. Our wonderful guide Bandula made it a very interesting tip. We travllers a lot, we visited many places and we saw a lot.
Jaroslov Sochi– :
We had a fantastic Sri Lanak 3 day trip; this three-day program was brief yet fascinating. It includes many interetsing places like ancient temple, palaces, wildlife parks, botanical garden, small cities and beautiful villages. The trip was well-organized. We chose the cheapest package with three-star hotels, but it was well worth the cost. We didn’t expect such good hotels for the price we paid. The guide was quite courteous and provided us with detailed explanations. The booking process was really simple. We only had to give our names, and the booking was complete in a flash.
Roland sebastian– :
Visiting Sri Lanka was a wonderful and significant experience for our family, and it was an excellent private trip with maximum flexibility. Roha, an exceptional tour guide, made the trip both safe and memorable.
Iwona zellman– :
What a great trip to Sri Lanka–such a lovely country with wonderful people. Ladip, our personal guide/driver, was the most fantastic guide who adored his country and made you fall in love with it as well. It was extremely well-organized, and Ladip and the entire team made sure we had a great time and were looked after at all times.
Gary– :
We explored many historical places in Sri Lanka on this tour. We had such a great time with our small group! The guide, driver, and assistant were absolutely fantastic. You should definitely consider going on this tour to experience the essence of Sri Lanka – its vibrant culture, history and delicious cuisine. It covers a wide range of attractions that showcase the best of what Sri Lanka has to offer.
Christina– :
Jimmy and I had a great tour in Sri Lanka thanks to sanath. Sanath was really cool about our requests, super attentive, and knew a ton about the history of sri Lanka. Sanath is a really nice and thoughtful guy.
Joseph– :
Nandana was an awesome tour guide! We had an awesome tour despite the scorching heat. But nandana made a couple of pit stops so we could grab a drink. Anandana drive carefully of the busy areas, and since we got an early start, we had most of the time to ourselves. nandana showed my son some cool traditional dance moves that he absolutely adored.
Leonni– :
We had a great Sri lanak 3-day tour with Mohan. he showed us around the cultural triangle of Sri Lanka and areas around hill country. He also took us to a local market where we had some wonderful food. I highly recommend this tour.
Rachel– :
This cultura tour included a lot of Sri Lanka. We had such a great time exploring many interesting monuments! The guide, driver were absolutely fantastic. You should definitely consider going on this tour to experience the essence of Sri Lanka, including its rich history and culture and delicious cuisine. It covers a wide range of attractions that showcase the best of what Sri Lanka’s history.
Louissa– :
On the Sri lanka 3 day tour, we spent a fantastic time with rohan. We were with three kids, ages twelve, ten, and nine, and it was really hot. In spite of the heat, maintained his composure, showed consideration, and made the entire event enjoyable. The kids were incredibly interested in the experience at the second temple and loved safari. The tour went at a leisurely pace, pausing for cold drinks and then coffee or ice cream. All of our inquiries concerning Buddhism and monastic life were addressed by rohan. He was great with both adults and kids, and a delight to be around. I am grateful, rohan.
Penang– :
Very happy with the trip, good service from the operators and the guide was wonderful
Graham– :
very well organized trip, good hotels, good food, nice and friendly guide and affordable.
Ruwen– :
Very nice Sri Lanka short trip. We had the opportunity to see many interesting places in the Sri Lana triangle. Good guide and explained a lot about Sri Lanka’s history and culture.
Rubine– :
Safari was the best. We never come so close to wild animals in our life.
Arunabha– :
It was a wonderful Sri Lanka 3 days tour with gayan. We visited a dozen of ancient monuments along with many unesco sites. Our guide Gayan did a great job and he is so friendly and knowledgeable. he personalized the tour to our liking! We loved the herring the best! he even helped us purchase best ceylon tea to take home as souvenir. Would recommend this Sri Lanka tour for anyone like short Sri Lanka trip!
Janett– :
It was a short trip to Sri Lanka but very interesting. Our guide Rohan is such an interesting guy. It was fun and informative 3 days in Sri Lanka.
Sarina britt– :
Very entertaining guide with good knowledge about Sri Lanka and its history.
Dimpek agarwal– :
Sri Lanka 3-day Tour is a great way to get to know the historical past of Sri Lanka this beautiful country and its friendly people. It packs in touring, visiting monuments, temples, trekking, villages. Just one warning – be prepared for the fact that your face will ache from smiling so much!
Loita– :
The Sri Lanka cultural triangle was very nice trip. Even though it was a 3 days Sri Lanka trip, we felt like it was a one-week trip because we had visited a large number of places. I think we were able to cover the entire cultural triangle in Sri Lanka. Our Sri Lanka tour was very interesting partly because of our wonderful guide Amaara. Thank you Amaara.
Bennie– :
It was an ideal trip for us. We had a very short stay in Sri Lanka and did not want to spend a lot of time sightseeing in Sri Lank because we wanted to relax. This time we thought of visiting Sri Lanka cultural places and ancient temples. It was a wonderful 3 days trip and visited all major historical monuments, gardens, museums, temples, UNSECO world heritage sites and many more. Our guide Kusum suggested us a wildlife tour in a national park near temple and it was very nice. Well planned tour at a very nice rate. Good hotels, good food, nice vehicle and good guide.
Gwendolyn– :
Wir sind als Familie nach Sri Lanka geflogen und wollten gerne ein bisschen mehr wissen und sehen von Sri Lanka. Roshan hat uns sehr freundlich empfangen, spricht perfekt mehrere Sprachen (wie wir auch) und hat unsere Führung in Sri Lanka gemacht. Die Gebäude und Denkmäler kriegen eine ganz andere Bedeutung wenn man die Geschichten dahinter erfährt. Auch mit etwas Humor aufgelockert hatten wir ein schönes Erlebnis und empfehlen Roshan sehr.
Lottie– :
Excellent rip about Sri Lanak cultural monuments, but for me it was too much! Visiting dozens of historical monuments, temples, and many other sites withing 3 days…we had very little time for relax.
Naigi imtiaz– :
We had a good time exploring the Sri Lanka’s temple, historical monuments food and history. Kusum, our guide love and passionate for all things we came across on this tour. We tasted many different things and had a nice bottle of arrack on one evening on recomedation of Kusum, it was good. Would recommend as a nice introduction to Sri Lanka.
Rudmila– :
We booked the Sri Lanka cultural tour with Seerendipity and had an amazing time. Our guide, roshan is truly passionate about what Sri Lanka has to offer to travellers. I would highly recommend roshan he is a fantastic and passionate local guide
Mark– :
Great tour to sri Lanka cultural triangle – Jaya was very knowledgeable about Sri Lanak’s culture, history, customs. We really enjoyed the tour, however we had to travel a lot within 3 days and visited a many places. Basically it involved many stops every day. most places visited was religious or historical monuments. safari was good and we saw a large number of wild elephants. However, we saw many elephant outside the park too as we were heading to Polonnaruwa.
Dave– :
Saman gave us a great overview of Sri Lanka history and religion. He was a wealth of information and a knowledgeable guide. Thanks!
Erin qui– :
This trip provided me and my family with everything we wanted and more – discovery of the major tourist attractions and in-depth discussion of history and culture
Petra– :
Lot of travelling in 3 days time. If there had been more time for leisure and sightseeing it would have been better.
Sanjeewa Padmal (Seerendipity tours)– :
Dear Ms petra
Thanks for the comment. This is a new product and we are keep adding changes to it as to make it more interesting to travelers. Please be kindly informed this tour package is specially designed to travelers to cover Sri Lanka’s cultural triangle within 3 days. However, this tour package is fully customizable private tour.
Lisa Conner– :
Our trip ‘Sri Lanka Cultural 3-day tour’ taken at the end of August was fantastic. Our Tour Guide Saman was very knowledgeable, kind, and helpful. The information he provided on Sri Lanka throughout the tour helped us to enjoy a beautiful county, understand the history, and respect the culture.
Rudmila– :
My first trip to Sri Lanka, it was terrific. We just wanted to have a short trip to Sri Lanka. The tour was suggested by the local company and we glad we didi it. Everything was well organized and visited a large number of places like temples, ancient places, wildlife parks, cities, gardens and many more. Very good price. Average hotels with good, clean and safe rooms. good food and excellent guide.
Howard– :
It was a nice and well planned trip
Jim– :
We had a great Sri Lanka tour with Rosha, who was so knowledgeable and passionate about his country. We learned so much about Buddhism, sri lanka’s history, culture, nature and its people and how it to be as today. Really good to experience real Sri Lanka food, drink and fruit.
Jamine– :
We like our guide rosha. He’s a funny and intelligent guy with a clear passion for history of his country. He showed up on time and was pretty energetic. We enjoyed his company, and we know covid has disrupted a lot of, well, everything. Trouble is, the cultural tour was a bit of a dumpster fire. We wasted lot of time visiting places due to the covid-19 rules and regulations…nothing and listening to a jumbled history of Sri Lanka peppered with some editorial comments on the state of affairs with law enforcement and covid outcomes. I am all for local color, but this was supposed to be about the food.
Ziha– :
Rosha was a Great guy, very knowledgeable made us feel right at home.
Rachel– :
Rosha is a great host. His knowledge of the history and culture of Sri lanka is wonderful. He is very impressive and we really enjoyed our cultural tour. Highly recommended.