Negombo to Dambulla/Sigiriya – One-Day Tour

This is a longer day tour involving a couple of hours of driving. Therefore we have to depart early and come back late. But you will see (among others) two of the most stunning historic places of Sri Lanka.

  • We will pick you up from the hotel in Negombo at 7 am. Then leave for Dambulla driving through Kurunagala. Kurunagala is situated at a high altitude. Most of the city is plain land except for the surrounding rocks.
  • After a three and half hours drive we arrive at Sigiriya. Sigiriya (Lion’s rock) is an ancient rock fortress and palace ruin, we will climb the rock together if you wish, such that I can give you explanations.
  • After we are back from the top of the rock we drive to the Elephant riding place. If you wish you can take a ride on an elephant through the jungle.
  • After the riding we can have traditional Sri Lankan lunch.
  • On the way back we will visit Dambulla. In Dambulla we visit one of the biggest vegetable markets in Sri Lanka, do some sightseeing in the city, and then proceed to the Dambulla Caves. Dating back to the 1st century BC, this is the most impressive cave temple in Asia. It has five caves under a vast overhanging rock, carved with a drip line to keep the interiors dry. In 1938 the architecture was embellished with arched colonnades and gabled entrances. Inside the caves, the ceilings are painted with intricate patterns of religious images following the contours of the rock. There are images of the Lord Buddha and bodhisattvas, as well as various gods and godesses.
  • After this visit we turn back arrive at the hotel in Negombo around 07:00 pm.

The same tour can also be done starting from a hotel in Colombo, with slightly extended duration or skipping some extra stops (Colombo is sotuh of Negombo, and we are driving north-east).