ROCS Holidays Sri Lanka 2023

DAY 6 - TRINCOMALEE / POLONNARUWA / GIRITALE After breakfast leave for Polonnaruwa Sri Lanka’s medieval capital in 11th & 12th Century AD. Travel via Mutter and Vakarai along the East Coast. Polonnaruwa is a well-preserved city of ancient beautiful statues. The majestic King’s Council Chamber, the Lotus Bath, the Lanka Thilaka Viharaya, the Gal Viharaya (rock temple) and the statue of one of Polonnaruwa’s great kings, Parakramabahu, are a The Sea of Parakrama - a vast 12th century man-made reservoir dominates the city. Moreover, the monuments here are located in a more compact area, and their development is easier to follow. Transfer to Giritale and DAY 7 - GIRITALE / SIGIRIYA / DAMBULLA / MATALE / KANDY After breakfast leave for Kandy, beautiful Hill capital, the last Kingdom Capital of the Sri Lanka’s royalty. Kandy is surrounded by the lush tropical scenery. En route climb the Sigiriya Rock, the fascinating fortress which was a stronghold of a fifth century king who murdered his father. The red stone rises 600 feet from the green scrub jungle and it is famous for its frescoes painted within a sheltered rock. Only 19 out of the 500 painted in the 5th century remain. The Lion stairway, the mirror wall and the water gardens are dagobas, moonstones, beautiful parks, massive buildings and stunningly few of this capital’s memorable sights. check in at you hotel for Dinner & Overnight stay.

whale watching. The small peninsula jutting out of Trincomalee town, near the stadium and the main shopping streets, is the Portuguese built Fort Frederick. It’s still a working military base but, you can walk through it. Inside the fort grounds are plenty of colonial style British army buildings, cannons and other leftovers from previous inhabitants and, bizarrely, loads of deer poking their heads out from behind the military offices. This sea town is home to the Thirukonesvaram Kovil, which is one of the oldest Hindu temples in Sri Lanka here are many things to do and see in town and the views across the three main bays are very pret ty. It is found on Swami Rock, just above Fort Frederick. It’s very colourful and you can walk around the grounds. The temple is built on top of the cliff, tottering right on the edge of the Indian Ocean. Next to Koneswaram Temple is Lovers Leap. The name kind of gives it away but it is indeed a favorite suicide spot, with a sheer drop to the ocean crashing against the rocks below. There’s a memorial and shelter, commemorating the legend behind the name. Apparently the daughter of an Old Dutch official here threw herself off the cliff when her forbidden lover had to sail back to Europe, never to see her again. The story was dampened slightly when records revealed that the girl in question in fact grew old in the town, married with children. But the name and memorial remains. Check-in at your hotel for Dinner and Overnight Stay.

amongst Sigiriya’s other highlights. Also visit Dambulla Rock Cave Temple, where you will see the frescoes over 2000 years old and the colossal figure of the recumbent Buddha carved out of the living rock about 14 meters long. It also holds its own treasure - a magnificent temple, which is a series of five caves established as a monastery in the 3rd Century BC. These caves built at the base of a 150m high rock during the 1st Century BC to 993 AD and are by far the most impressive of the many cave temples found in Sri Lanka. Proceed to Kandy, En route visit a Spice Garden in Matale which grows spices and herbs used for Sri Lankan cuisine and medication. Check-in to your hotel In Kandy for Dinner & Overnight stay. DAY 8 - KANDY / PINNAWALA / BOTANICAL GARDEN / KANDY After breakfast visit the Elephant Orphanage in Pinnawala near Kegalle to see the daily routine of up keeping of baby elephants and other abandoned elephants. The unique concept of the Elephant Orphanage of Pinnawala is one of the most visited sites in Sri Lanka. Founded in the year 1975, with 05 baby elephants found abandoned in the forest, is today the home of nearly 93 elephants of different ages and sizes. Bottle feeding of the baby elephants is the highlight event of the place. There after visit Royal Botanical Gardens at Peradeniya which has been first built as a pleasure garden by a Sinhala king and was expanded by the British. It

SRI LANKA 2023

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