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3 Awesome Ideas for Sri Lanka Cultural Triangle Tour

Sanjeewa Padmal (Seerendipity)
Sri Lanka 2 Days Tour

Table of Contents

Escape from Colombo and explore the five important cities of the Cultural Triangle of Sri Lanka. The 3-day Sri Lanka cultural triangle tour is a perfect opportunity to explore the ruins of one of the oldest cultures in the world. The cultural triangle of Sri Lanka, or cultural triangle, is located in the north-central province of the island. The cultural triangle is an archaeological zoo and hides five important cities. There are thousands of crumbling historical monuments in these cities.

The Cultural Triangle of Sri Lanka, dating back to the 3rd century BC, is a crumbling metropolis that is a stark contrast to the decadence of Sri Lanka’s beach life. The primary target of the Sri Lanka 3-day cultural triangle tour is to explore the valuable artefacts to be found in the cultural triangle of Sri Lanka.

1 day Sri Lanka Cultural Triangle Tour

A one-day trip to the Cultural Triangle is available from Colombo and West Coast beach resorts. However, with the one-day trip, you will cover the only faction of Sri Lanka’s cultural triangle. Below is a list of one-day trips from Colombo to the Cultural Triangle.

2 days Sri Lanka Cultural Triangle Tour

Sri Lanka cultural triangle tour is available as a Sri Lanka 2-day trip from Colombo and west coast beach hotels. However, this Sri Lanka 2-day trip does not cover all major cultural triangle cities, and it is highly unlikely that you will visit Anuradhapura on this trip, and you might even miss Kandy.

3 days Sri Lanka Cultural Triangle Tour

At the Sri Lanka 3-day cultural triangle tour, you can enjoy a comfortable riding experience in one of our modern vehicles that features reclining, comfortable seats, and full air conditioning. Most importantly, this is a private tour, which means there will be no other travellers with you in the vehicle, and this is a refreshing change from being part of a crowded coach.

Map of cultural triangle Sri Lanka

Cultural triangle Sri Lanka which is also known as the golden triangle hidden many hundreds of ancient monument that worth your attention. Cultural triangle is part of most Sri Lanka tour packages such as 5 days Sri Lanka trip and 2 weeks Sri Lanka trips.

Cultural triangle Sri Lanka has a striking contrast against beaches

Sri Lankan coastal villages are popular hideouts for beach holiday lovers around the world. Especially the west coast beaches are now overrun with a large number of sun, sea and sand seekers from November to April while the number of tourist in the regions sinks from April to November. A large number of beach holiday lovers especially surf enthusiast and diving enthusiast flock into the beaches of Arugam Bay and southern Sri Lanka, where they have plenty of spots to indulge themselves.

Last year, Sri Lanka broke its own tourism record due to the increasing number of tourist on the island. Beyond the pristine beaches, where a large number of beachfront developments with thousands of travellers, lies the remnants of the opulent former capital of spice trade in South Asia. Ancient Sigiriya, Dambulla now part of the cultural triangle Sri Lanka, is just a few hours’ drives from the pristine beaches chill-out scene.  It is a stark contrast to the decadence of beach life.

The rice paddies, coconut plantations, tobacco plantations and vegetable gardens drop away into the wide expanse of dry-zone farmlands, worked by men dressed sarong, they are on bare feet and plough the ground while driving oxen. The granite boulders are scattered on the ground, in hues of black, gold and grey, a rocky scenic background to the sprawling ruins.

What are the 5 most important cities in the Sri Lanka Cultural Triangle Tour?

  1. Anuradhapura historical city
  2. Polonnaruwa historical city
  3. Sigiriya rock fortress
  4. Dambulla cave temple
  5. Kandy

The downfall of the Cultural triangle Sri Lanka

The important cities of the cultural triangle Sri Lanka were ransacked and reduced to ruins by the invaders during the last two millennia. Today the Golden triangle has become a tourist hotspot, where the travellers can see the evidence of one of the greatest cultures and Buddhist teaching centres, once flourished in the region.  

The cities of the cultural triangle that have been turned to the crumbling metropolis were some of the well-planned, most beautiful in its time. Today thousands of these impressive monuments take the visitors by surprise; this Sri Lanka 2 days tour will take you there.

When and Where the Cultural triangle Sri Lanka?

Usually, Sri Lanka cultural triangle tour starts in Colombo at the hotel of your choice, however, the starting point is highly subjective to the choice of the travellers, who book the trip. Therefore this Sri Lanka 3 days golden triangle tour can be customized to start from any of the hotels on the west coast or in Colombo. The pick-up timing will be varied depending on the place of pick-up; usually, the pick-up time is 6.30 am if the tour starts from Colombo.

Accommodation during the Sri Lanka Cultural Triangle Tour

There are few places, where travellers can be based in during the cultural triangle exploration trip, however, on this Sri Lanka 3 days tour, the guests are staying in a hotel near Sigiriya rock. The tour includes Sigiriya rock fortress, Dambulla triangle cave temple and Tooth relic temple Kandy as the major attractions and as such it is easy to venture out to those attractions from Sigiriya. The Minneriya national park is offered as an optional activity, which is also located near Sigiriya.

Usually, most travellers opt to stay in either Sigiriya or Habarana during the triangle Sri Lanka tours. Therefore most accommodation facilities are concentrated into these two places and they provide easy access to all major cities of the cultural triangle Sri Lanka. So for the ease of access to Polonnaruwa, Sigiriya, Dambulla, Minneriya national park and tooth relic temple of Kandy, we are staying near Sigiriya rock fortress on this Sri Lanka 3 days tour, there will only one overnight stay in Sigiriya and the meals included in the tour package is Breakfast and dinner.

Dambulla golden cave temple hides many hundreds of living size Buddha statues and a large number of paintings

Cultural triangle tour Sri Lanka in a nutshell

Map of Sri Lanka Cultural Triangle Tour

Map of Sri Lanka Cultural Triangle Tour

Day 1: Colombo-Dambulla-Sigiriya

After the breakfast leave for Sigiriya, En-route visits Dambulla cave temple and Sigiriya rock.

Exploring Dambulla on Sri Lanka Cultural Triangle Tour

Dambulla cave temple is the first tourist attraction to visit on this 3 days Sri Lanka Cultural Triangle Tour. Usually, the tourist visits it before heading to the hotel in Sigiriya.

The best way to understand the rich historical past is to hike the Dambulla cave temple, preferably at sunrise or in the afternoon in order to avoid the excessive heat and get the best view. Stone steps that are carved into the hillside believed to be many thousands of years old. There are two routes to make the hike to the Dambulla golden cave temple; however, the tickets are issued at only the new entrance, which is to be found 2 km off the main road.

It is easy to imagine how practical it had been as a safe place to hide for the King. The temple believed to be the hiding place of king Walagambahu for 14 years, during the troubled period, due to the south Indian invasion in 1st century BC. The temple is built in a group of granite caves that hang onto the southern slope of the Dambulla Mountain, which is only 1 km from the city. The comparison between how it had been and what we can see today is a constant part of the experience at Dambulla cave.

The temple is the residence of a large number of monkeys and they are scattered in and around the temple.

Visiting Sigiriya rock on Sri Lanka Cultural Triangle Tour

From the rock cave temple, head to the main road (A9, Kandy-Jaffna) that cuts through the town, in the direction of northern Sri Lanka. The distance from Dambulla to Sigiriya is 17km and the journey takes between 20-30 minutes.

By the time you reach Sigiriya, it will be around 01.00 pm and it is time for the lunch break, and it is best to have a break after having one-hour footwork at Dambulla cave temple. In fact, the best time to hike Sigiriya is in the morning or afternoon as the sun goes down, due to the heat.

Sigiriya rock hike on Sri Lanka Cultural Triangle Tour

Sigiriya hike would more strenuous than the hike at Dambulla cave temple, and Dambulla was just a rehearsal of Sigiriya adventure. Sigiriya is an essential part of every Sri Lanka tour that includes cultural triangle, Sri Lanka. Sigiriya is a tourist hotspot on the island and rarely miss by the visitors of Sri Lanka; therefore Sigiriya has been included in this 2 days Sri Lanka cultural triangle tour. In fact, a visit to the cultural triangle Sri Lanka would be meaningless without a visit to Sigiriya.

Sigiriya rock fortress

History of Sigiriya

Sigiriya is a 5th-century urban city featuring advanced water management system, landscaped gardens, palaces and fresco paintings. The fortress was masterminded by the king Kashayapa, who ruled the country in 5th Century AD.

To start exploring Sigiriya rock fortress, begin at the western entrance, where you encounter official of the cultural triangle, who check the entrance tickets. Afterwards, it is flat ground with some brickworks on either side of the walkway that maturing water flow.  The visitors can see two large pools, presumably swimming pools, towards the right side of the walkway.  After about 100 meters from the entrance gradually starts the arduous part of the hike of Sigiriya. The steps at Sigiriya are steeper and they are narrower compared to steps at Dambulla.  The duration of the upward and downward journey would be around 2 hours.

At the end of the first day of the cultural triangle tour, you will be a bit tired, there had been 2 hikes and a journey that lasted about 3 hours. It is time to proceed to the hotel in Sigiriya, check-in and leisure.

Minneriyna national park is one of the best places to spot wild elephants in Sri Lanka. It includes in most Sri Lanka cultural triangle tours such as 4 days Sri Lanka cultural tour.

Day 2 of Sri Lanka 3 days Sri Lanka tour to the cultural triangle

After the early breakfast, you can visit Minneriya national park and venture on an elephant watching tour, however, this is an optional activity. Minneriya national park safari is highly recommended, and it allows the visitors to have a close look at Sri Lank wild animals. Minneriya national park is popular for wild elephant sightings and a large number of wild elephants can be spotted here, especially around the Minneriya tank.

Visiting spice garden

After the safari at Minneriya national park, it is time to move to the next UNESCO world heritage site of cultural triangle Sri Lanka, known as Kandy, where you visit tooth relic temple. On the way to Kandy from Sigiriya is the popular laid-back village known as Matale, which is most popular for agricultural products such as spices, vegetable and fruits.

You have the liberty to make a stop at one of the spice gardens here and see the large array of spices and herbs grown here. The spice garden in Matale is a novel experience for most travellers, and it is a great opportunity to witness the most spices and herbs in their natural environment.  It is a well planned and maintained garden with spices such as nutmeg, pepper, chilli, cardamom, vanilla and many other spices and herbs.

Tourist, who are eagerly making photos of the tooth relic chamber

Kandy city tour

You will do a Kandy city on the 2nd day of the cultural triangle tour. The city tour includes a couple of visits to the downtown Kandy, Kandyan cultural show as well the tooth relic temple.

Visiting tooth relic temple

After the Spice garden, the next stop on this Sri Lanka 2 days tour in Kandy, which is the cultural centre of Sri Lanka with a most sacred Buddhist temple on the island. The temple of the tooth relic is a tourist hotspot and visited by thousands of locals as well as foreign travellers. Tooth relic temple is one of the oldest temples in the island featuring typical Sri Lankan architecture and building techniques.

Day 3 of Sri Lanka cultural triangle tour

After the leisurely breakfast leave for Colombo, en-route visit Royal botanical garden, Pinnawala elephant orphanage and tea factory.

Visiting a Tea factory

After the tooth relic temple, the journey continues along Kandy-Colombo main road, in the direction of the west coast from the mountains. On the return journey, you have the option to visit a tea factory and tea plantation. The management of the tea factory opens its door to the visitors to witness the production process in the factory.  The in-house guide of the tea factory explains to you about all the steps of the tea manufacturing process and allows you to sip a freshly brewed cup of Ceylon tea. And if you like you can purchase the fresh Ceylon tea at the tea shop of the tea factory.

The journey from tea factory to Colombo takes around two hours; in between, there will be few stops to make it comfortable for you however it is subjected to your requirements. The return transfer can be organized to the airport or to the hotel of your choice.  We often end the tour at the airport on request of guests because some of them plan this Sri Lankan 3 days tour towards the end of the holiday package and plan to reach the airport after the tour.

Can I drive to the beach resort after the tour?

Usually, the tour ends in Colombo, but there are some other customers who with proceed to hotels on the west coast and south coast, places like Bentota, Hikkaduwa and Galle. We are happy to arrange your transfer to the beach resort from Colombo, however, there will be a supplement charge due to the long drive from Colombo to the west coast resorts.

After a memorable Sri Lanka 3 days tour you will return to Colombo at around 6.00 pm. Please don’t hesitate to contact us if you require more information on this Sri Lanka 3 days tour. The Sri Lanka 3 days tour can be combined with any other tours offered by seerendipity tours. And this Sri Lanka 3 days tour can be customized to suit your requirements.

Things to know about the cultural triangle tour

Why you should book tour to cultural triangle Sri Lanka with Seerendipity

Serendipity Tour is an entirely locally owned travel company with a head office in Colombo. The highly experienced local staff is a key strength of Serendipity Tours, and they can plan your dream holiday to Sri Lanka.

The best price guaranteed for your Sri Lanka trip

When you book a tour with Serendipity Tours, you directly book the tour with the local company, which means there are no middlemen and therefore you can guarantee the best price. Simply get in touch with us and let us know when you travel and what you like to see.

Plan your best Sri Lanka trip with-expert

Our staff makes a personalised program for you, which you can change until you find the best Sri Lanka trip package for you. Visit www.sirilaktours.com to browse our existing tour packages, which you can customise to meet all your expectations. Write to us at admin@seerendipitytours.com, tel. 0094-77-440977, WhatsApp 0094-77-4440977.

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