Ramayana Tour

Ramayana Tour

A short but a comprehensive Ramayana tour that covers most of the sites. Best for the busy traveller.

Itinerary

Day 1: Airport / Negombo

Stop At: Negombo Fish Market, Negombo Sri Lanka
The Negombo Fish Market is interesting because it takes place right on the beach, fresh from fishing boats. Crowds of fishermen are seen untangling their fishing nets, playing with their kids, and stretching out miles of fish to dry in the sun on Negombo's shore.
Duration: 30 minutes

Stop At: St. Mary's Church, Main Street, Negombo 22100 Sri Lanka
The St. Mary’s Church, Negombo is landmark edifice, a Roman Catholic church in the heart of Negombo. Its exterior surface is painted in pink colour. It is one of the largest cathedrals in Sri Lanka.
Duration: 30 minutes

Stop At: Dutch Canal, Custom House Road, Negombo 22100 Sri Lanka
The Hamilton Canal (also commonly known as the Dutch Canal) is a 14.5 km (9.0 mi) canal connecting Puttalam to Colombo, passing through Negombo in Sri Lanka. The canal was constructed by the British in 1802 and completed in 1804. It was designed to drain salt water out of the Muthurajawela wetlands. The canal was named after Gavin Hamilton, the Government Agent of Revenue and Commerce.
Duration: 15 minutes

Stop At: Dutch Fort, Esplanade Road, Negombo 22100 Sri Lanka
Negombo Fort was a small but important fort in Negombo, approx. 30 km (19 mi) north of Colombo, that was built by the Portuguese to defend Colombo.
In its time the fort at Negombo was probably the next in strategic importance after Colombo, Jaffna and Galle.The original Portuguese fort was a weak structure, which was captured by Dutch forces commanded by Philip Lucasz, in February 1640.The Portuguese made several attempts to retake it before they were successful in December 1640. They then strengthened the fortifications and managed to defend the fort until it was recaptured by the Dutch, commanded by Francois Caron, in January 1644.The original bastions were destroyed by the Dutch cannons during the siege of the fort. The Dutch subsequently rebuilt it in 1672 however not on the usual square pattern, but on a pentagonal one, though it had only four bulwarks, the fifth was never constructed (possibly due to the cost). The fort was located on a narrow strip of land between a lagoon and an inlet of the sea. It was surrounded by a dry moat, and the gate was accessed via a drawbridge.
In February 1796 it was occupied by the British without opposition. In the late 1800s the British authorities decided to demolish the fort and build a prison in its place, constructed from the stones of the fort. Today all that remains is a section of the eastern rampart with mounds at its northern and Southern ends, where the previous bastions existed, and an recessed arched gateway. Above the gateway is a slab of granite, with the date 1678 inscribed, surmounted by a high decorative gable. The site is still used as a prison by the Department of Prisons.
Duration: 30 minutes

No meals included on this day.
Accommodation included: Overnight stay at a star class hotel

Day 2: Negombo / Kandy

Stop At: Susantha Spice and Herbal Garden, Ganethenna, 27, Hingula 71500 Sri Lanka
Enjoy the Sri Lanka’s world renowned spices at their source. Visit a spice garden, where smells of cinnamons, pepper, cardamom, nutmeg and mace overwhelm the senses and the visitors are provided an insight into an age old industry of spice production, which attracted many a European and Asian merchants to the ports of ancient Sri Lanka.
Duration: 1 hour

Stop At: Royal Botanical Gardens, Peradeniya Road, Peradeniya 20400 Sri Lanka
Royal Botanic Gardens, Peradeniya are about 5.5 km to the west of the city of Kandy in the Central Province of Sri Lanka. It attracts 2 million visitors annually. It is near the Mahaweli River. It is renowned for its collection of orchids.
Duration: 2 hours

Stop At: Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic, Sri Dalada Veediya, Kandy 20000 Sri Lanka
Sri Dalada Maligawa or the Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic is a Buddhist temple in the city of Kandy, Sri Lanka. It is located in the royal palace complex of the former Kingdom of Kandy, which houses the relic of the tooth of the Buddha.
Duration: 1 hour

Stop At: Kandy Lake Club - Cultural Dance Show, 7 Sangamitta Mawatha, Kandy 20000 Sri Lanka
Held in Kandy town, this cultural show depicts various forms of Kandyan dancing which was once native to the area but has now spread to different regions of the island. Originated from a dance performed by Indian shamans who came to the island, Kandyan dancing plays an important role in Sri Lankan culture and is a much-anticipated event during perahera processions. During the show, you will see several dances which depict the graceful movements of birds and animals, which trace their origins back to the ancient ritual known as the Kohomba Kankariya, as well as energetic acrobatic performances where the men perform a series of leaping pirouettes and stunts such as plate-spinning and the dramatic ‘fire walk’ which ends the show.
Duration: 1 hour

Meals included:
• Breakfast
Accommodation included: Overnight stay at a star class hotel

Day 3: Kandy / Nuwara Eliya

Stop At: Damro Labookellie Tea Centre and Tea garden, Nuwara Eliya Sri Lanka
On the way visit a Tea Factory and a Plantation to witness the manufacturing process of world famous "Ceylon Tea" and to taste a pure un-blended cup of factory fresh tea. Also pass by eye-catching views with waterfalls..
Duration: 1 hour

Pass By: Gregory Lake, Nuwara Eliya Sri Lanka
Lake Gregory, sometimes also called Gregory Lake or Gregory Reservoir, is a reservoir in the heart of the tea country hill city, Nuwara Eliya, Sri Lanka. Lake Gregory was constructed during the period of British Governor Sir William Gregory in 1873. The lake and the surrounding area make up the Gregory Lake Area.

Stop At: Hakgala Botanic Gardens, Badulla Road, Nuwara Eliya 22200 Sri Lanka
Hakgala Botanical Garden is one of the five botanical gardens in Sri Lanka. The other four are Peradeniya Botanical Garden, Henarathgoda Botanical Garden, Mirijjawila Botanical Garden and Seetawaka Botanical Garden. It is the second largest garden in Sri Lanka.
Duration: 2 hours

Meals included:
• Breakfast
Accommodation included: Overnight stay at a star class hotel

Day 4: Nuwara Eliya / Bandarawela

Stop At: Sita Temple, Peradeniya-Badulla-Chenkaladi Highway, Nuwara Eliya 22200 Sri Lanka
Seetha Amman Temple is located approximately 1 kilometre (0.62 mi) from Hakgala Botanical Garden and 5 kilometres (3.1 mi) from Nuwara Eliya. The temple is located in the village of Seetha Eliya . This place is believed to be the site where Sita was held captive by (Vikram) king Ravana, and where she prayed daily for Rama to come and rescue her in the Hindu epic, Ramayana. On the rock face across the stream are circular depressions said to be the footprints of Lord Hanuman.
Duration: 30 minutes

Stop At: Welimada, Welimada, Uva Province
The Sthripura Cave consists of a series of three caves, located at Kiriwanagama about 16 km from Welimada (55 Km from Belihuloya). According to the legend, King Rawana of Sri Lanka use the caves to hide the beautiful princess Sita, whom he abducted after defeating her husband, Prince Rama of India.
Duration: 30 minutes

Stop At: Divurumpola, Sri Lanka
This is the place where Seetha Devi underwent “Agni Pariksha” (test). It is a popular place of worship among locals in this area. Divurumpola means place of oath in Sinhala. The legal system permits and accepts the swearing done at this temple while settling disputes between parties.
Duration: 30 minutes

Meals included:
• Breakfast
Accommodation included: Overnight stay at a star class hotel

Day 5: Bandarawela / Seethawaka / Ratnapura / Negombo

Stop At: Ratnapura, Ratnapura, Sabaragamuwa Province
Ratnapura is the fabled city of gems. Its name remains unchanged over the years and means "city of gems". In Ratnapura prospecting and mining goes on every day. Visit a gem mine and a museum and strike a bargain at one of the shops.
Duration: 1 hour

Pass By: Seethawaka Wet Zone Botanic Gardens, Thummodera - Puwakpitiya Road 0778289844, Avissawella 10700 Sri Lanka
Sitawaka, situated near Avissawella on a tributary of the Kelani Ganga (river). Not surprisingly it derives its name from Sita, who is supposed to have been imprisoned by Ravana in a grove in this neighborhood.

Meals included:
• Breakfast
Accommodation included: Overnight stay at a star class hotel

Day 6: Negombo / Chilaw / Negombo

Stop At: Munneshwaram Hindu temple, Munneshwarama, Chilaw 61000 Sri Lanka
After breakfast leave for Chilaw and visit Muneeshwaram. Lord Rama after his victorious battle left for Ayodhya in one of King Ravana's vimana's. He felt he was being followed by bramhaasthidosham as he had killed King Ravana who was a Brahmin. He stoped the vimana at this juncture because he felt at this place the "BrahmaasthiDosham" was not following him.
He ascended from the vimana and asked God Shiva for a remedy. God Shiva blessed Lord Rama and advised him installing and praying four lingams at Manavari, ThiruKoneshwaram, ThiruKetheshwaram and Rameshwaram in India, as the only remedy to get rid of the dosham.
Manavari is the first place where Lord Rama installed and prayed the Siva lingam after the end of the war with King Ravana. To date this lingam is called as RamalingaShivan. Rameshwaram is the only other lingam in the world named after Lord Rama.

Duration: 1 hour

Meals included:
• Breakfast
Accommodation included: Overnight stay at a star class hotel

Day 7: Negombo / Airport

Pass By: Negombo Lagoon, Negombo Sri Lanka
The lagoon is fed by a number of small rivers and a canal. It is linked to the sea by a narrow channel to the north, near Negombo city. It is surrounded by a densely populated region containing rice paddies, coconut plantations and grassland. The land is used for fishing and agriculture. The lagoon has extensive mangrove swamps and attracts a wide variety of water birds including cormorants, herons, egrets, gulls, terns and other shorebirds. Negombo, Katunayake, Seeduwa are some nearby towns. Lagoon fishing is popular among the fishing community in Negombo. Lagoon crabs and lagoon prawns are in high taste and demand.

Meals included:
• Breakfast
No accommodation included on this day.