Single-day Excursions by car from Mihintale or Anuradhapura
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Anuradhapura and my guest house in Mihintale are perfect starting points to explore the entire region of Sri Lanka's so-called "Cultural Triangle". Most destinations of this area rich in heritage sites are within day-trip distance. Furthermore, the beaches of Mannar and Trinco can also be reached on single-day excursions.
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Day-Trips to Cultural Triangle attractions
Anuradhapura excursion From Mihintale, you can easily make a day trip to Anuradhapura, the ancient capital of Sri Lanka, which is more than 3000 years old. My guest house is located 12 km east of Anuradhapura, so you could also choose to have a nice bike trip using off-road trails and crossing small villages. I can show you some hidden and undisturbed places in Anuradhapura, too. Many other visitors in Anuradhapura will be Sinhalese pilgrims, because Anuradhapura is a sacred city for Buddhists till the present day.
What you see in Anuradhapura is Sri Maha Bodhi Tree, Brazen Palace, Ruwanwali Seya Dagoba, Thuparama Dagoba, Mirisawatiya Dagoba, Lankarama Dagoba, Jethawanarama Dagoba and monks resident complex, Abhayagiri Dagoba and complex, Moonstone, Guardstone, Twin Pond, Twin Pokuna pond, Samadi Buddha statue, Isurumunia rock temple, Citadel, stone bridge, museums and a trip around water tanks and the new city. You will need actually a complete day for exploring the whole area. |
Anuradhapura is in 17 km distance from my guest house in Mihintale
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Polonnaruwa and Madirigiriya excursionPolonnaruwa is located 100 km south-east of Mihintale. It is within two hours driving distance from my guest house. Polonnaruwa was the 2nd ancient capital of Sri Lanka. Developed already in the 8th and 9th century A.D., Polonnaruwa became the capital in the 11th and 12th century. It is also one of Sri Lanka`s World Heritage Sites.
Compared to Anuradhapura, Polonnaruwa is a quite different kind of ancient city. In Polonnaruwa you can see stone carvings of an advanced style and a famous Dagoba within a circular house. And you can see two storeys of the royal palace still standing upright. This is an amazing building which originally had 7 storeys and 1000 rooms. There are more than 40 places to see in Polonnaruwa, Parakkrama statue, Pothgul Wehera, Parakkrama Sea Tank, citadel, Rajasaba Mandapaya, Thiwanka statue, Lotus Pond etc... Madirigiriya WatadageThis former monastery with another circular Dagoba also played an important role in the Polonnaruwa period. It is located in a tranquil rural area in 20 km distance from the main road to Polonnaruwa. You will need one and half hours additionally to visit this place. Only very few tourists visit this area. The landscape is interesting, it`s a very flat area with lots of ancient water channels irrigating water to paddy fields and farmlands even today.
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Anuradhapura is in 98 km distance from my guest house in Mihintale
Madirigiriya is in 99 km distance from my guest house in Mihintale
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Dambulla and Sigiriya excursionDambulla is located 60 km south of my guest house, which is a one-hour drive by car. Dambulla is a morning light place. I always recommend to go there in the morning around 10 am. You will need two hours to see this temple, which is one of Sri Lanka's World Heritage Sites. You can see lots of paintings from the Kandyan period in this 2300 years old cave temple, because in the course of the centuries the paintings were restored by different kings. There are 5 big cave temples and hundreds of statues, most of them depicting the Buddha.
Almost every cultural tourist visits this temple, also many Sri Lankan travellers come to see it. There are lots of monkies in this area. Sometimes they steel foods from pilgrims and tourists. So you should better not try to feed them by hand. They could attack at any time. After a relaxed visit of the Dambulla temple we can go to the Dambulla market, too. It`s interesting to see it, because it's a very, very busy place. More than 500 trucks come and go per day, because this market is the main vegetable trading place of the northern half of the country. Afterwards we can have a nice lunch in Dambulla and leave Dambulla to proceed to the Sigiriya Rock Fortress. Sigiriya Lion Rock Fortress Sigiriya is located 15 km east of Dambulla. Because it is an afternoon light place, I prefer to be there about 15.30 am. The Sigiriya heritage site belongs to the 5th century A.D. King Kashyapa built the Rock Fortress of Sigiriya. He wanted to be hide and protect himeself, fearing the revenge of his own brother, after Kashyapa had killed his father. So he erected his palace right on the top of the Sigiriya Rock. Some centuries after the rock fortress of Sigiriya had been abandoned by the royal court, the area was converted to a monastery complex, a Buddhist temple.
Sigiriya is also a World Heritage Site and it is often crowded with local and foreign tourists. In Sigiriya, you can see the well-known paintings called Sigiri Apsara frescoes (topless paitings). They were painted on wet plaster using natural colours. Furthermore, you can see a very nice garden with water fountains. During the rainy season you still can see water gushing out from those stone flowers. Before proceeding to the top of the Lion Rock, I*i will show you all the sites, so then we will arrive for sunset. Climbing altogether 1200 steps can be a little bit strenuous. Travelling back to my guesthouse will take about 70 minutes. |
Dambulla is in 60 km distance from my guest house in Mihintale
Sigiriya is in 66 km distance from my guest house in Mihintale
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Yapahuwa and Thanthirimale excursion Yapahuwa was the capital of Sri Lanka at the end of the 13th century. The Tooth Relic was kept here and some important battles with invaders took place here. Yapahuwa is sometimes called “the second Sigiriya”, because it's a rock fortress, too. Indeed, it's Sri Lanka's only remaining fortress from the medieval period. Besides the unique palace stairway with impressive sculptures and delightful carvings of dancers, you can see a Kandyan style cave temple and ruins of a stupa and a pond on the very top of the rock and enjoy the view to the lushy green coconut plains of the Kurunegala District.
ThanthirimaleOn the very same day, we can also make a trip to Thanthirimale Temple, which is located to the north-west of Anuradhapura. This temple originates from the 3rd B.C. It is a very pleasant place worth to spend half a day in that area. Thanthirimale had been a transit place for the Sri Maha Bodhi tree on its way from India. After arriving at the shores of Sri Lanka it was carried to Anuradhapura, but on the way the pageant spent one night in Thanthirimale and later on one of the first saplings was planted on the rock and is still growing here. Thanthirimale became the hiding place of Sri Lanka’s “Romeo and Juliette” couple in the 2nd century B.C.
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Yapahuwa is in 84 km distance from my guesthouse in Mihintale
Tantirimale is in 54 km distance from my guest house in Mihintale
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Ritigala mountain and wildlife excursionRitigala is an ancient forest monastery at the base of the highest mountain in Sri Lanka’s Cultural Triangle. The height is similar to that of the city of Kandy, about 2000 feet above sea level. This is a single mountain, which is partly a northern rain forest mountain, too. The Ritigala Mountain itself has three climate zones. The top part of the mountain has a Nuwara Eliya climate, this is why you find plants here which are otherwise known only in the hill country. In the second half, you expect climate conditions of Kandy and Ella, which is about 20° centigrade. The upper part of the ancient monastic complex is situated in this zone. Local or foreign tourists can visit just half of this mountain, up to where this excavation of the monastery ends. Tourist are not allowed to visit the summit, because this part is under strict protection for its unique plants. The base of the mountain belongs to the dry zone. Here you can see the typical dry zone flora and fauna. For example, there are many birds inhabiting this area. Also there are many wild elephants roaming in the surrounding plains. So this area is a little bit dangerous and local farmers suffered accidents with elephents quite often. The monastery complex has a history going back to the 3rd century B.C. Here you can see very high trees with coordinated rootes. This network of roots shared by differen trees is a characteristic feature od Sri Lanka's rain forests. The trees grow very high, they are about 30 to 40m. Trees are in a competition to see the sunlight. Ritigala is a morning light destination, because the ancient monastery is located at the eastern slope of the mountain and faces east. In the afternoon the risks of encounters with elephants would be higher. It's better to arrive at Ritigala at about 10 am. Otherwise it can be quite misty.
Minneriya or Kaudulla National ParkKaudulla and Minneriya parks are located 20 km east of Ritigala. After hiking within the Ritigala excavation area, we can have lunch somewhere in Habarana. Furthermore, Habarana offers the opportunity of riding an elephant. The rides cross the village and take you to the forest and to a tank. After relaxation or excitement in Habarana we proceed to the entrance of the National Park, we should try to be there as the first visitors. Then you have more opportunities to observe animals than others. For this expedition we must hire a 4x4 jeep to cross the forests and grasslands and some streams. The expedition will take about two and a half hours. But if you are interested, you can stay longer and enjoy the evening wildlife. We can negotiate this with the jeep driver. After finishing the jeep safari, it will take 70 minutes to drive back to my guest house.
Minneriya is famous for the "Elephant Gathering", the largest herd of Asian elephants, only gathering at this lake during the dry season. Particularly from July to September chances are high to enjoy this spectacular event. In October, the elephants migrate back to the north and on their way gather at another lake, Kaudulla, approximately in November. So depending on the season and actual migrations we should prefer to visit the Kaudulla National Park instead of Minneriya. |
Ritigala is in 51 km distance from my guest house in Mihintale
Minneriya is in 62 km distance from my guest house in Mihintale
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Aukana and Raswehera colossal Buddha statuesalso a possible motorbike tour, highly recommendable
Aukana is located 70 km south-west of Mihintale. I recommend to do this trip with motorbikes, because you can cross so many villages, small towns, farm lands, tank dams. On the way you can visit a local school. The Awukana Buddha statue belongs to 5th A.D. (or later), it is definitely from the Anuradhapura period and more than one millennium old. The 12.5m high statue is cut from a granite rock. It is said to be a legacy of King Dathusena, the father of the king who built Sigiriya. This is the most magnificent Buddhist rock statue in Sri Lanka and one of the most impressive statues of Asia. Due to its location far away from the main roads, Awukana is not a very busy place. Most international companies do not bring tourists to Awukana. Raswehera Buddha statue and cave templeRaswehera is located only 15 km further west from Awukana. So after only a short ride we arrive in Raswehera. Reswehera belongs to the same period as Awukana. Legend has it that a student of the Awukana sculptor created this second statue day by day on the way to his work and on way back from his work. The Raswehera statue is situated in a very nice scenery in a wildlife sanctuary, but you have to climb some steps to reach it and to arrive on the top to enjoy the view to the surroundings. From Raswehera we will directly ride back to my guest house and have some coconut arrak afterwards, for relaxing and talking.
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Aukana is in 49 km distance from my guest house in Mihintale
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Kandy and back to MihintaleStarting from Mihintale a little bit early we can have stops on the way to Kandy to visit the ancient Nalanda Gedige Temple and the famous Aluwiharaya Temple, it takes an hour to see its cave temples and scripture museum. Afterwards we proceed to the Sacred Tooth Temple in Kandy. After visiting the Buddhist temple we can see the Hindu temples in its vicinity. After dinner we will have a small city tour and enough time for shopping or relaxing.
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Kandy is in 130 km distance from my guest house in Mihintale
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Pinnawela Elephant Orphanage and Gampola period templesSoon after breakfast we go directly to Ambakka, Lankatilaka and Gadaladeniya temples. After lunch we proceed to the world-famous Pinnawala Elephant Orphanage to observe elephant activities and the elephant herd's bathing in the afternonn. On the way back home we can have a break in Dambulla.
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Pinnawela is in 142 km distance from my guest house in Mihintale
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Peradeniya Botanical Garden and Kandy DanceWe will start a little bit later than usual in Mihintale, because we will not be back 10.00 in the evening. Adter lunch on the way you can spend the afternoon in the Botanical Garden in Peradeniya and afterwards spend some time in the centre
of Kandy city, before visiting a taditional Kandy dance performance near the Kandy lake. After dinner we will return to Mihintale in the darkness.
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Peradeniya is in 135 km distance from my guest house in Mihintale
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Rideegama, Arankale and KurunegalaJust afert breakfast we travel directly to Rideegama to visit the monastery Ridee Vihara, which has caves paintings in the Kandyan style and a temple from the Polonnaruwa period. Afterwards we can visit the excavations of an ancient forest monastery in Arankale. After lunch we will proceed to Kurunuagala and climb the Elephant rock. We will back in time for dinner in Mihintale.
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Rideegama is in 108 km distance from my guest house in Mihintale
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Motorbike trip to Riverston in the Knuckles RangeThis sightseeing excursion will visit the unknown places in the area of Sigiriya and Dambulla, avoiding the crowds.
We start in Pidurangala, which is in about 70 minutes driving distance from my guest house. Pidurangala is the rarely visited neighbouring rock of Sigiriya. It's a surprisingly interesting with ruins of an ancient forest monastery, and a huge reclining Buddha in a rock shelter facing the Sigiriya Lion Rock. The jungle path leading to the statue is a wonderful hike and the scenery at the very top of the rock is really amazing, even more beatifull than the view from Sigiriya. Afterwards we will drive about 20 minutes to Kaludiya Pokuna south of Sigiriya. This is another excavation of an ancient forest monastery, now offering la ost temple in the jungle adventure feeling, quaintly situated in a popular bird watching sanctuary. After only 10 minutes driving we then will reach to the Kandalama Lake, where two of Sri Lanka's most renowned luxury hotels are located. They are worth a visit simply to study modern architecture of Sri Lanka. After lunchbreak in Kandalama or Dambulla we will drive to the north-west and after less than one hour arrive at today's final destination, Jatika Namal Uyana, which is Sri Lanka's largest iron wood sanctuary at the foot of Sri Lanka's biggest rose quartz deposit. we can climb the quartz mountain and stay here till sunset, if you like, before returning for dinner to our home. |
Kaludiya Pokuna is in 77 km distance from my guest house in Mihintale
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Motorbike trip to Riverston in the Knuckles RangeIt is very interesting to go with bikes to Matale, which is located 75 km south of Mihintale. From there we will take a mountain road to Riverston, which is 1000 m above sea level. It is sometimes called "Sri Lanka's second Horton Plains". We can have a nice hike in this area and picnic in the forest. We have to leave this area about 4.00 pm to be back home in Mihintale before sunset.
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Minneriya is in 62 km distance from my guest house in Mihintale
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One-Day Excursions to coastal areas, from Anuradhapura or Mihintale
TrincomaleeStarting just after breakfast to Trinco, we can stop on the way we at water tanks with lotus flowers. Maybe there are also opportunities to observe wild elephants en route, because there are open lands and not many people live in this remote area. Close to Trincomalee, we can have a break at Sri Lanka's best-known hot water wells in Kanniyai, where mostly locals take a bath and perform rituals, you can join with them to have natural hot water bath. Afterwards we proceed to Trinco City and to the fish market. From there we can go to hte Koneshwaram Kowil, one of Sri Lanka's most famous Hindu temples. Spend there an hour and then drive to the best beach at Nilaveli. After lunch at the beach and some hours of relaxation we can drive back to Mihintale and arrive there in the evening.
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Trincomalee is in 96 km distance from my guest house in Mihintale
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MannarThe island of Mannar is within day-trip distance from Anuradhapura and Mihintale, too. Mannar City has a Dutch Fort and an impressive Baobab Tree from Africa. Mannar Island is famous for wild buffalos. We can relax at sandy beaches or have a small hike to a remote beach from where the sandbank called "Adam's Bridge" can be seen as a chain of islates. Danushkodi Point of India is in only 18 km distance from here. On the way back we will visit Madhu Church, Sri Lanka's most important pilgrimage site for Roman Catholic Christian, situated in a nature reserve, and Isenbassagala, which is a kind of "second Mihintale". A white dagoba is situated on a huge dark rock boulder. It is said, that the Buddhist missionary Mahinda touched Sri Lanka here for the first time.
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Mannar is in 108 km distance from my guest house in Mihintale
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Transfer services from Anuradhapura or Mihintale
Colombo City and drop to the airportThis is a tour possible on the last day of your vacation in Sri Lanka for those departing at night from Colombo International Airport.
Starting a little bit early in Mihintale you will arrive in the centre of Colombo City. Colombo is the commercial hub and the busiest place in Sri Lanka, the suburb Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte is the seat of our government. Colombo is becoming an increasingly modern city, but you can still see colonial types of buildings. One example is the National Museum. There are also some temples which are several hundred years old. Especially the nice Gangarama temple is worth a visit. After visiting those places I can take you to a local fashion shops and you can buy good clothes at Odel or House of Fasion or Fashion Club. You can have lunch at the Galle Face Hotel at Colombo's beach and walk at the promenade or relax in the hotel garden. After driving to the airport we will say goodbye and hopefully leave as friends... |
Colombo is in 225 km distance from my guest house in Mihintale
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