This morning you’ll explore the Negombo fish market alongside a retired, characterful fisherman before making the four-and-a-half-hour journey into the Cultural Triangle. Here you’ll be staying in a boutique hotel that pays tribute to the ancient water gardens that once surrounded the Sigiriya rock fortress.
The following day sees you climbing to the top of this astonishing royal citadel. Sigiriya is a rock fortress of unusual beauty, rising 200 metres above the jungle on the monumental Lion Rock. On the way up you’ll pass the frescoes of the ‘Heavenly Maidens’, and at the top you’ll find the remains of the palace as well as sensational panoramic views. You’ll then have the afternoon at your leisure to either relax or explore your surroundings further.
The following morning you’ll visit Anuradhapura – Sri Lanka’s ancient capital first founded in the 4th century BC. Over 1,000 years the Sinhalese royal family built a fantastic array of temples, stupas, palaces, ponds and gardens – two of which are now UNESCO World Heritage sites – as well as one of the earliest and most advanced irrigation systems in the world. You’ll be able to visit the Sacred Bo-Tree; a sapling from the tree under which Buddha reputedly gained enlightenment and, at over 2,200 years old, one of the oldest documented trees in the world.
Stay: Three nights in a deluxe villa at the Water Garden – half board