Kandy Day Tour: Explore Sigiriya, Dambulla & Polannaruwa World Heritage Sites

70 Ratings

Matale

Save

View All (21)

Embark on a unique and specialized day tour in Sri Lanka, exploring the magnificent Sigiriya, Dambulla, and Polonnaruwa World Heritage Sites. Discover ancient temples, spice gardens, and climb the iconic Sigiriya Lion Rock. Trustworthy drivers and well-conditioned vehicles ensure a safe and memorable experience.

Duration: 14 hours

Cancellation: 24 hours

learn more

Highlights

Sri Muthumariamman Temple - The temple with 1008 statues of Hindu deities are the work of South Indian sculptor, Nagalingam and his son Ramanathan, with the help of about 100 designers, painters and architects from Tamil Nadu and Sri Lanka. The Raja Koburum was completed in 2007 at the cost of approximately Rs 150M.
Dambulla Cave Temple -…

What's Included

Private transportation
All fees and Taxes included except the entrance tickets
Bottled water
Hotel pick-up and drop-off
In-vehicle air conditioning

What's Not Included

Entrance tickets of all attraction and activities
Sites guide to the world heritage sites
Lunch

Additional Information

Let’s customize your day’s journey uniquely with an eye to safety against hidden hazards. We will assign a seasoned and skilled driver with a vehicle in excellent working condition who understands Sri Lankan roads and has expertise in planned activities, ensuring your day trip is in reliable hands.
We can commence the tour at your earliest convenience,…

Location

Sri Muthumariamman Temple

680 17 Kandy-Jaffna Highway

Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

Customer Ratings

4.9

(70 Ratings)

5 stars

4 stars

3 stars

2 stars

1 star

Heidijoh2025

Feb 12, 2025

Mr Shamim was great! - Fab tour, everything went smoothly and our guide Mr Shamim was amazing. We visited three sites and he was very happy to let us stop when we needed to and regularly checked that we were comfortable, very funny and informative driver. We enjoyed every second but fair warning you will be very tired by the end but it is totally worth it!

Review provided by Tripadvisor

778mariasilva

Feb 2, 2025

Amazing day - It was a very long day but worth for sure, was a wonderful tour with Sharmin. He was a very good guide, very kind and helpful.

Review provided by Tripadvisor

Graham_b

Jan 22, 2025

A Great Day! - This was a great day. It is a long day but well worth it to see all 3 sites. Our guide was excellent and very informative.

Review provided by Viator

Getaway29454689989

Jan 21, 2025

Absolutely brilliant! - Wow, what an amazing day. Mr Shamin our driver was simply superb. We went to all the Unesco sites and much more. We tried gorgeous good, sampled spices, stopped several times to look at fruit, trees and wildlife. Mr Shamin informed us about everything along the way and made the day really educational. The day was brilliant and I would highly recommend it.

Review provided by Tripadvisor

Zeppelin1994

Jan 19, 2025

This tour will leave you awestruck at the amazing country of Sri Lanka - We had a fantastic action packed day on our one day sightseeing tour with Shamin. He drove us from Kandy to Polonnaruva ancient city, stopping on the way and accompanying us to many ancient and fascinating sites. Shamin was a great driver and a really nice guy. He was always happy to stop along the way for photos and even spotted a wild elephant while we drove through the national park! Our first stop was Sri Muthumari Amman Kovil Temple, wonderfully vibrant in colour and a marvel to see. Then we stopped at a Spice garden, which was very interesting albeit a little bit of a tourist trap. Next we got some excellent street food from a restaurant Shamin knew, so we got a good price and some local knowledge. Afterwards we went on to Dambulla Rock Temple where Shamin was kind enough to walk with us all the way up to the top and gave us some top tips and a history of the site to save us having to pay for a guide. Next stop was the towering Sigiriya which we climbed with a guide before heading to our highlight, Polonnaruwa ancient city, which was well worth the long drive. Shamin then drove us all the way back to Kandy, no mean feat considering the torrential rain we had on the day. All in all, we were very happy with the day, and felt like we got to see so many sites we would never have seen otherwise. Thank you very much Raaid for organising and to Shamin our ace driver.

Review provided by Tripadvisor

Francesca_t

Jan 15, 2025

I did the tour with... - I did the tour with driver/guide Shamin, who was very kind, helpful and knoledgeable. The places were beautiful and I had a lovely time. I recommend it!

Review provided by Viator

Terri_b

Jan 7, 2025

Great, affordable way to see a lot of Sri Lanka in a short time!! - My husband and I made a last-minute decision to spend 2.5 days in Sri Lanka and wanted to see as much as possible during our short stay. We booked a day tour to Sigiriya, Dambulla, and Polonnaruwa (3 UNESCO World Heritage Sites) from Kandy via Viator, and it was WELL WORTH IT! Our driver and tour guide, Irfan, was excellent! He picked us up promptly at our hotel (check out our review for Queens Hotel in Kandy on TripAdvisor). His car was sparkling clean, comfortable, and equipped with great A/C. Irfan has good English and shared his extensive knowledge about Kandy, the government, culture, and Sri Lanka, in general His recommendations and insights throughout the day were spot on! He seemed to anticipate our needs, which made for a smooth day despite the heat and our ambitious agenda. After seeing Dambulla and Sigiriya, Irfan took us to a lunch stop at a charming roadside restaurant serving a delicious buffet of authentic Sri Lankan fare, satisfying even my picky husband. The total cost for two people was only $11 USD before tip. Irfan also surprised us with special treats throughout the day, and his keen eye for spotting wildlife allowed us to capture some great photos. The sites we visited were unique and breathtaking! It was a long, tiring day (about 14.5 hours), but we wouldn’t have wanted to skip any of the experiences. Dambulla involves some steps, and Sigiriya is even more challenging — but well worth the climb if you’re up for it! My husband and I are both in our early 60's and while he climbs mountains as a hobby, I do not - yet we both managed the climbs. Thankfully, our final stop to Polonnaruwa as flat (no steps)!! For Polonnaruwa, I HIGHLY RECOMMEND hiring a guide, as the site is spreadout. We were fortunate to connect with Prema (pronounced PRAY-ma), a retired school teacher who approached us while we were buying tickets. Initially hesitant, we decided to go with him after my husband negotiated a cost of $20. However, we were so impressed and pleased with Prema's guidance that we ended up giving him double! There's no way we could have navigated Polonnaruwa without his expertise. In sum, I hope your experience with Travel Sri Lanka (Aaliya Tours) is as wonderful and smooth as ours was!

Review provided by Viator

D4729qaterrib

Jan 7, 2025

Great way to see a lot in short time in Sri Lanka. - After touring Vietnam, Cambodia, and Thailand, my husband and I made a last-minute decision to spend 2.5 days in Sri Lanka, and we wanted to see as much as possible during our short stay. We booked a day tour to Sigiriya, Dambulla, and Polonnaruwa (3 UNESCO World Heritage Sites) from Kandy via Viator, and it was WELL WORTH IT! Our driver and tour guide, Irfan, picked us up promptly at our hotel (check out our review for Queens Hotel in Kandy). His car was sparkling clean, comfortable, and equipped with great A/C. Irfan was an EXCELLENT guide with good English and extensive knowledge about Kandy, the government, culture, and Sri Lanka. His recommendations and insights throughout the day were spot on! He seemed to anticipate our needs, which made for a smooth day despite the heat and our ambitious sightseeing agenda. After seeing Dambulla and Sigiriya, Irfan took us to a lunch stop at a charming roadside restaurant that served a delicious buffet of authentic Sri Lankan fare, satisfying even my picky husband. The total cost for two people was only $11 USD before tip. Irfan also surprised us with special treats throughout the day, and his keen eye for spotting wildlife allowed us to capture some great photos. The sites we visited were unique and breathtaking! It was a long, tiring day (about 14.5 hours), but we wouldn’t have wanted to skip any of the experiences. Dambulla involves some steps, and Sigiriya is even more challenging — but well worth the climb if you’re up for it! My husband and I are both in our early 60's and while he climbs mountains as a hobby, I do not - yet we both managed the climbs. Thankfully, our final stop to Polonnaruwa as flat (no steps)!! For Polonnaruwa, I HIGHLY RECOMMEND hiring a guide, as the site is spreadout. We were fortunate to connect with Prema (pronounced PRAY-ma), a retired school teacher who approached us while we were buying tickets. Initially hesitant, we decided to go with him after my husband negotiated a cost of $20. However, we were so impressed and pleased with Prema's guidance that we ended up giving him double! There's no way we could have navigated Polonnaruwa without his expertise. In sum, I hope your experience with Travel Sri Lanka (Aaliya Tours) is as wonderful and smooth as ours was!

Review provided by Tripadvisor

Josipa_b

Dec 30, 2024

Amazing - It was amazing tour. Tour guide was knowledgeable and accomodating. Highly recommend going on this tour.

Review provided by Viator

Alexandrabc6444kz

Dec 27, 2024

Really professional and nice driver - Mr Shamin was really friendly, a safe driver, and he helped us to rearrange our tour because of the rain. We still had a great time thank you!

Review provided by Tripadvisor

From $30

Check Availability

From $30

Select Date and Tickets

up to 15 guests