Sri Lanka in 4 Days
I had the opportunity to visit some of the most beautiful places in Sri Lanka in 4 days. In my 4-day itinerary of Sri Lanka, I visited Buddhist cave temples & monasteries, UNESCO world heritage sites, palaces, fortress, national parks, tea gardens, experienced Sri Lankan culture and witnessed Sita and Hanuman’s story in Sri Lanka. In this article, I describe my Sri Lanka tour itinerary with a local guide.
Contents
Day 1: Dambulla’s Golden Buddha, Monastery, Cave Temple, and Minneriya National Park
I landed in Bandaranaike International Airport in Colombo, to a warm welcome from a local representative of the tour company. It was just 5 am and we headed straight to Dambulla to enjoy 4 days visiting the most beautiful places in Sri Lanka.
On the way to Dambulla we passed through miles of coconut farms. I learnt that the region produces the most coconut in Sri Lanka.
We drove past several towns and through chaotic morning traffic.
Golden Buddha at Dambulla
My first stop was the Golden Buddha Temple. The temple has a giant Buddha statue, a beautiful golden pagoda, and a working monastery with young and old monks. The temple is located on a hill and the massive Buddha statue is seated on top of a 3-story structure containing a museum and ticket counter.
It was fun and enlightening to chat with young Buddhist monks that spoke a bit of English. Unlike Myanmar where a boy can be a monk for a few months, in Dambulla, the monks are ordained for life. The monks here were surprised to hear that Buddhist monks can actually return to lay-person lifestyle in Burma. The Buddhist monastic vows in Burma are not binding for life.
Over the centuries, religious practices evolve. This chance conversation is a reminder that the practices today, may be quite different in various interpretations around the world. Likewise, it’s quite likely that practices today very different from those taught by founder of the religion. It’s fascinating to study how cultures & religions evolve with time and location.
Dambulla Royal Cave Temple
The rock cave temple in Dambulla was originally built in first century BC. The temple rightfully owns its place in history and art for its collection of Buddha statues and ornate cave paintings, still intact after centuries of use. My guide explained that the present Sinhalese name Dambulla is believed to have been translated into Pali as Jambukola by the author of the Mahavamsa.
I climbed 400+ steps in no time. The climb felt so easy because of the expansive views and the anticipation to see the Buddha in the marvelous Rock Cave Temples, one of the most beautiful places in Sri Lanka.
A series of temples are built inside the natural rock caves that were formed eons ago in these mountains. In recent years, a white facade has been built to protect and preserve the temples within the caves of Dambulla.
All temples are closed for 30min each day for prayer ceremonies. During that time no visitors are allowed inside the temple caves. If you’re visiting during the ceremony, use the time to relax and wait. If you’re in a hurry, best to avoid the time for your visit.
There are 5 cave temples in the Dambulla cave temple complex. These temples were built over 2000 years ago. To this day, beautiful paintings adorn the walls and ceilings. The colors are still so vibrant. The caves vary in size and significance. Some of the caves have small stupas. A couple of the caves even have statues of the kings that commissioned the temples.
Buddha images in various postures. 
Buddha’s feet.
Read all about Dambulla caves at UNESCO’s site.
After a soul fulfilling visit to Buddha in the cave temples of Dambulla, I retreated to the Aliya Resort for some rest, lunch and to freshen up.
Minneriya National Park
In the evening, I went for a game drive in Minneriya National Park which is located in Habarana and Polonnaruwa. The park consists of evergreen forest and scrub. An important feature of the park is an ancient Minneriya tank. It’s the perfect spot to watch elephants and great birds going about their daily lives. Elephants come to the tank to drink water, eat grass and bathe. It’s also a great spot to watch deers, buffalos, and smaller animals.
I hired a 4×4 safari vehicle at the park entrance and timed my game drive at 3pm, so as to see the evening return of the Sri Lankan elephants.
Elephants as play in Minneriya National Park
A reptile on bird safari. 
Little green bee eater in Minneriya NP
Heron on a bird safari 
Parrot spotting on a bird safari
At the resort, I got to see a beautiful wedding in progress. The bride and groom looked absolutely lovely in their gorgeous traditional outfits.
Day 2: Polonnaruwa and Sigiriya Monastery & Fortress
Sigiriya Fortress and Buddhist Monastery
After a delicious breakfast in the resort, I headed to Sigiriya for some rock climbing, loosely speaking. More importantly, I wanted to visit it for the ancient Buddhist monastery and the fortress which is a UNESCO world heritage site
Back in the 5th century AD, Sigiriya was the royal capital of Sri Lanka. While the royal stint lasted only a few decades, the landmark Sigiriya Rock Fortress still stands over the vast open landscape. Some believe the fortress to be the 8th wonder of the world. When the rock was originally converted into the powerful king’s abode, it was painted all white to represent the clouds. The fort and palace were built on the top, the metaphorical clouds. The rock was decorated with beautiful frescos of sensual ladies all around.
Sigiriya’s massive rock was once painted white with a fortress and palace on top. 
Later the rock was a buddhist monastery.
The fortress was originally shaped like a lion, with parts of the lion still visible. For example, the massive paws of the lion still stand to dominate the entrance. Near the spiral stairways are famous frescoes, sheltered from the elements, as they are nestled within the rocks.
Paintings of the beautiful ladies of the king’s harem were hand painted on the white plaster surface some 100 meters above the ground. While much of the art was destroyed over time, some fragments remain in depressed sections of the rock. They tell a lot about the period art, artistic talent, beautiful women and the fashion of the harem and gorgeous ladies.
Read more about the frescos here.
The climb up to the fortress is strenuous, so its best to leave early in the morning to avoid heat and the crowds on the narrow stairway.
A majestic palace once stood on the top of the rock, which is a flat platuae of about one hectare. It was protected by a strong wall built all around the periphery.
It’s such an amazing human feat to create the palace on top of this near vertical rock. The king would have used all the kingdom’s resources to build this magnificent palace that was held in awe in all of the region, as it was the towering white structure with the palace above the clouds. For over a thousand years, this has been one of the top places to visit in Sri Lanka. The art and tourism are said to be a source of revenue for the monastery that called this rock home, and had no use for the seductive figurines.
The pools, the palace and the views all around the incredible. No wonder Sigiriya Fortress and Buddhist Monastery are one of the most beautiful places to visit in Sri Lanka. I was so lucky to meet a group of Buddhist monks visiting Sigiriya’s Buddhist Monastery all the way from Bangladesh.
Polonnaruwa
Polonnaruwa was Sri Lanka’s second great capital city between the eleventh & thirteen centuries. It is now a UNESCO world heritage site and I would recommend it be part of any Sri Lanka tour itinerary. This kingdom bears the stamp of three great kings of Sri Lanks.
Polonnaruwa is a massive palace complex. I cold spend the week just exploring the palace grounds and photographing all the remains. It’s so large that we drove around in a car. Following are a few of the important sites and a few pictures from the couple of hours I got to spend in Polonnaruwa. It definitely one of the must stop places in any Sri Lanka Itinerary.
- Pothgul Vehera
- Parakrama Samudra
- King Parakramabahu’s Palace, a seven-floor structure
- Alahana Pirivena
- Kirivehera
- Nissanka Malla’s Palace
- Gal Viharaya – a rock temple with 4 Buddha statues
- Vatadage
- Siva Dewala
Polonnaruwa Audience Hall 
48 ornate columns of audience hall
Ornate floor mat carved in stone. 
Polonnaruwa store with inscriptions in Sri Lanka
King Parakramabahu’s Palace 
Polonnaruwa
A close look reveals ornate designs telling stories of places and animals found in far away regions of the world such as dragons, tigers and more.
Buddha in Dhyan Mudra 
Reclining Buddha in Gal Viharaya
Monkeys all around Polonnaruwa 
Elephants near Polonnaruwa
Day 3: Buddha’s Tooth and Tea Gardens of Sri Lanka
Sri Dalada Maligawa or the Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic
The Sacred Tooth Relic of the Buddha is an object of great veneration by Buddhists. It is housed at the Dalada Maligawa, Kandy in Sri Lanka. Buddhists believe that the blessing of the Sacred Tooth Relic has protected the country for the past 2,500 years.
Lamp lighting in Sri Dalada Maligawa temple 
Devout worshippers at Kandi’s Buddha Tooth Relic Temple.
Lotus farm supplies the temples. 
Flower shop outside Buddha tooth relic temple flower stalls.
Tea Gardens of Nuwara Eliya
Nuwara Eliya is a tea garden region of Sri Lanka. The area has a unique climate that’s well suited for some of the best tea in the world and is one of the most beautiful places in Sri Lanka.
The town is well planned and still retains its English style. You can take leisurely walks around beautiful Lake Gregory and enjoy the stunning scenery and panoramic vistas with rugged mountains outlined against the clear blue sky making a breathtaking backdrop. Staying overnight in Nuwara Eliya was a wonderful and relaxing experience for me. I’m glad I included it in my Sri Lanka tour itinerary.
I heard that much of the tea picker population is a Tamilian migrant group from India and most of the pickers are Tamil women.
Tea pickers in Nuwara Eliya.
Day 4: Nuwara Aliya to Airport
On my 4th and last day, we drove to the airport from Nuwara Aliya thru beautiful landscapes. On the way we visited Ashok Vatika, Hanuman temple, tea gardens and villages of the Tamil people who work on the tea gardens.
Village Life in Sri Lanka
Kids walk to & from school in the villages. 
Tuk tuks is the lay person’s taxi. 
Spice gardens with black pepper tree cardamom.
Villagers sell fresh and delicious yogurt in clay pots. What a refreshing and nutritious snack! 
A fruit stand along the road
Seetha Amman Temple and Ashok Vatika Hanuman
Anyone who grew up in India or has read any story from India has surely heard the stories from the epic Ramayan and will the story of Ram, Sita, Lakshman, Hanuman and the mighty King Ravana of Sri Lanka. I visited the historic garden where Lord Ram’s wife Sita was kept as a prisoner. King Ravana had desired her for ages, eventually kidnapped her from Ram, he asked her each day to take him as her husband. She never accepted him. In the meantime, Hanuman, Ram Bhagavan’s trusted monkey, found Sita mata. Later he returned to burn the area with his tail as the source of fire. Lord Ram and his army of monkeys destroyed mighty King Ravana and took Sita back from her kidnapper.
The site is now a Hanuman temple. The scene where Hanuman first finds Sita and Sita hands him her ring to carry as proof, is depicted in statues.
It’s remarkable that the princess Sita lived under this remote and desolate tree for 11 months. She bathed in the cold water of the river and kept to herself, lonely and sad. Today, the place is less remote and a must-visit site for anyone interested in Indian mythology.
If you more time here is a 3-week itinerary for Sri Lanka and Sri Lanka’s best beaches for families.
Tips to Visit Sri Lanka in 4 Day Itinerary
- Arrange for a car and driver before reaching Sri Lanka. You can have the same car and driver for the entire trip. Before you book the driver, be clear and confirm if the driver’s expenses for food and accommodation are included. If not, most resorts will accommodate the driver for about $10 a night.
- For a short visit apply and get the ETA which is an electronic travel authorization for Sri Lanka.
- All Dambulla cave temples are closed for 30min a day for prayer ceremonies. If you’re in a rush, plan to avoid prayer times or use the time to explore the area.
- As you can see, these are some of the most beautiful places in Sri Lanka. Additionally, if you like beaches, Sri Lanka is said to have amazing beaches for you.
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