Sri Lanka Cultural Tuk-Tuk Tour (7D/6N)

Sri Lanka Cultural Tuk Tuk Tour Itinerary (7D/6N)*

Explore the Cultural Triangle and the ancient cities of Sri Lanka in a unique and economical way. By driving your own Tuk-Tuk you are fully in charge of what to do, what to see and where to stop.
A Tuk-Tuk is three-wheeler, also called auto rickshaw or trishaw and a motorized development of the traditional pulled rickshaw or cycle rickshaw. Commonly they are used as cheap taxis, inner-city and family transportation. You can see them in front of almost any hotel or being flagged down on the road.
All Tuk Tuk's come with an electric starter and manual transmission with reverse gear. Luggage and sport equipment can be stored in the rear of the back seat or the hood rack. This vehicle is perfect for adventurers, budget backpackers, board surfers, wind surfers and basically for anyone who is looking for an unique experience.

The Sri Lanka Cultural Tuk Tuk Tours can be easily combined with another Sri Lanka Tour or a Sri Lanka Holiday Package.
If you have any questions and/or need to customization, please contact us or use the "Notes" field in the form below.

SRI LANKA CULTURAL TUK-TUK TOUR (7 days / 6 nights)

DAY 1:
On your arrival in Sri Lanka we will meet you at the airport and transfer you by private limousine to your hotel in Negombo Beach.
A day to acclimatize and, depending on your arrival time, having your first swim in the Indian Ocean.

DAY 2:
After your breakfast we will meet you with a representative of the tuk-tuk rental agency and process the required paperwork. 
You need to provide a copy of your passport and an international driving licence with motorcycle endorsement.
If you are holder of an International Driving Licence, there will be an endorsement fee of Rs.4,000 (not included). National Driving License holders can get a temporary driving licence at Traffic Department for a fee of Rs.3,000 (not included). Both are handled by the car rental company. Please note that endorsements and/or temporary driving licences can only be issued Monday-Friday 9am – 3pm (except public holidays). To speed things up you can send us copies of the required driving documents [copies of passport, diving license(s)] at least 7 working days prior to arrival. 
In the afternoon you can take your first spin around town. Used in colonial times by the Portuguese, Dutch and British as main export harbour for cinnamon, you still can see many historical buildings.
There is also the option for a 6h hands-on training by one of the experienced drivers of the tuk-tuk rental agency (not included in tour).

DAY 3:
While you are in charge of the program, we recommend a drive along the coast to Marawila. Hidden beaches, traditional fishing villages and markets on the will give you a first insight into the 'real Sri Lanka'. 
On your way back it might be an idea to pass along the Negombo Lagoon, which is characterised by high biodiversity in its flora and fauna. The mangrove community in the lagoon is the most diverse of all mangrove communities on the west coast of Sri Lanka. The zonation of plants and animals in the mangroves is not as spectacular as that in South East Asia, because of the low tidal fluctuation, but in the number of species of plants and animals in the lagoon, mangroves, seagrasses and mudflats, it is second to none.

DAY 4:
Now it's time for some fascinating ancient culture. If you are up to it, we recommend to drive to Dambulla (UNESCO Heritage Site) via Kalpitiya on Sri Lanka's West Coast, about 75 km north of Negombo. Kalpitiya is known for its serene beauty. It consists of 14 islands and is a marine sanctuary, the starting point for off-shore whale watching and dolphin watching in Kalpitiya.
The Dambulla Rock Temple is a magnificent gallery of Buddha images and wall and ceiling paintings not seen anywhere else in the Island. It is a complex of five cave temples with its origin going back to the first1st century BC. Dambulla and its five cave temples are filed with Buddhist murals and many Buddha statues. Visitors must remove their shoes and approach the shrines bare-foot. The first cave is filled with the 47-foot-long recumbent image of the meditating Buddha.

DAY 5: 
Early morning is the best time to climb up to the Sigiriya Rock Fortress. An impregnable palace fortress built in the fifth century and enjoy the magnificent views over the once royal pool, the throne, remains of the majestic palace, walk ways and garden. Don’t rush through all this magnificence. Be prepared to spend at least one whole day, walking around the Sigiriya gardens, the newly laid out herbal garden. Walk to the northern corner of the western moat and look to the south down the moat, and see how it had been made in line with the summit of a far away hill.
In the afternoon visit Polonnaruwa, the ancient capital of Sri Lanka from the eleventh to thirteenth centuries and the repository of outstanding ruins, frescoes and enormous statues of reclining Buddhas. The ruins of the old city are on the shores of Lake Topawewa, man-made during the reign of a twelfth century king—a huge task, when one considers it was accomplished with nothing but manual labor. What remains of the ancient city itself is a cluster of palaces and temples contained within a rectangular city wall. The foundations of the royal palace and the king's audience hall are particularly well preserved.
An outstanding site in Polonnaruwa is the Galyhare, also known as the Cave of the Spirits of Knowledge. It is an outdoor rock wall where giant standing and reclining sculptures of the Buddha were carved out of the living rock.

DAY 6: 
What about an Elephant Safari at the Minneriya National Park? Minneriya forms part of the elephant corridor and local guides should know where the greatest concentrations of elephants are at any given time. They are most numerous from July to October, peaking in August and September when water elsewhere dries up and as many as three hundred or more come to the tank’s ever-receding shores to drink. This annual event has been popularly dubbed “The Gathering”, the largest meeting of Asian elephants anywhere in the world. Other mammals found in the park include sambar, spotted deer, macaque and purple-faced langur monkeys, sloth bears and around twenty leopards (although these last two are very rarely sighted), plus an enormous number of birds.

DAY 7:
On your way back to Negombo, you should stop over at the Pinnawala Elephant Orphanage. Most of these elephants were orphans who lost their parents to poachers or as a result of simply being left behind by their herd. Many were badly wounded when found, like a female elephant who had lost her eyesight as a result of a poacher's gunshot. The orphanage was set up in 1975 by the Department of Wildlife to look after young elephants who had been orphaned or abandoned and were in need of care and attention. Just five baby elephants where brought to Pinnawela with the hope of attracting visitors to fund the organisation and help it grow. The Elephant Orphanage is open all day but it is best to time your visit with the twice daily feeding and bathing. At 9.15am and 4.15pm, the baby elephants are taken into the stalls where they are tethered and then bottle fed with milk, providing endless photo opportunities. This might be a crowd pleaser but it's not the highlight; what really steals the show is the bathing.
End of Tour.

The Sri Lanka Tuk Tuk Beach Cultural includes 6 Nights 2*-3* acommodation b&b for one person, sharing a double room and includes the Tuk-Tuk Rental with Insurance and unlimited milage for 6 Days.
Not included are gasoline, service expenses and the entrance fees to sights and national parks.
Please be advised that the refundable security deposit of Rs. 25,000 (approximately US$ 200) for the vehicle rental is not included in the tour rate and must be paid to the tuk-tuk rental company directly.
Rate (per person): US$ 299

*can easily be combined with our other Sri Lanka Tours or one of our Sri Lanka Holiday Packages