Explore the Country

Saliya Garden is passionately true blue in giving you delightful and genuine Sri Lanka encounters. Among these are enchanting sights and Sri Lanka World Heritage Sites. Saliya Garden personalized tour packages will conduct you through some of the most breathtaking sites of Anuradhapura Civilization circa 1000 AD and other awe-inspiring places in the island, at affordable prices.

 

The two Britishers Robert Knox and Stephen Rutland in 1659 AD planned their escape route at Anuradhapura and after his eventual return to Great Britain he wrote “An Historical Relation of the Island Ceylon” the most authentic account of Ceylon circa 1600 AD.

Packages We Offer

Anuradhapura, Dambulla and Sigiriya

Our itineraries will take you to some of the most venerated places of ancient significance.  We will start from the UNESCO’s World Cultural Heritage-Listed Anuradhapura where there are countless numbers of archaeological sites which are of outstanding universal value from the historical, aesthetic, ethnological or anthropological point of view. Then to Dambulla where the iconic ancient Rock Cave Temple is and to the magnificent Sigiriya Rock Fortress that is surrounded by old world gardens with preserved remains of the lofty garden towering at some 600 feet above the plains.

Wilpattu National Park

Wilpattu National Park is the biggest national park in Sri Lanka which is the home for 31 species of mammals. Mammals that are identified as threatened species living within the Wilpattu National Park are the elephant (Elephas maximus maximus wil aliya), sloth bear (Melursus ursinus inornatus), leopard (Panthera pardus kotiya) and water buffalo (Bubalus bubalis). Sambhur (Rusa unicolor unicolor), spotted deer (Axis axis ceylonensis), mongoose, mouse and shrew are more of Wilpattu's residents. In additions to these you can also see a range of birds and reptiles too. You can enjoy either a half-day or a full day safari. If you take the full-day safari, ensure you take your bathing suits as well because you can enjoy a sea bath in the shallow sea at the edge of the park.

Tantirimale

Thanthirimale (also spelled as Tantirimale) is an old village in the Anuradhapura District. It is located around 40 km north west of the Anuradhapura city. The village is known for the ancient Buddhist temple Thanthirimale Raja Maha Vihara, situated in a nearby rock covered area. The temple built in the third century BC has a historical value. When the Jaya Sri Maha Bodhi was brought from India to Sri Lanka, one night along the way to Anuradhapura, the container bearing the sapling was kept at Thanthirimale. It is believed one branch separately grew from the container and was planted at that village to cmmemorate the auspicious incident. Hence, some believe that this may be the first Sri Maha Bhodi plant in Sri Lanka. The Bo Tree is placed on top of large stony layer which has protected the tree up to now.

Mahawilachchiya

Mahawilachchiya is a farming settlement which was established in 1950s around a reconstructed ancient lake believed to have been built in 140 BC by Prince Saliya, the son of King Dutugemunu (161-131 BC). This is the same prince who was banished by the King for marrying a gypsy girl who was mentioned elsewhere in this website. You can enjoy a wooden canoe ride here with seasoned fishes who ride the canoes. You will have safety jackets too. You can enjoy a 2-3-hour canoe ride in this vast lake and also can witness scores of wild elephants that come for water by the evening if your timing works.

Polonnaruwa

The medieval royal city of Polonnaruwa is a sight to behold with its vast man-made irrigation reservoir built by the king Parakramabahu the Great, aptly named as Parakrama Samudraya meaning Sea of Parakrama. Trekking crisscrossing the expance of the archaeological park you will find many ancient temples, palaces, statues, monuments one of the most significant amongst which is the well-preserved giant granite Buddha statue so emanating serenity, piety, and timelessness that the beholder is soothed. Besides, there is the well-preserved hefty statue of Parakramabahu the Great overlooking the inland sea he built.

Kandy

This is a place worth visiting where the last king ruled until the Britisher Sir John D’oyly took over in 1815. Although somewhat obliterated by modern structural features the sharp observer can still find many an English feature in the town’s architecture. Kandy is in cooler climes and greenary is perennial. Kandy is one of the rare municipalities within which a large pristine forest reservation exists as the backdrop of the Temple of the Tooth and its lake. While many English, Poruguese, Dutch, and French nationals were domiciled in and around Kandy in the 15th to 19th centuries, the most famous were Robert Knox and Sir John D’oyly who almost succeeded Kand’s last king Sri Wickrama. The Royal Botanical Gardens established by the British in 1800s and the Peradeniya University built by Sir Ivor Jennings, and the industrial tea plantations pioneered by John Lipton deserve a visit by the concerned traveller. In the forest within the city there are hermitages with resident monks from the West, German, Danish, Italian et al doing humanitarian missionary work attached to the Kandy Buddhist Publication Society affiliated with London Pali Text Society.

“D’oyly ruled Kandyan provinces until his demise. His written works include “Kandyan Constitution” and “D’oyly’s Diary”

Trincomalee

Trincomalee is one of the best natural habours of the world, in the recorded history, attracted numberless seafarers mainly from the West. Trincomalee harbour indeed beckons even to the modern seafarer. Famous among those who ventured here was Capt. Knox whose son Robert Knox spent 20 years in an enigmatic captivity in the 17th century Ceylon. The Dutch Fort of the Dutch East India Company built here by the Dutch rulers is still in good preservation. Within the Fort precincts the medieval Koneshwara Temple is atop a rock outcrop to the sea. There are also the Hot Springs of somewhat theraputic fresh water and the superb Trincomalee beaches awash in Indian Ocean and bathed in Eastern sun light. Besides, there are a several ancient temples around Trincomalee, in various stages of preservation.

Jaffna

Visit Jaffna, the proud city on the northernmost part of the island. A city rich with heritage and paved with religious monuments. Jaffna is a place with compelling attractions ranging from its beautiful coastline to the glorious Hindu temples. Jaffna is significant for its Hindu population and thus it has always been a very important part of Sri Lankan history making it one of the must-see places in the country. Besides, there is the well-preserved Dutch Fort Hammenhiel and Jaffna isles including Delft Isle where feral horses introduced by the Portuguese still roam. Moreover, some 100 km southwest of Jaffna the Dutch Fort of Mannar exists and worthy of a visit.