About this experience
Your chauffeur guide collects you from your Galle hotel at 07:00 and heads south along the coast. First stop is Wewurukannala Raja Maha Viharaya near Dikwella — home to Sri Lanka's largest seated Buddha, a 160-ft statue dating to the late 18th century. Walk through the Tunnel of Hell, where life-sized models depict the torments of the underworld, then study the comic-strip murals charting the Buddha's path to enlightenment. By 10:00 you reach the Weherahena Poorwarama Raja Maha Viharaya in Matara, recognised as the world's first tunnel temple and fronted by a commanding 130-ft Buddha image. After lunch at your own cost, visit the Matara Snake Farm — three generations of the Bandara family keep and handle the island's reptiles — then tour the ancestral home and Folk Museum of celebrated Sri Lankan author Martin Wickramasinghe.\n\nThe day closes at Unawatuna, where a short climb to the Japanese Peace Pagoda rewards you with sweeping ocean views over Jungle Beach and Rumassala Hill. Built by the Nipponzan-Myōhōji order, the pagoda is a quiet monument to peace across all races and creeds. Transport throughout is in an air-conditioned vehicle, and each guest receives a litre of bottled mineral water. Entrance fees are not included. The full circuit runs approximately 11 hours, and this is a private tour — just your group and your guide.
