About this experience
This private day tour takes you from your hotel in Sigiriya across to Trincomalee on Sri Lanka's east coast, a harbour city of Hindu temples, a colonial fort and pale beaches. You travel in an air-conditioned vehicle with an English-speaking chauffeur guide, and the day is paced around your own party.
The first stop is Pigeon Island, reached on a boat safari that is included in the tour. The island is one of Sri Lanka's marine national parks, managed by the Department of Wildlife Conservation, and it protects some of the best remaining coral reefs around the country, with clear water over the reef and rocky slopes where rock pigeons nest.
Back on the mainland you visit the Kanniya hot wells, a set of seven shallow wells in a square enclosure, each with a slightly different temperature that you can feel by hand. From there the tour continues to Thirukoneswaram Temple, which stands on Swami Rock, the headland also occupied by Fort Frederick. The Portuguese destroyed the original temple in 1622, and the present brightly painted shrine was rebuilt on part of the old site. A rocky path leads down towards a small cave shrine, and the cliff edge looks straight down into deep blue water.
The last stop is Marble Beach, a stretch of white sand and clear water where there is time to sunbathe or swim before the drive back. The tour ends when you are returned to your hotel in Sigiriya.
Hotel pickup and drop-off, the air-conditioned vehicle, the chauffeur guide, the Pigeon Island boat safari and a one-litre bottle of water per person are included. Food and beverages, entrance tickets and gratuities are not included. The tour lasts about 12 hours and the minimum age is seven.
