A guided full-day exploration of one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world – the Sri Maha Bodhi Tree planted in 288 BC, colossal ancient dagobas rising above the forest, the vast Abhayagiri monastery complex and the ancient reservoirs that sustained a civilisation for over a millennium. Best explored by bicycle.
Full Day
Sri Maha Bodhi Tree
The oldest documented living tree on earth, planted in 288 BC from a cutting of the tree under which the Buddha attained enlightenment – tended without interruption by an unbroken line of custodians for 23 centuries.
Ruwanwelisaya Dagoba
A vast white stupa built in the 2nd century BC, one of the most revered monuments in the Buddhist world, its dome surrounded by carved stone elephants at the base and rising above the surrounding parkland.
Abhayagiri Monastery Complex
A sprawling ancient monastic city that at its height housed over 5,000 monks, with the vast Abhayagiri Dagoba rising above the forest and monastery ruins spread across the surrounding parkland.
Isurumuniya Rock Temple
A beautiful rock-carved temple at the edge of the ancient reservoir, home to the celebrated Isurumuniya Lovers sculpture – one of the finest examples of Gupta-influenced stone carving in Sri Lanka.
Ancient Irrigation Reservoirs
Vast hydraulic reservoirs built across the 2nd to 8th centuries AD to sustain the ancient civilisation of the dry zone – engineering achievements of remarkable ambition still partially functional today.
