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Activity provider: Ceylon IT Tours
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Full-day trip from Kandy visiting Sri Muthumari Amman Kovil, Polonnaruwa Ancient City and Dambulla. Operated by Ceylon IT Tours.
Highlights
- Discover the UNESCO-listed ruins of the medieval capital, Polonnaruwa.
From Kandy: Polonnaruwa Day Tour, Medieval Capital Discovery: Key Facts
| Price | From $186 per person |
|---|---|
| Duration | 11 hours |
| Group size | Up to 3 people |
| Tour type | Guided Tour |
| Booking | Direct with the local operator — no OTA markup |
Choose from 1 available option
From Kandy: Polonnaruwa Day Tour, Medieval Capital Discovery
Full-day trip from Kandy visiting Sri Muthumari Amman Kovil, Polonnaruwa Ancient City and Dambulla. Operated by Ceylon I...
11 hours
English
$186
Free cancellation
Full description
A full-day trip out of Kandy taking in Sri Muthumari Amman Kovil, Polonnaruwa Ancient City and Dambulla. The longest stop is Polonnaruwa Ancient City, at about 2 hours. There are 3 stops in all.
The running order is Sri Muthumari Amman Kovil (30 min), then Polonnaruwa Ancient City (2h), then Dambulla (1h).
The price covers private transport in air-conditioned vehicle, Service of an English-speaking driver, Bottled drinking water and Parking Tickets. It does not cover entrance tickets to Polonnaruwa (approx. $30 per person), Foods and Personal expenses or tips, so budget for those separately. Two travellers pay $193 together rather than $186 each, because this is priced per party and not per head.
Tour Itinerary
Itineraries are customisable as per your request
The schedule below is a suggested plan and can be adjusted to suit your preferences.
Pickup location:
Kandy
Car
(1 hour)
Sri Muthumari Amman Kovil
Guided tour (30 minutes)
Car
(3 hours)
Polonnaruwa Ancient City
Guided tour (2 hours)
Car
(1.5 hours)
Dambulla
Lunch (1 hour)
Car
(2.5 hours)
Arrive back at:
Kandy
Includes
- Private transport in air-conditioned vehicle.
- Service of an English-speaking driver
- Bottled drinking water.
- Parking Tickets
- Hotel pickup and drop-off in Kandy.
Excludes
- Entrance tickets to Polonnaruwa (approx. $30 per person)
- Foods
- Personal expenses or tips.
- Others
Important information
Meeting point
The operator confirms the exact meeting point and time once your booking is confirmed, and you will have it well before the day. If you would rather know before you book, message us on WhatsApp and we will ask them for you.
Know before you go
- Free cancellation available up to 24 hours before the activity starts
About this activity
Free cancellation
Cancel up to 24 hours in advance for a full refund
Secure payment
Complete your booking safely with Razorpay. Full refund if you cancel 24h prior. Read more
Duration 11 hours
Check availability to see starting times
Wheelchair accessible
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Main Tour Price
Starting from $186
$186
Need a custom booking or have a larger group?Contact Support via WhatsApp
Free cancellation
Cancel up to 24 hours in advance for a full refund
Secure payment
Complete your booking safely with Razorpay. Full refund if you cancel 24h prior. Read more
Frequently Asked Questions
Private transport in air-conditioned vehicle., Service of an English-speaking driver, Bottled drinking water., Parking Tickets, Hotel pickup and drop-off in Kandy.
The duration of the From Kandy: Polonnaruwa Day Tour, Medieval Capital Discovery is typically 11 hours. We recommend arriving 15 minutes before the scheduled start time for a smooth check-in. Your guide will meet you at the designated meeting point and ensure the experience runs on schedule while remaining flexible to your pace.
For most experiences, we highly recommend an early morning start. This allows you to avoid the midday heat, bypass the largest crowds, and capture the best lighting for photography. Your guide can advise on the optimal timing based on the season and specific attractions included.
Yes, once your booking is completed via our secure payment gateway, you will receive an instant confirmation email with your tour details, meeting point address, guide's name, and direct contact information. You can also view and manage your booking through your AsiaByLocals account dashboard.
Yes! All our private tours are fully customizable. Whether you want to add extra stops, skip certain locations, change the pace, or adjust the start time — simply let your guide know in advance or on the day. We aim to create a personalized experience tailored to your interests and energy level.
We offer free cancellation up to 24 hours before the scheduled start time for a full refund. Cancellations within 24 hours may be subject to a partial charge depending on the tour type. Weather-related cancellations for outdoor and boat tours are handled on a case-by-case basis, with full refunds or free rebooking offered when safety is a concern.
Most of our experiences are family-friendly and suitable for children of all ages. However, some tours involving extensive walking, water activities, or early morning starts may be better suited for children aged 5 and above. Please check the specific tour description for age recommendations, or contact us for personalized family itinerary advice.
After booking, you will receive detailed meeting point instructions via email. Most tours include complimentary hotel pickup within the central area. For tours without pickup, your confirmation email will include the exact address, Google Maps pin, and your guide's phone number for easy coordination. Guides typically arrive 10 minutes early and will message you on WhatsApp.
We accept all major credit and debit cards (Visa, Mastercard, American Express), PayPal, Apple Pay, and Razorpay for Indian cards. All payments are processed through a PCI-compliant secure gateway with 256-bit encryption. You can also pay in multiple currencies — the price is automatically converted to your local currency at checkout.
Yes, all AsiaByLocals guides are licensed professionals who have been rigorously vetted through background checks, skill assessments, and customer reviews. Many hold government-issued tourism licenses, university degrees in history or cultural studies, and have years of experience leading tours for international travelers. Every guide maintains a minimum 4.5-star rating to remain active on our platform.
Time it for a puja — 5.30am, 9.30am or 6.30pm. Those are the only windows when the upper relic chamber opens and the hevisi drummers play; outside them you are visiting a beautiful building rather than a ceremony. Take socks: shoes come off at the gate and the stone courtyard gets painfully hot. Full detail in our Temple of the Tooth guide.
February for the clearest weather, or July-August, which is drier here than most people expect and covers the Esala Perahera. Kandy sits between Sri Lanka's *two* monsoons and catches some of both, so it has no long dry season — but it also never has a season that is a write-off. See best time to visit Kandy.
Reserved seats open 30 days ahead and sell out within hours from December to March. Unreserved 2nd/3rd class is sold on the day and always available — you will stand, which is where the open doorways and the famous photographs are. Sit on the right-hand side going south. Note there is no Nuwara Eliya station; the stop is Nanu Oya, 10 km away. See our Kandy to Ella train guide.
July or August — but the dates move every year with the lunar calendar, so any guide naming a fixed week is guessing. It runs ten nights and ends on the Nikini poya. Book accommodation on the route six to twelve months ahead. Details in our Esala Perahera guide.
Sigiriya and Dambulla (2.5 hrs each way) is the best of them. Kitulgala rafting is 2 hrs, the Knuckles range and Pekoe Trail stages are day hikes from here. Ella, Galle and Yala are *too far* — 4-6 hours each way. See day trips from Kandy.
Two nights. One full day for the town — Bahirawakanda, Peradeniya gardens, the lake and the evening puja — and a second for a hike, a village day or the cultural triangle. Our Kandy 2-day itinerary lays it out hour by hour.
The centre and the lake circuit are walkable. For anything up a hill or out of town, take a tuk-tuk — roughly LKR 100-150/km on the meter, and ride-hailing apps price it automatically with no negotiation. See getting around Kandy.