Polonnaruwa is medieval Sri Lanka at its most magnificent, a UNESCO World Heritage City that served as the island’s royal capital between the 11th and 13th centuries and left behind a landscape of ruins, statues and monastic complexes that rank among the finest archaeological achievements of the ancient world. This tour provides a comprehensive exploration of the ancient city’s most significant monuments, best experienced by cycling along the gentle paths that connect each site through a landscape of parkland and lotus-filled tanks. The tour’s defining highlight is the Gal Vihara, four colossal Buddha figures carved with breathtaking artistry directly from a single granite face, including a standing figure of 7 metres, a serene seated Buddha and a magnificent 15-metre reclining figure whose face carries an expression of supreme tranquillity that has moved viewers for nearly a thousand years.
