Sigiriya Village Tour

Experience traditional village life on this private tour. Depart from your hotel in a tuk tuk and make your way to the village. Accompanied by a guide, take an oxen cart ride through the village. Admire the views on a catamaran ride over a reservoir and try to spot the local wildlife. Observe a cooking lesson from a local villager share a traditional lunch. Learn about local life from your guide Hassle-free hotel pickup and drop-off Enjoy a traditional lunch Admire views from a catamaran on a reservoir


 
You will be starting your Village Tour at 10:30am. You will be provided with directions to the village, where you will be met by your tour guide at the time of starting. You will have a quick walk around the village while your guide tells you more about village life. You will begin the first of your activities at approximately 10:45am. The oxen cart is commonly used as the primary mode of transport in Sri Lankan villages. You will have a 15-minute oxen cart ride, ending at the banks of an artificial reservoir. From this point, you will continue on to a 15 minute traditional catamaran ride. The area has many types of aquatic and plant life. You may be able to catch sight of an occasional crocodile or water monitor as you glide along.
 
 

You will be having lunch right after at 12:15pm. Lunch will be a buffet of perfectly cooked rice with 6 traditionally cooked Sri Lankan curries and fresh fried fish. You will also have a green salad and crunchy papadum, practically an essential addition for meals in most Sri Lankan and Indian homes. You will be eating on woven trays with clean lotus leaves on top. Your food which will be cooked in the traditional way, in clay pots over wood fires. After the rather relaxing meal, you can spend some time in the village at your ease. Your tour guide will finish off your tour at 1:30pm.

 

Included:

  • Complimentary hotel pick up and drop off by Tuk Tuk from a hotel in Dambulla or Sigiriya.
  • Authentic Sri Lankan village lunch
  • Local guide
  • Oxen cart ride
  • Traditional catamaran safari
 
 

Another possible sighting are cormorants and other waterbirds. After you enjoy your time with nature, you will be deposited on a bank adjoining some paddy fields. These seasonal paddy cultivations, also called ‘Chena’ cultivations, are dependent on the two major monsoon rain periods that take the place of winter in Sri Lanka. The walk through the fields will allow you to see the paddy cultivation first-hand. This quick tour will last 15 minutes and your guide will update you with more information about the local methods of rice cultivation. You will then move back to the village and be introduced to a local, who will give you a half hour cooking demonstration on traditional Sri Lankan cooking. The demonstration will also allow you to make your own attempt at cooking a Sri Lankan dish.