Anuradhapura Ancient City Day Tour from Kandy (Private Tour)
Description
Explore the UNESCO-listed Ancient City of Anuradhapura on a flexible PRIVATE day tour—no rushed group schedules. Ride in a comfortable private vehicle with an experienced local driver and visit must-see landmarks such as Sri Maha Bodhi, Ruwanwelisaya, Jetavanaramaya, Abhayagiri, Twin Ponds, Isurumuniya and more (time & traffic permitting). Fully customizable: choose what to prioritize, add photo stops and breaks, and set a pace that suits your group. Door-to-door hotel/airport pickup & drop-off are included within the pickup area; pickups outside the free range can be arranged for an additional fee confirmed in advance. Entrance tickets, sites guide,meals and optional guides are not included unless stated in your selected option.
Tour Options
Itinerary
Explore the sacred UNESCO-listed Ancient City of Anuradhapura, one of Sri Lanka’s most important heritage sites. Visit key landmarks such as Sri Maha Bodhi (the sacred Bo Tree), Ruwanwelisaya Stupa, Jetavanaramaya, Abhayagiri Monastery, and other ancient temples, ponds, and royal-era ruins. Your driver will help you plan the best route, allow time for photos, and share local tips on etiquette and the best viewpoints.
Highlights
What's included
Pickup Locations & Times
We offer free pickup within 5 km of Kandy city. For pickups beyond 5 km, an additional charge will apply.
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Public transportation options are available nearby
- Infants are required to sit on an adult’s lap
- Travelers should have at least a moderate level of physical fitness
- Dress code when you entered to the all temple, the nee and shoulder should be covered
Reviews(2)
Our one day tour from Kandy to Anuradhapure and back was above expectation, qualitywise in all meaning. We whave experienced a personalized cultural tour which was organized in a best way. Ifran and the local guide gave an unforgettable day tour wuth full of professionality and kindness. We saw all the archological sites and monuments and history facts behind. Thanks for the great experience and your prepareness.
I want to start by saying our driver was super nice and wanted to make sure we had a good time. However, there were lots of issues which put a damper on the experience. I expected the ride to be about 3.5 hours, but within the first two hours we stopped; I thought for snacks. This was not the case and the driver ordered breakfast which I felt he should have had before picking us up. He did buy us pastries which was sweet. A few hours later, we stopped for tea at his request. Our 3.5 hour trip took over 4.5 hours to get there. We then got lost because the driver was not familiar with the area. We had to stop and ask for directions. In my opinion, he should have mapped it out ahead of time. He was merely a driver and not a guide as he was not familiar with the area or history which was a might disappointing. Leaving one of the sites he backed into a light pole and spent almost an hour dealing with that. He did not ask if we were ok, nor did the tour operator reach out to us. We were pretty much done at that point and asked to make our trek back. Again, we stopped twice, once for tea and another time I’m not sure what he did. We were not provided water as stated in the description, but we were prepared and brought our own. For the price and value of what we got I do not think this was worth it.
First, I’m truly sorry your day was affected by delays and avoidable issues. While we’re glad you found the driver kind and well-intentioned, the service you described is not the standard we aim to provide. What you mentioned is taken seriously, especially: Unplanned long stops (breakfast/tea) that extended the drive time Arriving late and a transfer taking much longer than expected Driver not being familiar with the route/area, and not being able to support as a guide The minor accident and the lack of a proper check-in to ensure you were okay Water not provided as stated in the listing/description Poor communication/follow-up from our side after the incident We will be reviewing this trip internally with the driver and our operations team, and we will tighten our procedures to make sure: drivers eat before pickups and do not add unnecessary stops, routes are planned and confirmed in advance, drivers assigned are suitable for the service booked (driver vs. chauffeur-guide), and any incident is followed by an immediate welfare check and operator follow-up. We also want to make this right. Please message us your booking reference/date (and the pickup location if possible), so we can investigate properly and arrange an appropriate compensation/refund based on what happened. Thank you again—your feedback helps us improve, and I’m sorry we let you down on this experience. Warm regards, Zameek
