Bike ride in Polonnaruwa

Today, you’ll be giving your legs a workout on an exciting 12 km bike ride in Polonnaruwa, one of Sri Lanka’s oldest capitals and deservedly on the UNESCO World Heritage List.

Your guide/driver will pick you up from the hotel and drive you to the ancient royal city, located on the shores of the man-made Parakrama Samudraya Lake. On your arrival, you’ll be kitted out with a bicycle and helmet, and for the next few hours, you’ll cycle around and see the city’s archaeological treasures, which give you a great picture of what the city looked like in its heyday, which started in 1017 and ended in 1232. Fortunately, the city’s major attractions are all found within a smallish area, so it’s easy to visit them all.

Polonnaruwa was of great strategic importance and thus surrounded by three thick walls. Inside the walls were fine gardens, and deep within was the royal palace itself.

On the bike ride, you’ll see sights such as the ruins of the royal palace, the royal baths, Gal Vihara temple with its many Buddha statues, giant stupas such as Rankot Vihara, Pabalu Vehera and Kiri Vihara Dagoba as well as the Satmahal Prasada monument, which resembles a Mayan pyramid.

You’ll also cycle past Parakrama Samudraya Lake, which was established by King Parakramabahu, who is without a doubt the king who left the biggest mark on the city. He is known, among other things, to have said “Not even a little rainwater must run out into the sea without having done any good”. He therefore embarked on the construction of an extensive irrigation system to ensure that land and fields could get water. Parakrama Samudraya Lake consists of as many as five reservoirs, all connected to Polonnaruwa via small channels – deeply fascinating!

After the fall of Polonnaruwa, the city’s mighty buildings were engulfed by the jungle and remained hidden for more than 700 years. It was not until the 20th century that the old royal city was rediscovered and the extensive excavations began.

After a lovely, educational bike ride, you’ll be driven back to your hotel in Sigiriya.

Duration: 5–6 hours

We recommend that you book the excursion when booking the tour.