Galle Day Excursion with Train Ride

Train ride

From the train station we will take a train (class I and II available) along a picturesque route along the coastline of the Indian Ocean.

We will see fishermen busy untangling their nets and preparing their boats for the cruise, towns typical of the West and South coasts with bustling streets, we will cross several bridges over lagoons and river mouths to the Ocean, and we will also have the opportunity to experience the very Asian nature of traveling by local train with locals.

Galle Fort

From the station we will go to Galle, where there is a 17th century Fort built by the Dutch (it is on the UNESCO World Heritage List). The atmosphere of the fort, its picturesque location and preserved style from the 17th century means that walking along the ramparts and streets gives you the opportunity to feel the colonial atmosphere.

Hikkaduwa and Tsunami monuments.

From Galle we will take a picturesque road right on the shore of the Ocean to Hikkaduwa, a popular holiday resort, once a favourite place for hippies to spend their time. On the way we will stop for a moment at the Buddha statue donated by the Japanese government in memory of the Tsunami. We will also see the Tsunami victims monument. From Hikkaduwa alle, after which we will return to the hotel at approx. 7 p.m. The next attraction will be Hikkaduwa, a former hippie town and currently a tourist town located on the Ocean with a colourful hustle and bustle of typical tourist places, where there are many attractions. We will go there to the beaches, where sea turtles come to know people. With a bit of luck, you will be able to feed them seaweed. You are not allowed to touch the turtles!

Moonstone mine and sapphire grinding plant.

Then we will go to an active moonstone mine, where we will be able to see the conditions under which precious and semi-precious stones are mined in Sri Lanka, see the mineral collections, see the moonstone grinding plant, look at the techniques of making jewelry and possibly buy ready-made products or the stones themselves. precious and semi-precious.

Museum of masks.

Masks have a special meaning in Sri Lanka – they are used in ritual dances, folk medicine, and also in everyday life to scare away evil spirits or gain the favor of good spirits. In theater, masks are used by actors playing their roles. Masks play a special role in the lives of locals and Ambalangoda is a place famous for hand-making them. We will visit both the mask museum and the sculpture workshop.

Speedboat safari on the river.

Lunch by the river, after which we will go on a motorboat safari on the Madu River, which has 66 islands and islets, some of which are inhabited by people. During the safari, you will be able to see the everyday, simple life of the inhabitants of the Madu Delta, who mainly engage in fishing, collecting crabs and shrimps, and fishing out river sand for the construction industry. Common sights include laughing children bathing in the shallow and warm waters of the river, women washing clothes on the shore, and fishermen preparing their boats for a cruise on the ocean. A real attraction is a stupa massage combined with pilling on fish farms (additionally paid approx. USD 1 per 20 minutes). Carp-like products will precisely cleanse your feet of unnecessary epidermis. During the cruise, a visit to Cinnamon Island is planned, where the grandmother and grandfather of cinnamon cultivate this one of the most popular spices in the world. We will see how cinnamon is obtained and learn how roofs are built from palm leaves in Sri Lanka.

Buddhist temple.

On special request – we will go to the island where there is a small Buddhist temple where you will be able to look into the cells of the monks living there, see the farm buildings or try to play with the giant squirrels that live in the temple area.

On the way to the turtle farm, we will be able to see (depending on the season) collectors of todi – nectar from coconut palm flowers, which is the main semi-finished product used in the production of arrack – local alcohol as well as coconut syrup or coconut sugar. The collectors move between the palm trees on special coconut strings – a spectacular experience.

Turtle hatchery.

A visit to the center is also an opportunity to look at the rich fauna of the tropical waters of the Indian Ocean.

In the aquariums we can see moraines, crabs, lobsters, sharks, rays and others.

The driver and guide will take you to the hotel on the beach.