Three Weeks' Tour of the Island
Including Colombo, Kandy, Adam's Peak, Nuwara Eliya, Dambulla, Sigiri, Pollonaruwa and Anuradhapura
| 1st day 2d |
Colombo, the principal seaport of Ceylon, and perhaps the greatest sea-junction in the world, for here all the great steamship liners stop to coal on their way to and from China, Australia, Europe and northern India. Here one naturally finds good hotel accommodation, with elevators, swimming baths and all the modern appurtenances of first-class houses. Drive out to Mount Lavinia, beautifully situated on the beach seven miles from Colombo. |
| 3d day 4th 5th |
Kandy, formerly the mountain capital of the kingdom of Kandy, is a charming city three $ hours by rail from Colombo, situated on the banks of an artificial lake or " tank," overhung on all sides by hills. Here is the famous Daladd Malagawa, or Temple of the Sacred Tooth of Buddha, which is exposed to view only on great occasions, such as Perahera.and is accompanied by a procession of the sacred elephants, high priests and devil dancers. The Peradeniya Gardens, a short distance from Kandy, vie with those of Buitenzorg in Java for beauty and completeness. |
| 6th day 7th |
Adam's Peak. Leave Kandy by train for Hatton, and thence by coach for Adam's Peak ( 7,352 feet), twenty miles distant. The great feature of Adam's Peak is the shadow thrown by the mountain at daybreak, and to see this the ascent is made just before sunrise. The journey from Hatton to the summit and return occupies about thirty hours. Resume the train at Hatton for Nuwara Eliya. The scenery en route is magnificent. |
| 8th day 9th |
At Nuwara Eliya, the chief mountain resort of Ceylon. There are many lovely drives, including the Botanic Gardens at Hakagalla, and around the lake. There are also a number of fine tea gardens in the neighborhood. |
| 10th day | Return to Kandy (six hours by train). |
| 11th day | Leave Kandy by rail for Matale (one hour). Drive to the Alut Vihara Temple. |
| 12th day | Dambulla. By motor car visit the Cave Temple, still used, containing a gigantic recumbent statue of Buddha, carved out of the solid rock. |
| 13th day | Sigiri, by motor car (eleven miles and a half). Visit the celebrated Rock Fortress, an extraordinary natural stronghold rising abruptly above the great central forest. |
| 14th day | Pollonaruwa, by motor car. A deserted capital of Ceylon. Here are the ruins of the original Dalada Malagawa, or Temple of the Sacred Tooth of Buddha, built in 1198; also the great rock-hewn statue of Prakrama Bahu, and other interesting Buddhist remains. |
| 15th day | Trincomalie, by motor car. Has a fine harbor and is the principal station of the British-Indian navy. |
| 16th day 17th 18th |
Anuradhapura, by motor car. The ancient capital of Ceylon, and the home of the sacred Pipal, or Bo Tree, reputed to be more than 2,000 years old, and still the object of solicitude of the descendants of its original planters. The stupendous dagobas are the compeers of the pyramids of Egypt. Eight miles from Anuradhapura, along a sacred Buddhist road traversed by chariots 2,000 years ago, is Mihintale, the sacred Mountain Temple, whose summit commands a magnificent view over Ceylon, from sea to sea. |
| 19th day | Return by rail to Colombo (about seven hours). |
