rukmali hotel habarana

Minneriya National Park - 10 km away ( 5 km drive to the entrance gate ) Located between Habarana and POLONNARUWA, the 8890 hectares of MINNERIYA NATIONAL PARK is an ideal eco tourism location in Sri Lanka . The park consists of mixed evergreen forest and scrub areas and is home to Sri Lanka 's favourites such as sambar deer, leopards and elephants. However the central feature of the park is the ancient Minneriya Tank (built in 3rdcentury AD by King Mahasena). During the dry season (June to September), this tank is an incredible place to observe the elephants who come to bathe and graze on the grasses as well as the huge flocks of birds (cormorants and painted storks to name but a few) that come to fish in the shallow waters. Eco Park at Habarana - 4 km Hurulu Eco Park spreads an area of 10,000. With a drive of around 22 km from the Habarana end. The four streams that run through the park wind their courses to the Hurulu Wewa rainwater reservoir that sustain the wildlife in the area. Hurulu Eco Park is carved out of the Hurulu Forest Reserve, a dry zone area that has also been declared a “Man and the Biosphere reserve” (MAB) by UNESCO. Kaudulla National Park - 14 km Kaudulla National Park is a 6,656ha section of dry evergreen monsoonal forest centered on the Kaudulla tank in the Polonnaruwa District.  Opened on September 21, 2002, it is one of Sri Lanka’s newest parks and forms the central link in the chain of protected elephant (Elephas maximus) habitat that extends from the long, western arm of Somawathie Chaitiya National Park in the north to Minneriya National Park in the south. The numerous small herds of Elephants that inhabit the surrounding region for most of the year gather together on the open bed of the main tank to graze, drink, bathe and socialize. Sigiriya - 12km  Built in the 5 th century AC, this magnificent complex of geometrically laid gardens, pools, and fountains (still working today) as well as oldest surviving murals of maidens has been a palace of the King Kasyapa. Built on top of a 200m high rock, the entrance to the climb once has been through a lions head. Only the huge paws remain today. Half way up the rock is beautifully drawn painted bare breast Maidens whose existence is still a mystery. Which should be the eighth wonder of the world, Sigiriaya, is a must see item in Sri Lanka. The occupation of the gigantic fortress ended when Kasyapa killed himself in a battle with his brother Ritigala -8 km  A famous archeological site known as a ‘forest hermitage complex’ was a monastery for Buddhist monks. The area is a well protected nature reserve where wild life is plenty. It is abundant in wild elephants, leopards, bears and a large number of birds. When visiting you will discover the ruined lodgings of monks, ancient Ayurveda centers, water tanks and natural caves with Brahmin inscriptions from the 2nd and 3rd century BC. Polonnaruwa -30 km  Polonnaruwa is undoubtedly one of the major tourist attractions of the Sri Lankan cultural triangle. This marvelous ruin is now covered by the jungle and is beautifully located, along side the huge man made tank named Parakrama Samudra. The tank was named after the king who commissioned it and developed Polonnaruwa as the medieval capital of the Island in the 12th century. It is also one of the renowned archeological sites funded by UNESCO. Today you can visit the well preserved Hindu and Buddhist monuments that belongs to the same era, giving evidence of the proud local history. Do not forget to spend a few moments at the Gal Vihara temple, where you can see the marvelous Buddha statues carved in a single rock. Rangiri - Golden Temple – Dambulla - 20 km  Dating back to the 1st century BC, this is the most impressive cave temple in Asia. It has five caves under a vast overhanging rock, carved with a drip line to keep the interiors dry. In 1938 the architecture was embellished with arched colonnades and gabled entrances. Inside the caves, the ceilings are painted with intricate patterns of religious images following the contours of the rock. There are images of the Lord Buddha and bodhisattvas, as well as various gods and goddesses. Anuradhapura -65 km  Visit the countries oldest city dated back to the 5th century BC, walk through the ruins and discover the ancient remains of an old civilization, adorned with beautiful man made lakes. The area is plenty of species of birds and monkeys. It’s in Anuradhapura where you can see the most historical tree in the world. It belongs to the 3rd century BC. The Bo tree is venerated by thousands of Buddhist all over the world. Eastern beach attractions  Since Ranhiru Family Bungalow  is situated in a center point, its only one and half hours drive to Pasikuda & kalkuda beach locations which are very populer for water sports and scuba diving activities. Nilaweli beach is just 2 hours drive from the bungalow Activities you can enjoy while your are at Rukmali Hotel Jeep Safari / Jungle Safari in Minneriya,kaudulla & Eco Park Mountain Climbing at Ritigala Village safari with a Bullock cart Boat safari on habarana lake Boat tour and day outing at Pleasure island - Dambulla Cycling ( Mountain bicycles on request ) and motorcycle tours   Elephant back ride Fishing