Joes
Habarana Village
Bird Watching
Bird watching is one of the main attractions of the area. One can observe about 150 species of birds of all colures and varieties. While you watch the roaming Peacocks, our guide will tell you tales of ancient times where birds of the land played an important role in day to day life.
Habarana - 3 km
The Tank, forest and the peaceful environment here is appreciated by any tourist who enjoys wild life and elephant safaris, birds and nature. Habarana is famous among tourists and locals alike because of the safari rides to the nearby Habarana national park which has a huge population of Elephants.
And unlike in most natural parks in Sri Lanka Elephants here are not that used to humans so if you are looking for some excitement like being attacked by the elephants this is the place to be.
Golden Temple - Dambulla - 18 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.
MINNERIYA - 10 km
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.
Polonnaruwa - 50 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.
Nearby Attractions
Sigiriya - 5 km
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