Shore Excursion Colombo Port Passenger Jetty to Galle: Private Tour Including Top Sights
Meetiyagoda
We collect you from the passenger terminal at Colombo port and simplify your journey with our shore excursion. You’ll be transported in a private vehicle, visiting notable attractions like the Moonstone mines, Tsunami museum, the Marine sanctuary at Hikkaduwa and the Galle fort, before returning to the passenger terminal at Colombo port.
Duration:
8 hours
Cancellation:
1 day
learn more
Highlights
- Meetiyagoda - Meetiyagoda Moonstones can occur in several colors, but there’s only one place in the whole world that produces the exquisite blue moonstone—Meetiyagoda in southwest Sri Lanka. In fact, Sri Lanka was so associated with this mysterious gem that moonstones used to go by the name Ceylon opal. Local legend has it that the land around Meetiyagoda has been blessed by the moon, and it’s obvious why. Underneath this small village is the world’s largest vein of a moonstone-bearing igneous rock called pegmatite. You’d think that an area so rich in this stunning gemstone would be heavily mined and scarred by machiners but digging by hand down through the topsoil, the miners use coconut wood scaffolding and fern leaves to prop up and line the sides of the shafts as they go. Once they hit the pegmatite layer, the miners begin to tunnel, again using coconut beams to keep the tunnels from collapsing. Collected in buckets, the moonstone-bearing gravel is then winched up the mine shaft – again by hand.
What's Included
- Driver/guide
- Entrance tickets
- Port pickup
What's Not Included
- Food and drinks
Additional Information
- Dress code is smart casual
Location
Meetiyagoda
Cancellation Policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
