Discover the heart of Sri Lanka’s extraordinary gem heritage in Ratnapura, the island’s historic gem capital whose very name translates as City of Gems. This full-day tour moves through the traditional gem mining pits, cutting and polishing workshops, gem museums and active markets that have made Ratnapura one of the world’s most important sources of sapphires, rubies and other precious stones for over two thousand years. The experience is as much a cultural education as a commercial one.