Must-see attractions in Sri Lanka

  • Sri Lanka, Polonnaruwa, Gal Vihara temple

    Gal Vihara

    Polonnaruwa

    Part of Parakramabahu I’s northern monastery, Gal Vihara is a group of beautiful Buddha images that probably marks the high point of Sinhalese rock…

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    Uda Walawe National Park

    Uda Walawe National Park

    With herds of elephants, wild buffalos, sambars and spotted deer, and giant squirrels, this Sri Lankan national park is one of the nation's finest. In…

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    Kumana National Park

    The East

    This 357-sq-km park, once known as Yala East, is much less frequently visited than its busy neighbour, Yala National Park. Consequently, it's a far less…

  • Jaffna Fort, built by the Portuguese near Karaiyur at Jaffna, Sri Lanka in 1618 under Phillippe de Oliveira following the Portuguese invasion of Jaffna. Fortress of Our Lady of Miracles of Jafanapatao

    Jaffna Fort

    Jaffna

    Long the gatehouse of the city, the vast Jaffna fort, overlooking the Jaffna lagoon, has been fought over for centuries. Today you can wander its walls,…

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    Dutch Hospital

    Colombo

    This terracotta-tiled, Dutch-era structure dates back to the early 1600s. Beautifully restored, it's now home to trendy shops, cafes and restaurants. In…

  • National Museum of Colombo, Sri Lanka.

    National Museum

    Colombo

    Offering a captivating walk through Sri Lankan history, this delightful Colombo museum sprawls across a gleaming white, neo-Baroque building constructed…

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    Arugam Bay Beach

    Arugam Bay

    This long crescent of sand, partially shaded by coconut palms, is as good a reason as any to visit Arugam Bay. In season, its appeal to surfers is obvious…

  • Mirissa Beach

    Mirissa Beach

    Mirissa

    A vision of tropical bliss, Mirissa Beach boasts powdery pale sand, while its azure water is framed by an arc of coconut palms. The west side is the…

  • Galle Face Green with World Trade Centre in background.

    Galle Face Green

    Colombo

    This long open space traditionally faced a narrow beach and the sea. It was originally cleared by the Dutch to give the cannons of Fort a clear line of…

  • Sri Lanka, Ceylon, Eastern Province, East Coast, Passekudah, Kalkudah beach, aerial view

    Kalkudah Beach

    The East

    Kalkudah Beach is the kind of fantasy that makes you want to chuck away your return air ticket and lounge forever under the palms. Good roads run inland…

  • Sri Lanka, Ceylon, Eastern Province, East Coast, Trincomalee, Uppuveli beach

    Uppuveli Beach

    The East

    This honey-coloured crescent of sand makes a lovely spot to enjoy life under a coconut tree. Swimming is possible although there are often red flags…

  • Abhayagiri Dagoba stupa, Jetavanaramaya, Anuradhapura, Sri Lanka; Shutterstock ID 539498596; purchase_order: 65050; job: ; client: ; other:
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    Abhayagiri Dagoba

    Anuradhapura

    Dating back to the 1st century BC, this colossal dagoba was the ceremonial focus of the 5000-strong Abhayagiri Monastery. Originally over 100m high, it…

  • Vatadage, Quadrangle, Polonnaruwa, Sri Lanka

    Quadrangle

    Polonnaruwa

    A short stroll north of the Royal Palace ruins, the area known as the Quadrangle is literally that – a compact group of ruins in a raised-up area bounded…

  • View from World's End within the Horton Plains National Park in Sri Lanka.

    World’s End

    The Hill Country

    The Horton Plains plateau comes to a sudden end at World’s End, a stunning escarpment that plunges 880m. The walk here is 4km, but the trail then loops…

  • buduruvagala buddhist temple sri lanka

    Buduruwagala

    The Hill Country

    The beautiful, 1000-year-old, rock-cut Buddha figures of Buduruwagala are the region's biggest attraction. The gigantic standing Buddha (at 15m, it is the…

  • Staircase at the Mulkirigala rock temple.

    Mulkirigala Rock Temples

    Tangalla & Around

    Dangling off a rocky crag 16km northwest of Tangalla and nestled away among a green forest of coconut trees are the peaceful rock temples of Mulkirigala…

  • Kandasamy Kovil

    Trincomalee

    This revered temple at the summit of a rocky outcrop is one of Sri Lanka’s pancha ishwaram, five historical Hindu temples dedicated to Shiva and…

  • Buddhist stupa Ruvanvelisaya Dagoba in Anuradhapura, Sri Lanka.

    Ruvanvelisaya Dagoba

    Anuradhapura

    This magnificent white dagoba is guarded by a wall with a frieze of 344 elephants standing shoulder to shoulder. Apart from a few beside the western…

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    Bundala National Park

    Bundala National Park

    Bundala National Park is a fantastic maze of waterways, lagoons and dunes that glitter like gold in the dying evening sun. This wonderland provides a home…

  • Yapahuwa rock fortress.

    Yapahuwa Rock Fortress

    The Ancient Cities

    The steep ornamental staircase of this dramatic rock fortress is perhaps its finest feature, and once led to the Temple of the Tooth. One of the lions…

  • Jaya Sri Maha Bodhi the oldest living human-planted tree in the world with a known planting date in ancient city of Anuradhapura, Sri Lanka.

    Sri Maha Bodhi

    Anuradhapura

    The sacred bodhi tree is central to Anuradhapura in both a spiritual and physical sense. It was grown from a cutting brought from Bodhgaya in India and is…

  • Interior of Royal Rock Temple, Dambulla, Sri Lanka

    Cave Temples

    Dambulla

    The beautiful Royal Rock Temple complex sits about 160m above the road in the southern part of Dambulla. Five separate caves contain about 150 absolutely…

  • Royal Botanical Garden in Peradeniya, Sri Lanka.

    Peradeniya Botanic Gardens

    The Hill Country

    These stunning gardens were once reserved exclusively for Kandyan royalty. Today, even commoners are allowed in to enjoy the most impressive and largest …

  • Temple Of The Sacred Tooth Relic, in The Royal Palace Complex Of The Former Kingdom Of Kandy Sri Lanka.

    Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic

    Kandy

    The golden-roofed Temple of the Sacred Tooth houses Sri Lanka’s most important Buddhist relic – a tooth of the Buddha. During puja…

  • Elephants at the Udawalawe Elephant Transit Home.

    Elephant Transit Home

    Uda Walawe National Park

    This complex is a halfway house for orphaned elephants. After rehabilitation, the elephants…

  • View from World's End within the Horton Plains National Park in Sri Lanka.

    Horton Plains National Park

    The Hill Country

    Horton Plains is a beautiful, stark world with excellent hikes in the shadows of Sri Lanka’s second- and third-highest mountains, Kirigalpotta (2395m) and…

  • Tea tasting  in the he Handunugoda Tea Estate and Tea Museum.

    Handunugoda Tea Estate

    The South

    This exquisite tea plantation in the hills above Koggala offers (free) highly informative tours of the estate. You'll sample and learn how they produce…

  • Lankatilake Temple, Kandy, Sri Lanka.

    Lankatilake Temple

    The Hill Country

    This impressive 14th-century temple, mounted on a rocky bluff, is the most imposing in the region. It's divided into two halves – one half Buddhist and…

  • Ambasthale Dagoba, an UNESCO World Heritage Site in Mihintale, Sri Lanka.

    Ambasthale Dagoba

    The Ancient Cities

    The main ceremonial stairway, lined with frangipani trees, leads to the Ambasthale Dagoba, built over the spot where Mahinda converted Devanampiya Tissa…

  • Visitors on the summit of Sigiriya Rock.

    Summit

    Sigiriya

    The spectacular terraced summit of the rock covers 1.6 hectares. This is thought to be the site chosen by King Kasyapa for his fortified capital after he…

  • Old fort, Galle, Sri Lanka

    Flag Rock

    Galle

    Flag Rock, at the southernmost end of the Fort, was once a Portuguese bastion. Today it is easily the most popular place to catch a sunset. During…

  • Star Fort in Matara.

    Star Fort

    Matara

    This fort was built by the Dutch to compensate for deficiencies in the neighbouring rampart, but it’s so small it could only have protected a handful of…

  • Lankatilaka Temple near Kandy, Sri Lanka

    Lankatilaka

    Polonnaruwa

    One of the most evocative structures in Polonnaruwa, the Lankatilaka temple was built by Parakramabahu I and later restored by Vijayabahu IV. This massive…

  • The Town Hall, Colombo, Sri Lanka

    Viharamahadevi Park

    Colombo

    Colombo’s biggest park was originally called Victoria Park, but was renamed in the 1950s after the mother of King Dutugemunu. It’s notable for its superb…

  • Dutch Reformed Church in the Fort Galle.

    Dutch Reformed Church

    Galle

    Originally built in 1640, the present building dates from 1752. Its floor is paved with gravestones from Dutch cemeteries, while other impressive features…

  • Dutch Period Museum in Colombo

    Dutch Period Museum

    Colombo

    This unique museum was originally the 17th-century residence of the Dutch governor and has since been used as a Catholic seminary, a military hospital, a…

  • Tuk tuk drives through the entrance of the old Dutch gate with British Coat of Arms above.

    Old Gate

    Galle

    A beautifully carved British coat of arms tops the entrance to the Old Gate on the outer side. Inside, the letters VOC, standing for Verenigde…

  • Our Lady of Madhu Church

    Jaffna & the North

    This mainland church is Sri Lanka’s most hallowed Christian monument (though it's thought to be have been constructed over an ancient Hindu shrine). Its…

  • Nallur Kandaswamy Kovil

    Jaffna

    This huge Hindu temple, crowned by a towering god-encrusted, golden-ochre gopuram, is one of the most significant Hindu religious complexes in Sri Lanka…

  • Fish for sale at a road side stall.

    Federation of Self Employees Market

    Colombo

    The concentrated and manic commerce of Pettah is concentrated even further in its markets. Stretching along 5th Cross St, this don't-miss market is a hive…

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