Many visitors come to Sri Lanka for the white-sand beaches and epic waves, but located in the heart of the island’s hilly, aquamarine core is a spiritual, lovely place consisting of tea plantations, misty hills, and the iconic blue train carriages.

Kandy, Sri Lanka’s second city and the island’s indisputable historical and cultural capital, serves as the entryway to all of this hill-country excitement (and the world’s best train ride!).

The mighty ancient Kingdom of Kandy, shielded by its geographical location and less-accessible terrain, was able to stave off the march of both Portuguese and Dutch colonisers during the 1500s and 1600s, becoming the final standing bastion.

On this day excursion to Sri Lanka’s Udawalawe National Park, prepare ready to ‘go wild.’ Explore the area for elephants, crocodiles, birds, and other wildlife, and take an optional side excursion to Udawalawe. Enjoy a guided safari through one of Sri Lanka’s most diverse and lively national parks. The safari provides opportunity to see herds of wild elephants, flocks of water birds, and many other wild animals in their native habitats, such as leopards, sloth bears, deers, wild boars, and so on. The national park, which spans 30,821 hectares, is also home to some stunning vistas.

Sinharaja is a Rain Forest and a biodiversity hotspot in Sri Lanka’s Sabaragamu and Southern provinces, located in the south west lowland wet zone. Sinharaja rain forest is the only sustainable section of primary tropical rain forest in the country. It has 11,000 hectares of primary and secondary forest. This short swath of undulating terrain is made up of a succession of hills and valleys. More than 60% of the trees in Sinharaja Forest are indigenous, and many are considered uncommon. There is a lot of endemic fauna, notably birds, but the reserve also has almost half of Sri Lanka’s endemic butterfly and mammal species, as well as a variety of insects, reptiles, and uncommon amphibians.

Visitors to Sri Lanka, an island inhabited by man for millennia, are greeted with a gorgeous environment covered with luxuriant foliage, stunning beaches, wildlife refuges, and the remnants of ancient civilisations. Sri Lanka’s capital Colombo, located at the crossroads of the ancient spice routes, has historically served as a gateway between East and West.

Numerous spices, fabrics, and antiquities have flowed through the city, bringing enormous diversity and resulting in colorful bazaars, vivid temples, and eye-catching colonial architecture. Colombo’s great commercial past can still be seen in its amazing food, vibrant marketplaces, and varied grandeur of architecture.

It’s a heritage site rich with ancient jewels to explore, and it’s home to the Sinhalese kings and queens of the old and prior resting place of Buddha’s tooth relic!

If you want to take a more cultural path across the coconut island, this UNESCO world heritage site should be on your radar.

You’ll pass stupas, historic palaces, step-wells, temples, Buddha statues, coconut pitstops, and other sights.

A gigantic column of granite juts out from the verdant tropical jungle deep in the heart of Sri Lanka. It stands 660 feet tall and is decorated with frescoes, graffiti, and planted gardens. The rock is known as Sigiriya (see-gee-REE-yah) and has a significant position in the cultural history of the island.

It was built nearly 1,500 years ago as a fortress for a renegade monarch, and now the Sigiriya complex is one of the earliest intact instances of historical urban layout. The rock was ultimately unable to save its monarch, yet it was successful in maintaining old Sinhalese culture.

The Golden Temple of Dambulla, also known as the Cave Temple of Dambulla, gives evidence to Sri Lanka’s rich cultural past. The Dambulla cave temple, located around 142 kilometers from Colombo, is Sri Lanka’s best intact rock temple complex. Anyone who visits the temple will be astounded by its art and paintings, which date back to the 3rd century B.C.

Galle is a gem. This UNESCO World Heritage Site is a joy to walk around, an eternally interesting old trading port brimming with majestic Dutch-colonial structures, ancient mosques and cathedrals, huge houses and museums. You’ll pass chic cafés, eccentric stores, and immaculately renovated hotels owned by local and foreign artists, authors, photographers, and designers as you stroll its wandering pathways. Galle’s centre is the Fort, a fortified enclave bordered on three sides by the water, which was built by the Dutch beginning in 1663. The fact that the Fort is more than just a lovely location is a big element of its allure.

Although Anuradhapura was founded in the fourth century BC, it is more than just an antique relic.

It is still a fervent sacred city centered on the Sacred Bodhi Tree, which is said to have developed from a cutting taken from the original Bodhi tree beneath which the Buddha attained enlightenment.

Pilgrims in white mingle with colorfully robed Buddhist monks, while irreverent langur monkeys frolic amid the ruins. The monument is spread out across a number of square kilometers and is punctuated by massive bell-shaped dagobas that house Buddhist treasures. The beautifully carved moonstone of Mahasen’s Palace, historic bathing waters, and the calm Samadhi Buddha are among the city’s other assets.

Negombo, sometimes known as the “Little Rome” of Sri Lanka, is a lovely little beach town near the Bandaranaike International Airport. Negombo, home to some of Sri Lanka’s oldest churches, fresh seafood, and unspoilt beaches, is the ideal destination for a beach holiday just before you go off to see the rest of Sri Lanka or just before you conclude your stay in Sri Lanka. There is always something to do in Negombo, with a variety of beach activities such as kite surfing and a bustling nightlife.