Anuradhapura

The sprawling ancient city of Anuradhapura is full of dreamy stepped pools and bell-shaped stupas, or dagobas (some as large as 60 metres high and 340 metres in circumference), many of them gleaming white, while others have faded to overgrown, sun...

Dambulla

This is Sri Lankas greatest Cave Temple complex; the walls are alive with frescoes of religious and secular scenes and beautiful geometric designs in warm oranges and golds. People have sheltered under the overhang of the smooth, water-marked gran...

Giritale

The lake of Giritale was built in the 7th Century as part of a regional irrigation plan. The area is extremely beautiful and peaceful and allows easy access to the ancient city of Polonnaruwa and the elephant filled Minneriya National Park....

Habarana

Habarana is an important crossroads connecting the northern provinces of Sri Lanka with Kandy and Colombo. Although the place itself is an area of nondescript jungle it has several good hotels and is centrally located providing easy access to the pri...

Kandalama

Kandalama is a beautiful ancient man-made lake close to Sigiriya and Dambulla. Located on its shores is the famous Kandalama Hotel built by Sri Lanka's foremost architect Geoffrey Bawa. The lake is also the starting point for balloon safaris which...

Minneriya

King Mahasena built this 300-square-hectare water tank in the fourth century, and it became popular with modern visitors because of the herds of wild elephant which gather on its shores to drink in the afternoons. It eventually became the centrepi...

Polonnaruwa

The extraordinary ancient city of Polonnaruwa was the island's medieval capital between the 11th and 13th century. Built alongside a huge man-made lake (referred to as a sea in Sinhala), there is an outstanding collection of well-preserved remain...

Ritigala

Legends swirl around the mountain of Ritigala, which towers like a pile of huge, sculptural granite blocks over the surrounding jungle, and whose low peak is often shrouded in mist. It is said that Ritigala won a dual against his fellow-giant, Son...

Sigiriya

There are few more impressive sights in the world than the 370-metre-high rock citadel of Sigiriya, a UNESCO World Heritage. Known as the “Lion Rock”, it crouches in red splendour, enveloped by the dense jungle, dominating the surrounding plains. Bui...