Cultural Triangle
Sigiriya
A fifth-century palace on top of a granite rock, with frescoes, water gardens and a view across the forest.
Destinations
Best Places to Visit in Sri Lanka
34 places worth planning around, from the ancient cities of the Cultural Triangle to tea-country towns, national parks and both coasts.
Hill Country
Ella
A small hill-country town of tea slopes, short hikes and the famous Nine Arch Bridge.
South Coast
Galle Fort
Walled colonial streets, a white lighthouse and ocean-facing ramparts made for sunset walks.
South East
Yala National Park
Sri Lanka's best-known safari park, with leopards, elephants, sloth bears and coastal lagoons.
Hill Country
Kandy
The last royal capital, home to the Temple of the Tooth and a lakeside town ringed by hills.
South Coast
Mirissa
A palm-fringed bay on the south coast, known for seasonal whale watching and easy beach days.
Hill Country
Nuwara Eliya
Cool highland air, emerald tea estates and colonial-era bungalows high in the hills.
Southern Plains
Udawalawe National Park
Open grassland around a reservoir where wild elephant herds are a regular sight.
Cultural Triangle
Dambulla Cave Temple
Five painted cave shrines filled with Buddha statues, high on a rock above the plains.
Cultural Triangle
Anuradhapura
The first great capital, with giant white stupas and a sacred Bodhi tree still at its heart.
Cultural Triangle
Polonnaruwa
A compact medieval capital of palaces, shrines and the serene rock-cut Buddhas of Gal Vihara.
Hill Country
Horton Plains & World's End
A high plateau of grassland and cloud forest ending at the dramatic World's End escarpment.
East Coast
Trincomalee
A deep natural harbour with clifftop temples and the beaches of Uppuveli and Nilaveli nearby.
East Coast
Nilaveli Beach
A long, quiet white-sand beach with boat trips to the reefs of Pigeon Island.
South Coast
Unawatuna Beach
A sheltered bay near Galle with snorkelling, beach restaurants and a jungle-covered headland.
East Coast
Arugam Bay
Sri Lanka's best-known surf town, with long right-hand point breaks in the east-coast season.
West Coast
Bentota
A golden beach where a river meets the sea, with water sports and Geoffrey Bawa's gardens.
South-West Coast
Hikkaduwa
A lively beach town with a coral reef, sea turtles and a long-established surf scene.
Hill Country
Adam's Peak (Sri Pada)
A night pilgrimage up thousands of steps to watch sunrise over the clouds from a sacred summit.
South West
Sinharaja Forest Reserve
A UNESCO-listed lowland rainforest, rich in endemic birds and plants.
North West
Wilpattu National Park
Sri Lanka's largest national park, a quieter forest of natural lakes, leopards and sloth bears.
Cultural Triangle
Minneriya National Park
Grassland around an ancient reservoir, famous for its seasonal gathering of wild elephants.
Northern Province
Jaffna
The cultural capital of the Tamil north, with grand temples, island ferries and distinctive cuisine.
West Coast
Colombo
Sri Lanka's busy commercial capital of temples, markets, museums and a seafront promenade.
West Coast
Negombo
A fishing town near the airport, ideal for a first or last night by the sea.
Hill Country Edge
Kitulgala
Rainforest and river rapids on the road to the hill country, Sri Lanka's rafting base.
North-West Coast
Kalpitiya
A windswept peninsula of lagoons and beaches, a magnet for kitesurfers.
East Coast
Pasikuda Beach
A calm, shallow bay on the east coast where you can wade far out from the shore.
South Coast
Weligama
A wide, gentle bay that's one of the best places in Sri Lanka to learn to surf.
Hill Country
Diyaluma Falls
One of Sri Lanka's tallest waterfalls, with natural rock pools above the drop.
Cultural Triangle
Pidurangala Rock
A short, steep scramble to the best view of Sigiriya, especially at sunrise.
Hill Country
Nine Arch Bridge
A curving colonial-era stone viaduct in the jungle near Ella, best when a train crosses.
Kandy
Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic
Sri Lanka's most revered Buddhist shrine, beside Kandy Lake.
Kandy District
Sembuwatta Lake
A peaceful hill-country lake among tea estates and forest, north-east of Kandy.
On the map
Where everything is
Sri Lanka is compact, but winding roads make journeys slower than the map suggests. Most routes link the Cultural Triangle, Kandy and the hill country with one coast.
Choosing where to go: frequently asked questions
What are the must-see places in Sri Lanka?
Most first trips include Sigiriya and the Cultural Triangle, Kandy, the hill country around Nuwara Eliya and Ella, a national park such as Yala or Udawalawe, and a stretch of coast such as Galle and Mirissa.
How do I choose between destinations?
Start with the season, because it decides which coast is at its best, then pick your interests: culture, wildlife, hiking or beaches. Use the filters above, or tell us what you enjoy and we'll suggest a route.
How far apart are the main destinations?
Distances are short but roads are slow. Two to four hours between neighbouring regions is typical. Our getting-around guides compare car, bus and train on the busiest routes.
Can you include several destinations in one private tour?
Yes. That is what we do: we link the places you want to see into one route and drive you between them in our own vehicles.
Let's Plan Your Sri Lanka Journey
Tell us when you'd like to travel and what you love, and we'll suggest a route that fits. There's no obligation.