Things to do in Sri Lanka
94 guides
Adam's BridgeThe chain of sandbanks between Mannar Island and India: a marine national park on the maritime…
Adisham BungalowA 1931 stone country house near Haputale, modelled on Leeds Castle and now St Benedict's Monastery,…
AluviharaA cave temple among boulders north of Matale, where tradition says monks first wrote down the…
Ambalangoda Mask MuseumThe Ariyapala family's mask museum and carving workshop in Ambalangoda, explaining kolam, sanni and raksha masks,…
AmbuluwawaA hilltop near Gampola with a white spiral tower and Buddhist, Hindu, Christian and Muslim shrines;…Foreign visitors LKR 2,750…
ArankeleRuins of an ancient forest monastery near Kurunegala, with stone meditation walkways through the trees; monks…
Avukana BuddhaA standing Buddha carved from a granite rock face beside the Kala Wewa reservoir near Kekirawa,…
Bambarakanda FallsSri Lanka's tallest waterfall: a thin ribbon off a pine-topped cliff at Kalupahana, about 5 km…
Batticaloa FortA small four-bastion fort on Batticaloa's lagoon, where the Dutch and the King of Kandy took…
Bopath EllaA waterfall shaped like a bo leaf at Kuruwita, just off the Colombo–Ratnapura road, where local…
BuduruwagalaSeven figures carved in relief on one rock face near Wellawaya, dated to the 9th–10th century:…Full ticket USD 3…
Bundala National ParkA lagoon park on the south coast near Tissamaharama, Sri Lanka's first Ramsar wetland, best for…
Casuarina BeachA long, shallow beach lined with casuarina trees on Karainagar island, reached by causeway from Jaffna;…
Colombo National MuseumSri Lanka's oldest museum, opened in 1877: the throne and crown of the last king of…Foreign visitors: USD 5…
Dambatenne Tea FactorySir Thomas Lipton's 1890 tea factory above Haputale, still at work: what you see inside, how…
Dambulla Cave TempleFive painted cave shrines above Dambulla, a UNESCO World Heritage Site with 157 statues and about…
Dedigama Kota VeheraThe flat-topped brick stupa built by Parakramabahu I on his birthplace, with a free archaeology museum,…Museum: no entrance ticket…
DeegavapiOne of Sri Lanka's sixteen great Buddhist shrines, east of Ampara: a vast brick stupa linked…
Diyaluma FallsOne of Sri Lanka's tallest waterfalls, near Koslanda, with rock pools above the drop: how to…
Diyasaru ParkA 60-acre wetland park at Thalawathugoda, near Colombo, with boardwalks, a bird-watching tower, boat rides and…
Dondra LighthouseSri Lanka's tallest lighthouse, a 49-metre white tower of 1890 among palms at Dondra Head, the…
Dowa Rock TempleA cave temple near Bandarawela with Kandyan-era murals and a huge standing Buddha carved into the…
Dunhinda FallsA powerful waterfall on the Badulu Oya about 5 km from Badulla, reached by a kilometre…
Elephant Transit HomeThe DWC centre at Udawalawe where orphaned elephant calves are raised for release into the wild;…
Ella RockA moderate half-day hike from Ella: along the railway to Kithal Ella, then a steep climb…3 hours – 4 hours
Embekke DevalayaA Kataragama shrine in Udunuwara, west of Kandy, known for its carved wooden hall: 514 designs…
EthagalaClimb Kurunegala's Elephant Rock by steps or road to a giant white Buddha, wide views over…
Fort FrederickTrincomalee's working army fort on the Swami Rock headland: the 1675 gate, shore walls, deer and…
Gadaladeniya TempleA 14th-century stone temple near Pilimatalawa, west of Kandy, built in South Indian style in the…
Gal Oya National ParkAn eastern national park around Senanayake Samudraya, Sri Lanka's largest reservoir, best seen on a boat…
Galle Face GreenColombo's seafront park between the Galle Face Hotel and the Old Parliament: kites, sunset walks along…
Galle FortWalking the walls of Galle's UNESCO-listed old town: gates, bastions, the lighthouse, the powder-store galleries, heat…
Gangaramaya TempleOne of Colombo's oldest and most important Buddhist temples, with an eclectic museum and Geoffrey Bawa's…
Hakgala GardensA terraced garden beneath Hakgala Rock on the Badulla road from Nuwara Eliya, founded in 1861…Foreign adult (over 12)…
HanthanaThe protected range of hills above Kandy and Peradeniya: tea, pine and grassland walks to wide…
Hikkaduwa National ParkThe shallow coral reef off Hikkaduwa's main beach, a marine national park where you can snorkel,…
Horton PlainsA high plateau of grassland and cloud forest south of Nuwara Eliya, with the World's End…
Hurulu Eco ParkA Forest Department safari park in the Hurulu Forest Reserve near Habarana, where wild elephants often…
IsurumuniyaA rock temple by Tissa Wewa in Anuradhapura, known for its carvings: bathing elephants, a man…
Jaffna FortThe five-sided Dutch fort on Jaffna lagoon: walk its rebuilt ramparts and moat past the war-damaged…
Jungle BeachA small forest-backed cove on Rumassala near Unawatuna, reached on foot or by boat, with a…
Kalutara BodhiyaA sacred bo tree and a hollow white stupa you can walk inside, on the Galle…
Kande ViharaHilltop temple near Aluthgama, founded in 1734, with a 48.8-metre (160 ft) seated Buddha completed in…
Kaudulla National ParkA national park around the Kaudulla tank near Polonnaruwa, where elephants gather in the dry season…
Kelaniya TempleA riverside temple north-east of Colombo, linked to the Buddha's third visit, with a paddy-heap stupa,…
KnucklesCloud forest, grassland and peaks north-east of Kandy, part of a UNESCO World Heritage site; short…
Koggala LakeA mangrove-fringed lagoon with small islands on the south coast near Galle, linked to Martin Wickramasinghe's…
KoneswaramA Hindu temple to Shiva on Swami Rock in Trincomalee, reached through Fort Frederick; destroyed by…
Kumana National ParkSouth-east coast national park next to Yala, known for the waterbirds that nest in the Kumana…
Lankatilaka TempleA 14th-century Gampola-period temple on a rock in Udunuwara, west of Kandy, with a tall image…
Lipton's SeatSir Thomas Lipton's lookout above the Dambatenne tea estate near Haputale, with views over several provinces;…
Little Adam's PeakAn easy walk from Ella to a grassy ridge with views across to Ella Rock and…
Lover's LeapA thin waterfall on the slopes of Pidurutalagala above Nuwara Eliya, reached by a short, steep…
Madhu ShrineSri Lanka's holiest Catholic shrine, in the forests of Mannar district: quiet most of the year,…
Madu GangaA mangrove-fringed river lagoon at Balapitiya, a Ramsar wetland where boat trips visit the island temple…
Maha Saman DevalayaRatnapura's great shrine to Saman, god of Sri Pada: a gem-vow origin, a Portuguese victory stone…
MahiyanganaThe stupa where tradition places the Buddha's first visit to Sri Lanka, near the Mahaweli River…
Maligawila BuddhaA colossal 7th–8th century limestone Buddha in the Monaragala forest, with the giant Dambegoda bodhisattva at…
Mannar FortThe Portuguese-built, Dutch-strengthened fort at the island end of the Mannar bridge: walk the ramparts and…
Marble BeachA sheltered bay on Koddiyar Bay south of Trincomalee, run by the Sri Lanka Air Force,…Sri Lanka Air Force…
MihintaleThe hill near Anuradhapura where, by tradition, Buddhism came to Sri Lanka: stupas, caves, monastery ruins…
MinneriyaA national park around King Mahasen's ancient Minneriya Tank, known for the dry-season elephant Gathering; jeep…
MulkirigalaA Buddhist cave temple on terraces up a 205-metre rock inland from Tangalle, with a large…
MunneswaramAn ancient Shiva temple near Chilaw whose Kali shrine draws Buddhists as well as Hindus: the…
Muthiyangana templeBadulla's old temple and one of the 16 sacred places: the pearl-and-hair legend, the gateway, Bo…
Nagadeepa ViharayaBuddhist temple on Nainativu island, one of Sri Lanka's sixteen sacred sites, where tradition says the…
Nagapooshani Amman TempleNainativu's Hindu temple to the goddess Nagapooshani: a tall painted tower by the jetty, a June–July…
Nallur TempleJaffna's Murugan temple, rebuilt in 1734: men enter bare-chested, pujas start on time, and a 25-day…
Nine Arch BridgeA 1919 concrete railway viaduct of nine arches near Ella, on the hill-country line to Badulla,…No entrance fee
Pedro Tea EstateA working tea estate and factory just outside Nuwara Eliya: a short factory tour, tea on…
Peradeniya Botanic GardensBotanic gardens in a loop of the Mahaweli near Kandy, with orchids, palm avenues and over…Foreign visitors: adult (over…
Pettah MarketColombo's old market district beside the Fort: busy trading streets, the red-and-white Jami Ul-Alfar Mosque and…
Pidurangala RockA rock with an ancient temple at its foot, just north of Sigiriya; a short, steep…
Pigeon IslandA marine national park about 1 km off Nilaveli: a coral reef with reef fish, blacktip…
PolonnaruwaSri Lanka's medieval capital and a UNESCO World Heritage Site, with the Gal Vihara rock-cut Buddhas,…Full ticket USD 30…
RajagalaA forest monastery over 2,000 years old on a jungle-covered rock north of Ampara, with monks'…
Ravana FallsA tiered waterfall beside the Ella–Wellawaya road, linked to the Ramayana legend; fullest at the end…
Richmond CastleA faded mansion above the Kalu Ganga near Kalutara, built for a wealthy Mudaliyar with Burma…
RitigalaRuins of an ancient Buddhist forest monastery on the slopes of Ritigala, a mountain protected as…Full ticket USD 6…
RiverstonA windy ridge on the Matale side of the Knuckles: a short walk to Riverston peak,…
Sacred City of AnuradhapuraSri Lanka's ancient capital and UNESCO site: the Sri Maha Bodhi, the great stupas, CCF tickets,…Central Cultural Fund ticket…
SeruwilaAn ancient stupa south of Trincomalee, built by King Kavantissa and revered for the Buddha's forehead…
SigiriyaKing Kassapa I's 5th-century rock fortress and gardens, a UNESCO World Heritage Site: the climb, tickets,…Foreign visitors: USD 35…
SinharajaUNESCO-listed lowland rainforest in south-west Sri Lanka, home to 19 of the island's 20 endemic birds;…
Sri PadaSacred mountain climbed at night in the December–May pilgrimage season: routes, plastic and alcohol rules, off-season…
Star FortA small six-pointed Dutch fort of 1763–65 in central Matara, with a moat, a carved gate,…
Temple of the ToothSri Dalada Maligawa in Kandy, home of the Buddha's tooth relic: opening hours, daily rituals, tickets,…Foreign visitors LKR 3,000;…
Tissamaharama stupaThe great white stupa of Tissamaharama, one of Sri Lanka's 16 sacred places: who built it,…
UdawattakeleA former royal forest on the ridge behind the Temple of the Tooth in Kandy, with…
Wasgamuwa National ParkA quiet elephant park in Matale and Polonnaruwa districts with about 150 elephants, best from November…
WewurukannalaA south-coast temple near Dikwella with a giant seated Buddha, an 18th-century image house and a…
Wickramasinghe Folk MuseumMartin Wickramasinghe's birthplace in Koggala: the writer's ancestral house, his grave and a large folk museum…Non-residents: adult Rs 1,000,…
Wilpattu National ParkSri Lanka's largest national park, on the north-west coast: natural lakes called villus, leopards and sloth…
YapahuwaA 13th-century royal capital on a granite rock near Maho, known for its steep carved stairway…