Five Must Visit Places for Your Next Trip to Sri Lanka

Posted by srilankasafari on December 21st, 2019

The natural beauty of Sri Lanka is complemented by its rich culture, heritage, and history dating back thousands of years. Despite a limited surface area, Sri Lanka offers an abundance of natural beauty to explore. The vast stretches of white sand beaches, rainforests, tea plantations, relics and temples are among the most popular tourist attractions in the country. Here is a list of places to visit in Sri Lanka, to help plan your travel itinerary.

Sigiriya

The rock fortress at Sigiriya is a primary attraction in the Matale district of Sri Lanka. Commonly referred to as Lion’s Rock, the hike up the ancient ruins is accompanied by breath-taking views of the rolling hills in the jungle below. The palace is surrounded by gardens and ponds and houses quite a few exotic murals depicting the art and culture from the bygone era. Sri Lanka is home to quite a few UNESCO World Heritage Sites, Sigiriya being the most renowned.

Kandy

The quaint city of Kandy is located on a plateau and enclosed by the central highland mountains. Kandy is the hub of Sinhalese culture and offers the best assortment of local cuisine, art and traditions. Kandy is a world heritage site and is famous for the Temple of the tooth, which preserves a priceless relic – Lord Buddha’s tooth.

Galle

The charming Dutch town of Galle is the perfect destination for a relaxing city break when travelling through the Southern province of Sri Lanka. The well-preserved colonial city is one of the few remaining sea forts built by European conquerors. Some the popular tourist sites nearby include the Galle International Stadium, which is perhaps the most scenic cricket stadium in the world, St. Mary’s Cathedral, and the natural harbour.

Nuwara Eliya

The British town of Nuwara Eliya is quite similar to Kandy in terms of geography, as this plateau town is neighbours with Mt. Piduratalagala, the largest peak in Sri Lanka. Often called Little England because of its old British-colonial architecture, the town is surrounded by hills and waterfalls. Nuwara Eliya is famous for its tea plantations and is the hub of tea production in Sri Lanka.

Yala National Park

A sri lanka tour is incomplete without a trip to Yala National Park, which houses the highest population of leopards in the country. The sanctuary is also home to a wide variety of aquatic birds, elephants, monkeys, crocodiles and a host of other critters that live around the grassy plains and dense forests.