Where to go

Sri Lanka Destinations

Honest guides to the places worth your days — what to expect, how long to stay, when to go and what it costs to get in.

A royal palace on top of a 200-metre rock, abandoned for 1,500 years

Five caves, 153 Buddhas and 2,100 square metres of painted ceiling

A medieval capital best seen from a bicycle at eight in the morning

A sacred city 2,300 years old, still full of pilgrims at dawn

The last kingdom, a sacred tooth, and a lake in the middle of the hills

Tea estates, cold mornings and a hill station that never quite stopped being British

A gap in the mountains, a famous bridge and the best short walks in Sri Lanka

The highest density of leopards anywhere on earth — and jeeps to match

Where you are close to certain to see wild elephants, in open country

A Dutch fort on a headland, still lived in, best walked at six in the evening

Blue whales in the morning, a crescent of sand for the rest of the day

One road, one point break, and the best surf season in the Indian Ocean

One of the world's great natural harbours, a clifftop temple and live coral offshore

Ready to see Sri Lanka properly?

Tell us your dates and what you love. We will send a personal day-by-day itinerary and a clear price — usually within 12 hours, with no obligation.