Sri Lanka

Bentota

Bentota, Southern Province

Resort beach and river estuary on the south-west coast.

BeachFamilyLuxury

Mount Lavinia Beach

Mount Lavinia, Dehiwala

Colombo's city beach, lined with seafood restaurants below the Mount Lavinia Hotel.

BeachFamilyFood

Unawatuna Beach

Unawatuna

Sheltered crescent bay 5 km from Galle with calm swimming and beach restaurants.

BeachFamilyFood

Jungle Beach, Rumassala

Rumassala, Unawatuna

Small forest-backed cove below the Japanese Peace Pagoda, reached on foot.

BeachAdventure

Mirissa Beach

Mirissa

Palm-backed crescent with a laid-back bar scene and the whale-watching harbour at its west end.

BeachFood

Weligama Bay

Weligama

Wide, gentle bay that is the island's best place to learn to surf.

AdventureFamilyBeach

Colombo

Colombo, Western Province

The commercial capital: arrival city, colonial Fort, Pettah and the Galle Face seafront.

FoodCultureLuxury

Kandy

Kandy, Central Province

Last royal capital and UNESCO city around the Temple of the Tooth and a lake.

CultureFamily

Anuradhapura

Anuradhapura, North Central Province

Ancient capital and sacred city; the archaeological park is a day of cycling between stupas.

Culture

Polonnaruwa

Polonnaruwa, North Central Province

Medieval capital with a compact archaeological park explored by bicycle.

CultureFamily

Galle

Galle, Southern Province

Fort city on the south coast; the modern town sits outside the ramparts.

CultureBeachFood

Trincomalee

Trincomalee, Eastern Province

Harbour town and east-coast base for Uppuveli, Nilaveli and Pigeon Island.

BeachCulture

Yala National Park

Yala, Southern/Uva Province

The island's most visited park and one of the best places on earth to see leopards.

WildlifeAdventureFamily

Horton Plains National Park

Ohiya / Pattipola, Nuwara Eliya district

Cloud-forest plateau at 2,100 m with the World's End precipice and Baker's Falls.

AdventureWildlifeSustainable

Minneriya National Park

Minneriya, Polonnaruwa district

Dry-zone park famous for the seasonal gathering of hundreds of elephants.

WildlifeFamily

Kaudulla National Park

Kaudulla, Polonnaruwa district

Minneriya's quieter neighbour, with elephants moving between the two tanks.

WildlifeFamily

Bundala National Park

Bundala, Hambantota district

Ramsar wetland of lagoons and dunes: flamingos, crocodiles and quieter safaris than Yala.

WildlifeSustainable

Pigeon Island National Park

Off Nilaveli

Marine park of coral reef, reef sharks and turtles a short boat ride offshore.

BeachWildlifeAdventure

Gangaramaya Temple

61 Sri Jinarathana Rd, Colombo 02

Eclectic lakeside Buddhist temple and museum in the heart of Colombo.

CultureFamily

Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic

Sri Dalada Veediya, Kandy

Sri Dalada Maligawa — the shrine of the Buddha's tooth relic; pujas at dawn, midday and evening.

Culture

Dambulla Cave Temple

Dambulla

Five painted rock caves holding some 150 Buddha statues — a UNESCO Golden Temple.

CultureFamily

Ruwanwelisaya

Sacred City, Anuradhapura

The great white stupa of 140 BC, ringed by a wall of stone elephants.

Culture

Jaya Sri Maha Bodhi

Sacred City, Anuradhapura

The oldest documented tree in the world, grown from a cutting of the Bodhi tree in 288 BC.

Culture

Isurumuniya Vihara

Isurumuniya, Anuradhapura

Rock temple beside Tissa Wewa known for its carved "lovers" relief.

Culture

Kandy Lake

Kandy

Bogambara Lake — an evening circuit walk beside the Temple of the Tooth.

FamilyWellness

Gregory Lake

Nuwara Eliya

Boating, pony rides and lakeside lawns in the middle of town.

FamilyWellness

Parakrama Samudra

Polonnaruwa

The 12th-century "Sea of Parakrama" reservoir — sunset bund walks and birdlife.

CultureFamilySustainable

Koggala Lake

Koggala

Mangrove-fringed lagoon with island temples and cinnamon gardens visited by boat.

FamilySustainable

Tissa Wewa

Tissamaharama

Ancient reservoir in the safari base town, ringed by rain trees and fruit-bat colonies.

FamilyWellness

Royal Botanical Gardens, Peradeniya

Peradeniya, Kandy

60 hectares of orchids, giant bamboo and a famous avenue of royal palms beside the Mahaweli river.

FamilyWellnessSustainable

Hakgala Botanical Garden

Hakgala, Nuwara Eliya

Cool-climate garden of roses, ferns and monkeys below Hakgala rock.

FamilyWellnessSustainable

Brief Garden

Kalawila, Beruwala

Bevis Bawa's sculpted hillside garden and home, 10 km inland from Bentota.

CultureWellness

Lunuganga

Dedduwa Lake, Bentota

Geoffrey Bawa's country estate — the garden that shaped tropical modernism.

LuxuryCultureWellness

Nine Arch Bridge

Gotuwala, Ella

Colonial-era stone railway viaduct in a tea valley; trains cross several times a day.

CultureFamily

Independence Memorial Hall

Independence Ave, Colombo 07

Kandyan-style monument and lawns marking independence in 1948; a popular evening walk.

CultureFamily

Lotus Tower

D. R. Wijewardena Mawatha, Colombo 10

South Asia's tallest tower with an observation deck over the city and the lake.

FamilyLuxury

Galle Lighthouse

Point Utrecht Bastion, Galle Fort

1939 lighthouse on the fort's south-east bastion, the classic Galle photograph.

CultureFamily

Sigiriya

Sigiriya, Central Province

The 5th-century Lion Rock fortress with frescoes, water gardens and a summit palace.

CultureAdventureFamily

Galle Fort

Fort, Galle

Walled Dutch-Portuguese fort of lanes, ramparts and boutique hotels — walk the walls at sunset.

CultureFoodLuxury

Fort Frederick

Trincomalee

Portuguese-Dutch fort on the headland, home to deer and the road up to Koneswaram.

CultureFamily

Little Adam's Peak

Ella

Easy 45-minute climb through tea to a 1,141 m viewpoint — best at sunrise.

AdventureFamily

Ella Rock

Ella

Half-day hike along the railway and up through forest to a summit above the Ella Gap.

Adventure

Pidurangala Rock

Pidurangala, Sigiriya

Steep 30-minute scramble past a cave temple to the classic sunrise view of Sigiriya.

AdventureCulture