Destinations
Where to next?
The places most trips are built around
Six places that come up in almost every itinerary — some detail on what each is actually like, so you know what you're choosing between.
Southern ProvinceYala National Park
One of the highest leopard densities anywhere in the world.
Yala is Sri Lanka's most visited national park, and the reason most people come: elephants in loose family herds, crocodiles along the tank edges, and — if you're patient and a little lucky — a leopard crossing the track at first light.
The park is split into blocks; Block 1 is the busiest but also the most reliable for sightings. Early morning and late afternoon drives are noticeably quieter and cooler than midday.
- Highest leopard density in Asia
- Large elephant herds year-round
- Coastal lagoons with crocodiles and waterbirds
Central ProvinceKandy
The last hill capital, and home to Sri Lanka's most sacred relic.
Kandy was the final stronghold of Sri Lanka's kings before colonial rule, and it still feels like a capital — a lake at its centre, hills on every side, and the Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic drawing pilgrims every evening for the drumming that opens its doors.
It's also the best place on the island to see a full Kandyan dance performance — drummers, fire, and the acrobatic Ves dance in full costume — and it sits right on the scenic train line up to the hill country.
- Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic
- Evening Kandyan dance performances
- Royal Botanical Gardens, Peradeniya, nearby
Central HighlandsNuwara Eliya
Cool mountain air, tea estates, and a strange colonial hangover.
At close to 2,000 metres, Nuwara Eliya is noticeably cold in the evenings — locals call it 'Little England' for the old bungalows, the golf course, and the tea rolling out over every hillside as far as you can see.
Most visitors combine a working tea factory tour (you'll walk the same floors the pluckers do) with a slow drive through the estates themselves, where the roads run right along the edge of the tea rows.
- Working tea factories open for tours
- Cool climate — a genuine break from the lowland heat
- Gregory Lake and colonial-era architecture
Uva ProvinceElla
Small hill town, big views — and the train ride everyone talks about.
Ella is compact enough to walk everywhere, which is most of its appeal: Little Adam's Peak is an easy sunrise walk, Ella Rock a longer one, and the Nine Arch Bridge sits right in the middle of tea country with a train crossing it a few times a day.
The train journey up from Kandy — or onward to Badulla — is often called one of the most scenic in the world, and Ella is the natural place to break the trip and stay a night or two.
- Nine Arch Bridge
- Little Adam's Peak and Ella Rock viewpoints
- Scenic train ride from Ella to Nanuoya
- Visit Ravana Waterfall
- Tea factory tour and tasting
North Central ProvinceAnuradhapura
Sri Lanka's first capital, and one of the oldest continuously restored cities on earth.
Founded around the 4th century BC, Anuradhapura was the island's capital for over a thousand years. The scale is what surprises most visitors — dagobas (stupas) like Ruwanwelisaya and Jetavanaramaya were among the tallest structures in the ancient world, built entirely of brick.
The sacred Bodhi tree here, Jaya Sri Maha Bodhi, is grown from a cutting of the original tree in India under which the Buddha is said to have attained enlightenment, and is documented as the oldest human-planted tree in the world with a known planting date.
- Jaya Sri Maha Bodhi, the sacred fig tree
- Ruwanwelisaya and Jetavanaramaya dagobas
- Best explored slowly, by bicycle
North Central ProvincePolonnaruwa
Sri Lanka's medieval capital, compact enough to see properly in a day.
Polonnaruwa succeeded Anuradhapura as the capital in the 11th century, and its ruins are closer together and better preserved — the royal palace, the audience hall, and the quadrangle of temples can all be covered on foot or by bicycle in a single morning.
The highlight for most visitors is Gal Vihara: four Buddha statues carved directly into a single granite outcrop, finished with a precision that still isn't fully explained.
- Gal Vihara's rock-cut Buddha statues
- The royal palace and council chamber ruins
- Compact enough to cycle in half a day