Ancient cities, tea country, wildlife and coastline — a look at the places our travellers visit.
Nuwara Eliya at dawn — 1,900m up, and cold enough for a fire in the evening.Tea terraces above Nuwara Eliya. Most estates will show you the factory floor.Ella, wedged in its gap in the hills — the hill country town most people stay in.The Nine Arch Bridge at Demodara. Second class reserved, left side, windows that open.Horton Plains. Start before dawn or World's End is a wall of cloud by 10am.Adam's Peak — 5,500 steps, climbed overnight to reach the summit for sunrise.The Knuckles range, where the walking is harder and the crowds disappear.Sigiriya. Climb it at 7am, before the rock face turns into an oven.Dambulla cave temple — five caves, 150 Buddhas, painted ceilings that follow the rock.Gal Vihara at Polonnaruwa. Bring a bicycle — the ruins run for several kilometres.Anuradhapura, a working pilgrimage site rather than a museum. Dress accordingly.The Temple of the Tooth, Kandy. Ceremonies three times a day, and a dress code at all of them.Kandyan dancers. The fire-walking finale is the part everyone remembers.Mirissa. Boats leave for blue whales before sunrise, December to April.Galle Fort — Dutch ramparts, best walked in the hour before sunset.Bentota, where the river meets the sea — the calmest swimming on the west coast.Hikkaduwa. Reef straight off the beach, and turtles most mornings.Negombo lagoon at first light. Twenty minutes from the airport, where most trips begin and end.Nilaveli, north of Trincomalee. The east coast is at its best from May to September.Arugam Bay — a long right-hand point break, and a season that runs May to October.Stilt fishermen near Koggala. Agree a price before you photograph anyone.Turtle hatchery on the south coast — five species nest along this stretch.Yala holds the densest leopard population anywhere. Block One, first light.Udawalawe. No leopards, but herds like this on almost every drive.Pinnawala. The river bathing at midday is the reason to come.Sinharaja rainforest — endemic birds, leeches, and a guide worth paying for.Weligama. Sand bottom, gentle wall — the right place to stand up for the first time.Diving off the south coast. Wrecks, reef, and visibility that peaks in the dry season.Balloons over Dambulla and Sigiriya, weather permitting, just after sunrise.Colombo after dark. Worth a day at the end of a trip rather than the start.Nallur Kandaswamy in Jaffna. The far north is Tamil, and a different island entirely.Rice and curry is a spread, not a dish. Expect five to twelve small plates.
