A 5th-century rock fortress rising 200 metres above the plain, with a former palace, water gardens and mirror wall frescoes en route to the summit.
Five caves carved into a granite outcrop hold over 150 Buddha statues and painted ceilings dating back more than two thousand years.
Sri Lanka's medieval capital, compact enough to explore by bicycle, with well-preserved temples, reservoirs and the seated Buddha statues at Gal Vihara.
Sri Lanka's first capital and a sacred city for over a thousand years, home to the Sri Maha Bodhi tree, grown from a cutting of the original Bodh Gaya tree.
Kandy's central temple houses a relic believed to be a tooth of the Buddha and hosts the Esala Perahera festival each July or August.
A rescue and breeding centre near Kandy where elephant herds bathe together in the Maha Oya river each afternoon.
A colonial-era railway bridge set inside tea fields, best seen as a train crosses it on the Kandy to Ella hill-country line.
Two moderate hikes from Ella town, each rewarding an early start with views across the tea-covered valley.
A overnight pilgrimage climb up over 5,000 steps to a summit shrine, timed to reach the top for sunrise.
A former British hill station at 1,868 metres, surrounded by tea estates, with a noticeably cooler climate than the coast year-round.
A roughly seven-hour ride widely considered one of the world's most scenic rail journeys, through tunnels, waterfalls and terraced tea slopes.
Working estates around Nuwara Eliya and Ella open their factories for tours ending, unsurprisingly, in a fresh cup of Ceylon tea.
A relaxed beach town and the main departure point for blue whale and dolphin watching boats between November and April.
A 17th-century Dutch fort, still a living neighbourhood, with rampart walks, boutique stays and small museums inside the walls.
A curved bay protected by an offshore reef, making it one of the calmer swimming beaches on the south coast.
The east coast's premier surf town, with a right-hand point break rated among the best in Asia during its May to September season.
A small, now largely staged fishing tradition along the Koggala coast road, still a striking sight against the evening light.
A resort stretch on the south-west coast with a calm river estuary alongside the open sea, popular for water sports and easy access from Colombo.
Sri Lanka's most visited park and, by area, home to one of the highest densities of leopards recorded anywhere in the world.
Open grassland with reliably large elephant herds, especially around the reservoir in the late afternoon.
Sri Lanka's largest park, built around a series of natural lakes, quieter than Yala and also known for leopard sightings.
A wetland reserve and Ramsar site on the south coast, a major stop for migratory shorebirds and flamingos.
Blue and sperm whale sightings from Mirissa run November to April, and from Trincomalee on the east coast May to October.
A UNESCO-listed rainforest with a very high rate of species found nowhere else, popular with birdwatchers and hikers alike.