Popular Sri Lanka destinations

The commercial capital, where colonial arcades, rooftop bars and the Galle Face promenade sit side by side.

The closest beach town to the airport, ideal for a first or last night with lagoon fishing boats at dawn.

Home of the Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic, ringed by mist, lake walks and spice gardens.

Tea slopes, the Nine Arch Bridge and Little Adam's Peak, reached by one of the world's great train rides.

Cool highland air, working tea estates and clipped gardens that earned it the name Little England.

The Lion Rock fortress rising straight out of the jungle, best climbed before the heat arrives.

Five cave temples carved into a granite outcrop, filled with painted Buddhas and ceiling frescoes.

Sri Lanka's best-known national park and one of the highest leopard densities anywhere on earth.

Open grassland where wild elephant herds gather year-round, plus the elephant transit home.

A crescent of palm-backed sand, blue whale watching in season and the easiest surf on the coast.

A Dutch-walled fort of cobbled lanes, boutique cafes and ramparts that catch the evening light.

Calm turquoise bays, Nilaveli and Pigeon Island snorkelling, at their best from May to September.

The largest and quietest national park, dotted with natural lakes and far fewer jeeps than Yala.