Ritigala Forest Monastery
An ancient forest monastery hidden within a strictly protected nature reserve, whose ruins date from the 1st century BCE and extend across a mountain whose forest has never been cleared. Walking through Ritigala with a specialist guide is an encounter with archaeology, endemic wildlife, and an ancient stillness that few destinations in Sri Lanka can […]
Kalpitiya
A northwest peninsula where the Indian Ocean and the Puttalam Lagoon meet to create Sri Lanka’s best kitesurfing conditions and some of its most spectacular dolphin watching. Spinner pods of several hundred animals pass through the offshore waters regularly between November and April.
Kitulgala
Set beside the fast-moving Kelani River in the wet-zone foothills, Kitulgala delivers Sri Lanka’s best white-water rafting alongside exceptional lowland rainforest birdwatching in the same location. Grade 3 and 4 rapids through a forested gorge, with natural swimming pools below.
Nuwara Eliya
Sri Lanka’s most improbable destination: a British hill station at 1,868 metres with Tudor architecture, rose gardens, and a climate that makes fireplaces useful in March. The surrounding estates produce some of the world’s finest high-grown Ceylon teas, and a planter-led estate walk is one of the island’s most informative sensory experiences.
Knuckles Mountain Range
A UNESCO cloud forest wilderness of ridgelines, waterfalls, and remote farming villages. Sri Lanka’s finest multi-day trekking terrain and one of its least-crowded destinations – the concentration of endemic species rivals any national park.
Horton Plains
Sri Lanka’s highest plateau national park at 2,100 metres, whose trail ends at World’s End – a sheer 870-metre escarpment drop to the jungle below. Arrive before 9am before the mist closes in. The timing is everything.
Ella
A small highland town above a valley so intensely green it seems lit from within. The Nine Arches Bridge timed for a train crossing, the Little Adam’s Peak walk, the independent cafe culture, and the general quality of simply being there make Ella the hill country’s most consistently loved destination. Every night given to it […]