Dambulla
Five cave shrines in continuous use since the 1st century BC. Cave 2 holds some of the finest painted ceilings in Sri Lanka, and the murals across the complex cover roughly 2,100 square metres. The soft afternoon light entering through the cave doors is the best for interior photography.
Kandy
The Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic, Peradeniya Royal Botanical Gardens, Udawatta Kele Royal Forest Reserve and, in July and August, the Esala Perahera. Kandy earns its place in any itinerary, and the 6.30pm puja ceremony is among the most affecting cultural experiences in the country.
Polonnaruwa
The Gal Vihara, where four Buddhas were carved from a single granite cliff face in the 12th century, is the centrepiece. The Royal Palace complex, the Sacred Quadrangle and the Vatadage all lie within cycling distance. It is one of the most intact medieval sites in Asia.
Anuradhapura
Founded in the 4th century BC and occupied for over a millennium. Sri Maha Bodhi, planted in 288 BC, is the oldest documented tree on earth, and the Ruwanwelisaya Dagoba stands 55 metres tall. By bicycle with a specialist archaeology guide, 2,500 years becomes a coherent story. It is an active pilgrimage city where devotion […]
Sigiriya
The hydraulic water gardens at the base of Sigiriya are 5th-century engineering, still intact. The Mirror Wall carries the verses of a thousand years of visitors, and the Apsara frescoes have survived 1,500 years on a sheer rock face. The summit view across the Cultural Triangle plains is everything the photographs suggest and considerably more.