Lion Rock in Sigiriya is one of the most popular landmarks to visit during a route through Sri Lanka. The natural phenomenon is an enormous (200m) square shaped rock that looks like it’s placed there. Lion Rock is one of the eight UNESCO World Heritage sights and is a must visit in Sri Lanka.

Sri Lanka has over 26 national parks and going on a safari is a popular activity during a usual Sri Lanka Route. Kaudulla National Park is one of best national parks to spot Elephants in Sri Lanka. It is home to 200+ elephants, monkeys, crocodiles and even a handful of leopards. The park has opened in 2002, is surrounded by grasslands and can be visited year-round to see elephants and other great wildlife. See why this is the best national park in Sri Lanka.

While Sigiriya Rock is rich in history and has some pretty dramatic features such as the lion’s paw and the mirror wall, Pidurangala Rock has a much more natural feel, despite also housing a temple.

The golden-roofed Temple of the Sacred Tooth houses Sri Lanka’s most important Buddhist relic – a tooth of the Buddha. During puja (offerings or prayers), the heavily guarded room housing the tooth is open to devotees and tourists. However, you don’t actually see the tooth. It’s kept in a gold casket shaped like a dagoba (stupa), which contains a series of six dagoba caskets of diminishing size

Ramboda Falls is 109 m (358 ft) high[1] and 11th highest waterfall in Sri Lanka and 729th highest waterfall in the world.[2] It is situated in Pussellawa area, on the A5 highway at Ramboda Pass.[3] It formed by Panna Oya which is a tributary of Kothmale Oya. Altitude of the falls is 945 m (3,100 ft) above sea level.

En route to the picturesque city of Nuwara Eliya and at an elevation of 5,000 feet, stands the famed Labookellie Estate Tea Factory, renowned for producing some of Ceylon’s finest Teas and the estate itself, established nearly 150 years ago, is perhaps the second oldest tea plantation in the Island. Visitors having taken time in observing the manufacturing process of tea, need only to stroll a short distance, to enter one of the most desired locations in the hill country that being the “DAMRO LABOOKELLIE TEA LOUNGE”. It overlooks breathtaking views of tea gardens in all shades of green that carpet the slopes of surrounding hills & valleys and those observant could also spot within fields the gentle movement of tea pluckers, nimbly harvesting the tender two leaves & bud.

Gregory Lake was created in 1873 by the British era Governor at the time, Sir William Gregory, supposedly for the purpose of providing electricity. However the lake was mainly used for leisure and recreation after it was built. At its peak of fame, Gregory Lake was the most prominent attraction in the area and was used a place to relax by many visitors.

St Clair’s is one of the widest waterfalls in Sri Lanka and called the “Little Niagara of Sri Lanka”. It is a strikingly beautiful waterfall, which is approximately 80 meters in height and 50 meters in width. This waterfall runs over a rock ridge, splitting into three cascades, and drops into a pool.

A walk through a plantation will get you closer to Devon Falls. The waterfall was named after the a British coffee planter, Mr. Devon, whose plantations are nearby the fall. The Devon Waterfalls is one of the most beautiful cascades of Sri Lanka,

The Nine Arch Bridge in Ella is on the Demodara loop and spans 91 meters at a height of 24m. The beautiful nine arches make it a very picturesque spot especially as it is located in a dense jungle and agricultural setting. Behind the railway, a forest is booming and below, tea leaves are being cultivated.

Hikkaduwa has a beautiful beach, it is sandy and very wide, when we were there it was pretty clean too. It is a great beach for chilling on with a book, and strolling along during the day and early evening, but the sea here is very rough and not ideal for a gentle dip.

The Galle Fort, or Dutch Fort as it is also known, is a fortification first built by the Portugese on the Southwestern coast of Sri Lanka. The initial fortifications, which were built in the late 16th century, were quite basic. However the fort underwent extensive modifications in the 17th century by the Dutch, making it one of the most important archeological, architectural and historic monuments to illutrate the European influence in South East Asia between the 16th and 19th centuries. According to a statement by UNESCO the site was recognized as a World Heritage Site for its unique exposition of an urban ensemble which illustrates the interaction of European architecture and South Asian traditions from the 16th to the 19th centuries which is the criteterion number four for such recognition.

The beach of Hikkaduwa is situated 98 km from Colombo towards the south of Sri Lanka. This fun coastal town, 14 km away from Galle was the first (1960’s) of Sri Lanka’s beautiful beaches to be discovered by tourists. Snorkelling and diving in the clear waters are a major past-time along this stretch and is the most environmentally friendly way to see the colourful fish that dart around. The coral sanctuary found along the coast of Hikkaduwa is a large shallow body of water enclosed by a reef, decorated with layers of multi coloured corals, and is home to countless numbers of vibrantly coloured fish. Off the beach there is a collection of small islets surrounded by beautiful coral formations. Many species of fish and large turtles are found here. There are more than four different shipwrecks for diving enthusiasts to explore along with dive shops offering PADI courses and equipment.

Hikkaduwa’s overexploited ‘coral sanctuary’ stretches out from the string of ‘Coral’ hotels at the north end of the strip to a group of rocks a couple of hundred metres offshore. You can swim out to the rocks from the Coral Gardens Hotel, where the reef runs straight out from the shore.

Hikkaduwa has a beautiful beach, it is sandy and very wide, when we were there it was pretty clean too. It is a great beach for chilling on with a book, and strolling along during the day and early evening, but the sea here is very rough and not ideal for a gentle dip.