5 of the Best... Sri Lanka

From endearing elephants to Buddhist temples, coastal roads to lush green forests, and ancient fortresses to churches, mosques and Hindu shrines - there's such a diverse range of sights to see in Sri Lanka. An island nation known for geographically looking like 'the teardrop of India', to the south east of their closest Asian neighbour, Sri Lanka has a strong sense of national identity; one which can be found in its people's hospitality, sense of pride in their wildlife and natural landscapes, and passion on the cricket field!

I recently experienced one of the most fascinating week's of my life in early March 2025, taking a 'Highlights of Sri Lanka' tour with 'Explore'. This trip opened my eyes to so much of what this nation has to offer; I knew so little about Sri Lanka before visiting, but now after an intense week of travelling and sightseeing, I feel like I've got to know it well. Heritage sites with historical and religious pertinence are a plenty there - all with their own story to tell. The mix of sights is what made Sri Lanka so special to me - for example its flora and fauna are simply stunning in their own right. In this '5 of the Best... Sri Lanka' article, I'll zoom in on five of my favourite experiences which Sri Lanka offers visitors. I hope it's an enjoyable read and a vicarious visit to former Ceylon!

1) Mahaseya Dagoba at Mihintale 

We begin at the sacred hill of Mihintale - the place where Buddhism arrived in Sri Lanka. This religion is so special to the make-up of today's Sri Lanka - it's the majority religion with approximately 70% of Sri Lankans following this faith. Because of this, Mihintale holds a crucial place in the story of Sri Lanka, and is a poignant location for locals and tourists to visit alike - whether that be for worship or to sight-see and learn. After climbing to the summit area of Mihintale and removing footwear in this venerated place, you face the beautiful Ambasthala Dagoba. From there, there's three different small hikes to visit. The gleaming white Buddha statue overlooks the area, whilst the Aradhana Gala peak is a climb that provides majestic views across the expansive and lush surrounding Sri Lankan countryside.

My favourite climb though, was to the magnificent Mahaseya Dagoba. Its white exterior gleams in the sun, and it also provides a great view of the surrounding greenery of the north area. The Mahaseya Dagoba is 14 metres high, and from the viewing platform surrounding this huge dagoba, you can see landmarks amongst the expansive greenery.  Looking northwards, you can see dagobas of Anuradhapura. The Mahaseya Dagoba is located to the south west when using the Ambasthala Dagoba as a central focal point, the aforementioned Buddha can then be found to the north, whilst the Aradhana Gala ('Meditation Rock' - the steepest and most tricky of the three climbs) is to the south east.

Both of the other two respective high points, give grand views of the Mahaseya Dagoba. It's a superb piece of engineering with huge cultural significance; by forming part of the Mihintale complex, it helps pay homage to Buddhism arrival in Sri Lanka back in the 3rd century BCE. This conversion was a result of King Devanampiya Tissa being converted by Mahinda, who was the son of Indian King Asoka. It's believed that the grand Mahaseya Dagoba houses relics of Mahinda.

2) Dambulla Royal Cave Temples 

Up next is a UNESCO World Heritage Site in the north of Sri Lanka, and like Mihintale, visitors need to remove their shoes to visit this sacred place; welcome to the Dambulla Cave Temples. After reading about this ancient site and seeing photographs beforehand, I was most looking forward to visiting this place when visiting Sri Lanka. I am pleased to say, that it did not disappoint - if anything, it exceeded expectations! It really reminded me of the Valley of the Kings in Egypt; these interior caves were lavishly decorated from top to bottom. Five painted temples were created underneath an overhanging rock, of which the caves they are in date back to the time of King Valagambahu in the 1st century BCE. The granite outcrop that rises above these temples, looms high over the site at 100 metres tall, whilst alike Mihintale, there are also more lush green views to admire from the corridor like terrace along the temples respective entrances.

The monks who lived in these caves granted King Valagambahu refuge when he was exiled from Anuradhapura, thus once he re-ascended the throne he opted to turn their caves into staggeringly ornate temples, as a thank you for their caring assistance. The murals and Buddha statues within these cave temples, predominantly date between a large time-scale: the 2nd to 18th centuries CE respectively. They would have begun at the earlier stages of that period, whilst the decorations were added to and restored numerous times over the years. Even during my visit last week, restoration was taking place on some of the murals in the largest of the five caves: the Maharaja Viharaya (cave two of the five).

The third cave room was constructed during the 18th century (years 1747-1782), as King Kirti Sri Rajasinghe made his mark of this ancient wonder. The grand reclining Buddha here was carved out of the rock. This way of chiselling from the rock is also used for the impressive reclining Buddha in the small first cave nearest the entrance - whereby the reclining Buddha fills the narrow room and immediately makes us visitors awe-struck from the start. The passion, devotion and skill of the people who have worked on these Dambulla Royal Cave Temples is simply astonishing - it's a historic site that I will always remember being blown-away by! 

3) Experience a Sri Lankan Safari 

Number three in this '5 of the Best...', is without a doubt something that is popular all-round for the vast majority of visitors to Sri Lanka: going on a safari adventure. Historic sites might not be everyone's cup of tea, but animals such as elephants are universally adored by people worldwide. These gentle giants of course pose a threat to people and crops if cornered or not treated with respect, but for the most part they are highly revered by the people of Sri Lanka. They are intertwined with Buddhism, whereby elephant iconography features consistently as decoration for temples all around Sri Lanka. The respect Buddhists have for elephants also made me draw parallels with Ancient Egypt; the crocodile god Sobek was highly respected and worshipped - sometimes civilisations choose to keep these animals 'on their side' through worshipping them. In terms of seeing these animals in the wild - Sri Lanka is a paradise to experience this. Numerous national parks are home to elephants, whilst of course there's many other animals to see when you book on a safari tour there.

Yala National Park in the south east is very popular with tourists, however on the tour I joined, we visited Wilpattu National Park and Hurulu Eco Park. The former saw us get incredibly lucky when we saw the elusive leopard (whilst likely to see in Sri Lanka more than many other countries - these big cats are still hard to track down) and a sloth bear. There were also many different birds on our afternoon in Wilpattu; our tour leader Sam explained how Sri Lanka is increasingly growing in popularity with bird watchers (Sri Lanka has 30 endemic species of birds).

The next day in the evening, after not seeing elephants in Wilpattu due to recent rains, myself and few others booked onto a safari in Hurulu Eco Park, where elephant encounters were very likely. Over 300 elephants reside in this green oasis, and we were fortunate enough to have some really heartwarming views of these animals. What amazes me the most about elephants when you observe them up close, is how they appear to smile when eating! I have a personal soft spot for elephants, so I was chuffed with some of the photographs I managed to get in Hurulu. Both Wilpattu and Hurulu are located in the north of Sri Lanka, near to the first two places mentioned in this article. Doing a safari on a day visiting a temple adds such a variety and helps build an overall picture of Sri Lanka. 

4) Kandy's Temple of the Tooth 

Located at a higher altitude to the other inclusions in this article, the city of Kandy is located in the hill country, in the central area of Sri Lanka. The Temple of Tooth is the main reason why Buddhist pilgrims and tourists alike, flock here in their numbers every year. Home to the scared relic of 'the tooth', which is Buddha's left canine tooth, this temple has much venerance for the people of Sri Lanka. It's believed historically, that whoever holds the tooth, held the government - so this relic is not only a prominent religious artefact - it's a symbol of power as well. Because of this, the relic has been protected by kings and presidents respectively, ever since it was brought to Sri Lanka in the 4th century CE.

Visiting this holy place, was one of the most memorable experiences from the country - especially because we visited in the morning whereby our guide timed things perfectly for us to see the monks do their daily ritual of opening up the relic room whilst traditional music was played (the actual relic is behind this door - but, the room it is housed in is very decorative and picturesque in it's own right). What particularly made this visit so special was being a part of the huge crowds of schoolchildren (all dressed so smartly in white clothes), families, and worshippers from all walks of life, all carrying their offerings to leave in the Temple of the Tooth. Being in the thick of the crowds at a place like this, especially in the morning when we were less weary from time travelling on the bus, meant that we could be fully indulged in this cultural experience.

The Temple of the Tooth has had numerous challenges in which to overcome since it's construction in the 16th century... From being plundered during a Dutch incursion to Kandy in 1765, to bomb damage from the LTTE damaging it in 1998. After these incidents, restoration has taken place, and since then the tooth continues to hold much importance for the Kandyans and Sri Lankans - it's held in a gold casket with jewels on, in the Vadahitina Maligawa, the Tooth Relic Chamber. Kandy itself is a delight to wander around in its own right as well - the idyllic Kandy Lake is great for joining the  locals on an evening stroll by the water - it is a stone's throw from the Temple of the Tooth.

5) Galle Fort's Old Dutch Quarter

We conclude this article in the south west of the country, in the time capsule of the Old Dutch Quarter, housed inside Galle Fort. Galle is considered one of the most well-preserved colonial settlements in the world; like much of Sri Lanka, it's undergone occupation by the British, Portuguese and Dutch respectively. The Galle Fort ramparts are impressive, and walking along this route provides great views both into the 'Old Town' and out to the Indian Ocean.

It's sobering to think that the sea, which is a gorgeous sight 99.9% of the time, unfortunately wrecked such havoc to this island back on the 26th December 2004. The Boxing Day Tsunami resulted in a catastrophic loss of life in numerous countries, with Sri Lanka amongst those very badly hit. Particularly the south west of the island was at the mercy of the elements - Galle was heavily damaged. With that said, it was the mammoth fortifications of the Galle Fort, which ultimately saved its interior from the destruction of the terrifying tsunami. Today, the city of thronging with life again and it's a joy to see. At the north of the fort, the Star, Moon and Sun Bastion provide grand views over Galle International Cricket Stadium.

Entering the Old Dutch Quarter through the gate, a turn left along Church Street brings you to the Dutch Reformed Church and All Saints Church - both interesting to pop into. At the south east tip, you have the Point Utrecht Bastion, whereby the lighthouse there dates back to 1938. Just west of there is the ornate Meeran Jumma Mosque - which appears to look like a church by the exterior until you notice the crescent moons on top. In the very south west corner of the ramparts is the Flag Rock - a place which provides a great view to photograph the mosque and lighthouse together, framed left of the waves of the ocean hitting the fort. Walking north from Flag Rock along Rampart Street, you can see the white dagoba of the Shri Sudharmalaya Temple. Galle Fort's Old Dutch Quarter houses places of worship for Christians, Muslims and Buddhists - it's a cocktail of different faiths and ethnic groups. This, coupled with many cafes and quaint souvenir shops, all make it a amiable place wander the streets exploring, and personally a great conclusion for a week away.

By Aaron Woodruff

Lessons & Joys of Travel

20/05/2025