Sri Lankan Tourist Destinations
Colombo
Sri Lanka's first capital up to recent times, Colombo is a fascinating city, not only for its blend of the East and West but also for its cosy mixture of the past and present. It remains the commercial city of the country.
Kandy
Sri Lanka's hills capital, a former stronghold of the Sinhala Kings, is our most picturesque city. The focal point of the town is, without doubt, the golden-roofed Dalada Malidagawa where the Sacred Tooth Relic of Buddha is enshrined.
Anuradapura
Sri Lanka's first capital, founded in the 5th century B.C. is situated in 206KM from Colombo. Attraction worth seeing are: The Sacred Bo Tree, Abayagiri Dagaba, Jethawanaramaya, and Mirisavati Dagaba.
Polonnaruwa
The island's medieval capital (11th to 13 century A.D.). A sight not to be missed is the largest of the man made reservoirs, the huge Prakrama Samudra, larger in size than the Colombo harbor and another huge amount of ancient ruins.
Sigiriya
Sigiriya The "Lion Rock" was built by legendary King Kasyapa during his reign 477-495 A.D. After passing through the remains of the beautiful water gardens at the foot of the rock, your ascent to the summit will reveal.
Dambulla
Like Sigiriya, Dambulla is a vast isolated rock mass and it was here that King Valagambahu took refuge in the 1st Century B.C. He later turned the caves into a Rock Temple. Some of the frescoes are over 2,000 years old.
Nuwara Eliya
Nuwara Eliya meaning "city on the plain (table land)" or "city of light", is a town in Sri Lanka. It is located at an altitude of 1,868 m (6,128 ft) in the central highlands and is considered one of the most important locations for Tea production in Sri Lanka.
Adam's Peak
Adam's Peak is a 2,243 metes (7,359 ft) tall conical mountain located in central Sri Lanka. It is well-known for the Sri Pada "sacred footprint", a 1.8 m rock formation near the summit, in Buddhist tradition held to be the footprint of Buddha,
Ratnapura
Sri Lanka is that it comes from the Sinhala "ratna" meaning gems and "pura" meaning city. It is the center of a long-established industry of precious stone mining including rubies, sapphires, and other gems.
Negombo
Negombo is located on the west coast of the island and at the mouth of the Negombo Lagoon, in Western Province, Sri Lanka. Negombo is known for its huge and old fishing industry with busy fish markets and sandy beaches.
Trincomalee
Trincomalee with its magnificent coast, sandy beaches and sunny weather is becoming increasingly popular among visitors. Its Natural Harbor, Fort Frederick, Hot Wells and Tirukoneswaram Hindu Temple are some of the interesting places to visit.
Galle
The southern city, a well known seaport from ancient times when merchant ship anchored here to trade in the Island's famous gems, exotic spices and commodities. The famous fort in Galle was originally build by the Portuguese in 1589 and named Santa Cruz.
Bentota
This is a famous beach resort with a 100 - acre National Holiday Resort complex containing several major tourist hotels, a market place, a shopping center, cultural shows and exhibitions. The sea at Bentota is best from November to April.
Unawatuna
Unawatuna is a coastal town in Galle district of Sri Lanka. Unawatuna is a major tourist attraction in Sri Lanka and famous for its beautiful beach and corals.
Hikkaduwa
Hikkaduwa is a small town on the south coast of Sri Lanka located in the Southern Province. Hikkaduwa's beach and night life make it a popular tourist destination. It is a well-known international destination for board-surfing.
Nilaveli
Nilaveli (Pronounced Nilaa-Veli, Tamil translation Open-land of the moon-shine) is a coastal resort town located about 16 km North-West of Trincomalee, Trincomalee District, Sri Lanka. It used to be a popular tourist destination.
Kitulgala
Kitulgala is a small town in the west of Sri Lanka. It is in the wet zone rainforest, which gets two monsoons each year, and is one of the wettest places in the country. Nevertheless, it comes alive in the first three months of the year, especially in February, the driest month.
Yala National Park
Yala National Park is a national park in Sri Lanka. The original 141 km² are open to the public. It was established in 1894 as a Game Sanctuary. Much of the reserve is parkland, but it also contains jungle, beaches, freshwater lakes and rivers and scrub land.
Wilpattu National Park
Wilpattu National Park is a park located on the island of Sri Lanka. The unique feature of this park is the existence of “Willus” - Natural, sand-rimmed water basins or depressions that fill with rainwater. Located in the Northwest coast lowland dry zone of Sri Lanka.
Minneriya National Park
Minneriya is a small town in Sri Lanka, and is famous for two things , for the great Minneriya lake build by King Mahasen and for the Minneriya wildlife sanctuary which is a hot spot for safari lovers because of the abandons of Elephants.