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Evening light streaming over forested hills and a reservoir beside a white hilltop stupa

Discover Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka,end to end.

Ancient cities, tea country, national parks and two coasts with seasons of their own. Here is where to find them, and when to go.

Plan your tripWhen to go

Why Sri Lanka

Impossibly small,
endlessly varied.

The pearl of the Indian Ocean, Serendipity… Sri Lanka has been called many things through history, and this tiny island has rightly pushed its way to the top of every traveller’s wish list.

The one compelling reason to come is its sheer diversity in so small a space: the solitude of quiet sandy beaches, majestic ancient kingdoms steeped in epic history, towering mountains and cascading waterfalls, tropical rainforests teeming with wildlife, and blue whales, leopards and elephants in a single day. Raft the rapids of the Kelani river, or cycle through fishing hamlets and mountain villages.

UNESCO World Heritage Sites
8
Coastline
1,340 km
Peaks in the central hills
2,500 m
History & heritage
2,500 years

The regions

Seven regions,
one island.

Each corner of the island has a character of its own, from the Tamil north and the sacred cities of the plains to the hills and the southern coast.

Sigiriya rock fortress rising above dense forest beyond a bright green paddy field

01 · Sigiriya

The Cultural Triangle

Anuradhapura, Polonnaruwa, Sigiriya and Dambulla, amid the rice fields of the dry zone.

The Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic and the shore of Kandy Lake from the air

02 · Kandy

Kandy

The last royal capital, set around its lake at the gateway to the hills, and home of the Perahera.

An old steel bridge spanning a river gorge between jungle-clad cliffs, seen from above

03 · A river gorge in the hills

The hill country

Tea estates, waterfalls and cloud forest, threaded by the long-distance Pekoe Trail.

The white lighthouse of Galle Fort among coconut palms above the rampart

04 · Galle Fort

Galle & the south

Galle’s lighthouse and ramparts, sandy coves, and whales off Mirissa, November to April.

Ancient standing stone statues and a white dagoba among the sand dunes of Muhudu Maha Viharaya

05 · Pottuvil, near Arugam Bay

The east coast

In season from March to September: whales off Trincomalee, snorkelling at Pigeon Island and Passikudah, and ancient shrines among the dunes.

The golden entrance arch and tower of Nallur Kandaswamy Kovil against a blue sky

06 · Nallur Kovil, Jaffna

Jaffna & the north

Tamil culture and cuisine, Hindu temples, and the lagoons and islands of the far north.

The white dagoba of Seema Malaka on Beira Lake, with the Colombo skyline behind

07 · Seema Malaka, Colombo

Colombo & the west

Our home city and where most journeys begin, with the west coast in season from November to April, and whales and dolphins off Kalpitiya.

Weave them
into one journey.

Tailor-made travel

History & heritage

Old stones,
old forests.

The island holds eight UNESCO World Heritage Sites, from royal capitals and a cave temple to a colonial fort, a rainforest and its mountain heart.

Six cultural · Two natural

  1. Sigiriya rock framed through a gap between dark boulders

    Ancient City of Sigiriya

    A fortress and palace on a rock that rises sheer from the forest.

    Cultural

  2. The great white Ruwanwelisaya dagoba with Buddhist flags under a blue sky

    Sacred City of Anuradhapura

    Great white dagobas and the sacred Bo tree of the island’s ancient capital.

    Cultural

  3. The Polonnaruwa Vatadage with its carved stairway and guardstones under an evening sky

    Ancient City of Polonnaruwa

    Palaces, shrines and carved stone of a medieval capital.

    Cultural

  4. The whitewashed colonnade of the Dambulla cave temple under its overhanging rock, water lilies in front

    Rangiri Dambulla Cave Temple

    Painted cave shrines sheltered beneath a great overhanging rock.

    Cultural

  5. The octagon of the Temple of the Tooth reflected in its moat, worshippers in white

    Sacred City of Kandy

    Home of the Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic.

    Cultural

  6. The clock tower and ramparts of Galle Fort

    Old Town of Galle

    Bastions, a clock tower and quiet lanes within the old walls.

    Cultural

  7. Sinharaja Forest Reserve

    The island’s great lowland rainforest, rich in species found nowhere else.

    Natural

  8. Layered blue ridges of the southern hill country under a clear sky

    Central Highlands of Sri Lanka

    Horton Plains, the Peak Wilderness and the Knuckles range, listed as one site.

    Natural

When to go

An island for
every season.

Sri Lanka has no distinct dry season or prolonged monsoon. The seasons matter mainly on the coasts, at sea and for a few wildlife events.

  • West coast

    November to April

  • East coast

    March to September

  • Whales & dolphins, west

    Mirissa & Kalpitiya, November to April

  • Whales & dolphins, east

    Trincomalee, March to September

  • Snorkelling & diving, south

    Hikkaduwa, Unawatuna & Dickwella, November to April

  • Snorkelling & diving, east

    Trincomalee & Passikudah, May to September

  • The Elephant Gathering

    Minneriya National Park, May to September

  • Migrant birds

    Winter visitors from the north, November to April

Inland, the ancient cities and the hills can be visited all year. We plan your route around the season on each side of the island.

National parks & reserves

Wild Sri Lanka,
park by park.

One of the world’s 35 biodiversity hotspots, Sri Lanka is a tremendous opportunity for wildlife enthusiasts, on land and at sea.

The dry zone

  • Wilpattu National ParkLeopards around natural lakes
  • Minneriya National ParkHome of the Elephant Gathering
  • Kaudulla National ParkElephants by the reservoir
  • Hurulu Eco ParkElephants in dry-zone forest

The south

  • Yala National ParkLeopards and elephants
  • Udawalawe National ParkElephants on open grassland
  • Bundala National ParkLagoons and wetland birds
  • Rekawa Turtle SanctuaryTurtles nesting on the beach

Hills & rainforest

  • Horton Plains National ParkHighland plains and World’s End
  • Sinharaja Forest ReserveEndemic birds on rainforest trails

At sea

  • Pigeon Island Marine SanctuaryCoral reef and snorkelling
  • Whale & dolphin watchingMirissa, Kalpitiya & Trincomalee
The sun setting over the sea beyond a wide golden beach and a palm-lined shore

Let’s chart
the route.

Tell us when you can travel and what you’d love to see, and we will match the regions to your dates.

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