WORLD HERITAGE SITE
WORLD
HERITAGE
SITE
Sigiriya
Sigiriya is a popular tourist destination in Sri Lanka. The ancient rock fortress and palace of Sigiriya (in 475AD), currently standing in ruin, still has magnificent opulence that is surrounded by beautiful gardens, reservoirs and other structures and attracts large influx of tourists visiting Sri Lanka. The Sigiriya rock also known as “Lion’s rock” and remains today a UNESCO world heritage site.
Ambalangoda
Ambalangoda beach is located at a distance of 86 km from Colombo. Ambalangoda has a beautiful white sandy beach. A large number of tourists visit the magnificent beachside of Ambalangoda every year to spend some time in the lap of nature. The town is also renowned for the manufacture of wooden masks and puppets.
Kandy
Kandy is the home to the Royal Palace and the Temple of the Sacred Tooth, which houses the holy relic of the tooth of the Buddha. Kandy becomes highly crowded during the month of August due to the “Kandy Esala Perehera” which is hosted as an annual tradition of the Temple of the Sacred Tooth. There are some other attractions such as the spice gardens, Pinnawela Elephant orphanage, Mahaweli River and the famous Peradeniya Gardens the largest botanical garden in the country.
Galle
Galle is well known for its cultural value and scenic beauty is located to the south of Colombo. The city offers a great combination of European architecture along with Sri Lankan culture and heritage. Among the prominent places in the Galle town are the Galle Fort, the longest bridge of Sri Lanka, Galle cricket Stadium, and the “Gin Ganga” to name a few. The other places you must visit in Galle are Unawatuna Bay, which provides safe swimming and snorkeling well popular among the tourists.
Cave Temple Dambulla
Also known as the Golden Temple of Dambulla is situated in the central part of the country. It is the largest and best- preserved cave temple complex in Sri Lanka. The rock towers 160 m over the surrounding plains. There are more than 80 documented caves in the surrounding area. Major attractions are spread over five caves, which contain statues and paintings. From the caves there are superb views over the surrounding countryside. Sigiriya is clearly visible some 20km distant.
Knuckles Mountain Range
Knuckles Massif or the Knuckles Mountain Range is part of the Hill Country of Sri Lanka which is also above 3000 Ft or 915 Mts. The reason to call it Knuckles is because, there is a mountain with five peaks in itself, that looks like the knuckles of a clenched fist when seen from Kandy area. The entire area is characterized by is often robed in thick layers of cloud. In addition to its aesthetic value the range is of great scientific interest. It is a climatic microcosm of the rest of Sri Lanka as the conditions of all the climatic zones in the country are exhibited in the massif. At higher elevations there is a series of isolated cloud forests.