14 Best Places to Visit Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka is an astounding travel objective contributing a wide scope of spots to visit. This island, situated in the Indian Ocean off the shore of India, gives guests a mind boggling cluster of conditions to appreciate and encounter.

Explorers can follow the island's intriguing history, from antiquated occasions through the pioneer time frame to the present, in urban communities like Colombo and Kandy. This somewhat minimal island flaunts eight UNESCO World Heritage Sites where that set of experiences is protected.

Extraordinary outside scenes and safari encounters can be found in the country's huge elephant-filled public parks, as Yala and Udawalawe. Sri Lanka is likewise a sea shore sweetheart's heaven, ringed by a portion of the world's most wonderful sea shores.

When arranging a Sri Lankan experience, remember that the nation encounters its stormy season from May through August, making December through April generally the best an ideal opportunity to visit. The shoulder season, September, October, and November, is a fun opportunity to visit also.

Plan your movement agenda with our rundown of the best places to visit in Sri Lanka.

1. Colombo

Sri Lanka's capital city of Colombo flawlessly consolidates the fantastic culture and history of the island with current attractions and conveniences. The city's exceptional pioneer history (Portuguese, Dutch, and British) includes extra layers. As the country's capital city, it's likewise loaded up with galleries and spots to visit that represent that rich history.

The really focal business locale region is known as Fort, and that is the place where you'll discover a ton of the public authority structures, extravagance shopping, and huge lodgings. The region is named for the first Portuguese fortification, which saw the harbor region. Straightforwardly before Fort is the Galle Face Green, a huge oceanfront park.

Plan your touring in Sri Lanka's capital with our rundown of the best places to visit in Colombo.

Lotus Tower:

Perhaps the coolest spot to visit in Colombo is likewise one of the city's most current attractions. The Colombo Lotus Tower is South Asia's tallest unsupported construction (368 meters/1,168 feet), and an outing to the top prizes guests with unhampered perspectives across Colombo and the encompassing cityscape and ocean.

The pinnacle, which houses a ton of media communications hardware, has a telecom historical center, a shopping center, a spinning fancy café, an inn, and indoor and outside perception regions. The pinnacle is additionally a sight to see from an external perspective - it's shrouded in LED lighting and presents occasional themed lighting shows every evening.

The Lotus Tower, intended to repeat a lotus bulb and blossom, at the same time addresses the memorable culture of the nation and its emphasis on what's to come.

Public Museum of Colombo:

The National Museum of Colombo, additionally called the Sri Lanka National Museum, is the authority historical center of Sri Lanka and takes you on an excursion over the millennia of Sri Lankan culture. It's one of those exhibition halls that has different sorts of media, from fine art to antiques, just as dress, gems, coins, arms, and craftwork. The presentations show both the social and normal legacy of the nation, introduced sequentially, beginning with pre-history and prompting the current day.

Give yourself a couple of hours to completely investigate the assortments. The exhibition hall is housed in a terrific Victorian pilgrim working in focal Colombo close to Viharamahadevi Park.

Sri Lanka Planetarium:

Sri Lanka's sole planetarium can be a captivating method to get away from the Sri Lankan sun. The planetarium is situated at the University of Colombo. There's a public passage opposite Independence Square. The enormous theater has a domed roof, and the night sky and its heavenly bodies are projected onto it.

Beside the displays and programming, the actual construction is structurally striking and an unquestionable requirement accomplish for Instagram. The lotus blossom configuration imparts components to notorious innovator church buildings in Liverpool, England, and Brazil.

The Sri Lanka Planetarium is open from 8am to 4pm regularly with the exception of Mondays. Shows are introduced at 10am and 2pm.

Viharamahadevi Park:

This goliath green space is Colombo's Central Park (and its main enormous open-space region) and gives regions to unwind and appreciate (or escape from) the daylight. There are numerous wellsprings in the recreation center, just like a little zoo. Children will partake in the jungle gym. You can visit the Cenotaph (war commemoration sculpture), just as the public library, the two of which are situated in the recreation center.

The recreation center is likewise home to an enormous, 15-foot-tall Buddha sculpture, the biggest cast metal Buddha sculpture in the country. Presently named for one of the country's old sovereigns, the recreation center was earlier called Victoria Park. Viharamahadevi Park sits between the National Museum of Colombo and City Hall.

Public Zoological Gardens of Sri Lanka

The city's enormous Colombo Zoo is situated in the Dehiwala region. Something beyond creatures in confines, the zoo centers around schooling, just as creature preservation and government assistance. Perhaps the most seasoned zoo in Asia, it has just about 3,000 unique creatures, everything being equal, and sizes.

The zoo has exhibits every day with managers of different creatures. There is one for the zoo's amicable ocean lion, one before the elephant nook, a bird show, and one on snakes.

The zoo is open seven days per week, from 8:30am to 6pm. Notwithstanding the metropolitan zoo in Dehiwala, around two hours outside of Colombo, in Pinnawala, there is a bigger natural life park and an elephant safe-haven, both worked by the Department of Zoological Gardens.

Nelum Pokuna Mahinda Rajapaksa Theater:

This enormous, present day performing expressions complex has a wide scope of music, dance, and social exhibitions. It was as of late renamed for the country's previous president, Mahinda Rajapaksa. In the same way as other different things in Sri Lanka, the plan is deliberately suggestive of a lotus blossom.

Programming incorporates orchestra exhibitions and shows (Chinese, Sri Lankan, and Western). They likewise do present day pop shows. Exhibitions are given in the fundamental assembly hall or in the outdoors amphitheater. The venue is in focal Colombo, opposite Viharamahadevi Park.

The performance center's timetable can be seen on the web, and tickets can be bought online also. It's a cool nearby encounter, and paying little mind to what you go to see, you'll end up encompassed by local people.

Mount Lavinia Beach:

Sri Lanka's primary seashore resort town, Mount Lavinia is a suburb of Colombo. There are numerous lodgings here, and it very well may be a decent option in contrast to remaining in the city. It's a simple drive from downtown Colombo and a great method to go through an evening.

The sea shore is definitely not an ensured narrows, so the water can be exceptionally unpleasant during specific seasons. Use an alert when swimming. There are some exceptionally pleasant eateries along the beachfront promenade, and the sea shore itself is loaded up with merchants offering everything from food to swimsuits.

In the event that you stay at the seashore past 6pm, you'll be compensated with an amazing nightfall see.

Public Museum of Natural History :

Situated at a similar spot as the Colombo National Museum, opposite Viharamahadevi Park in focal Colombo, this fascinating historical center exhibits the country's mind blowing normal history.

Plants, bugs, fish, creatures of land and water, and creatures are shown, solely those that are endemic to the country. Numerous uncommon creatures shown are undermined with eradication. Beside plants, there are many showcases of rocks and minerals, likewise those that are local to the island.

Notwithstanding the creatures and plants, there are skeletons and fossils of old and terminated animals. The exhibition hall is an incredible vacationer experience for families and children.

Gangaramaya Temple:

This Buddhist sanctuary complex was developed in the late nineteenth century. The sanctuary is a position of love yet in addition hopes to instruct individuals about Buddhism. It's likewise similar to an exhibition hall, as it grandstands a ton of actual things, from adornments to coins and surprisingly a vintage Rolls-Royce.

You can likewise see the sanctuary's most consecrated relic, a lock of the Buddha's hair, just as a hollowed tree around which the sanctuary was fabricated. Visit during the February full moon (called "Poya") to see the Gangaramaya Temple's yearly strict service, which incorporates a parade driven by the sanctuary's elephant.

The sanctuary complex is in focal Colombo not a long way from Bere Lake.

Dominate World Entertainment Park:

In the event that you have children and you're visiting Colombo, this little delightful place should be on your agenda. It's a pleasant neighborhood experience with a shopping center, a couple of rides, a bowling alley, and a food court. There's additionally a cinema (showing Western and Bollywood films). The bowling alley is particularly well known, as it's the just one in Colombo.

Exercises at the recreation center incorporate laser tag, a merry go round, fun-mobiles, and a jumping castle. In the event that you visit during December, the shopping center is known for acquiring snow to make an indoor winter wonderland.

Dominate World is directly close to Bere Lake.

Galle Face Green:

This enormous, oceanfront park region is the place where numerous Sri Lankans go to play on the sea shore. The recreation center is between Galle Road and the Indian Ocean, solidly in the core of Colombo close to the Fort region.

It's the biggest open space in the city and has 500 meters of sea shore, alongside a beachfront promenade loaded up with merchants. Colombo's hot daylight implies this is likewise a well known region for night fun - Saturday and Sunday evenings are the best occasions to visit.

You can swim in the water, excursion on the sea shore, or fly a kite in the always present breeze. It's a great spot for families, and it's additionally useful for running.

Colombo Dutch Museum:

Colombo's frontier history (it's been a British, Dutch, and Portuguese settlement at various occasions) contributes such a great amount to its present culture. You can get familiar with the Dutch impact and history of the island at the Colombo Dutch Museum.

The gallery building was inherit the late seventeenth century as the authority home of the Dutch lead representative. The assortment features the right around 200-year history of Dutch control of the island's seaside regions, from 1658 to 1796. The island, then, at that point, known as Ceylon, filled in as a critical stop in Holland's reality exchange, as it sat on one of the significant east-west delivery courses.

The assortment incorporates ancient rarities, fine art, and furniture, just as arms and militaria. There is data in English.

Pettah Floating Market:

Beginning around the year 2000, this once mechanical space of Colombo was redeveloped into a flourishing drifting business sector with just about 100 merchants. Pettah is in focal Colombo, around a five-minute drive from Fort.

The gliding market is along a waterway, fixed with walkways and wooden promenades. The two of them line and cross the trench, making it a pleasant region for shopping, walking, and people watching. There is extraordinary road food here also. It's likewise a product of the soil market. You can purchase garments, makes, gems, even hardware like telephones.

Pettah Floating Market is open from 8am to 8pm; dusk is an incredible opportunity to visit and for photographs (about 5pm).

Red Mosque:

While you're in the Pettah region, visit the city's mind boggling Red Mosque, referred to officially as the Jami Ul-Alfar Masjid. It was underlying the early piece of the twentieth century and makes a serious assertion with its red and white stone minarets, finished off with onion-and pomegranate-molded arches. They overshadow the region, and the vaults give the structure a practically Russian feel to it, compositionally. The style is classified "Indo-Saracenic."

The mosque is close to the port, and its differentiating red and white tones made it a visual milestone for showing up ships. It's particularly intriguing, as the red and white blocks are orchestrated in various examples. Some twirls, some twisting, and different regions have rotating colors with a close to optical illusional impact.

Guests, all kinds of people, are free to visit the mosque.

Kanatte General Cemetery :

Graveyards can be fascinating spots to visit, as they for all time record the nearby culture. Kanatte is the city's primary burial ground and was opened during the nineteenth century. It has an intriguing blend of commemorations, addressing all religions and convictions. Each has its own segment, and each has their own style of actual commemorations.

The burial ground is additionally a famous spot to visit for sci-fi fans, as it's the last resting spot of notorious science fiction essayist Arthur C. Clarke (2001: A Space Odyssey). Clarke was brought into the world in Sri Lanka when it was a British province and later resigned here.

The burial ground is in the Borella region, simply south and east of focal Colombo.

Bere Lake:

Another of Colombo's most famous spots to cookout, unwind, and go sailing or running is Bere Lake. This man-made lake (not to be mistaken for its bigger neighbor, Beira Lake) is encircled by a great deal of green space, yet it's solidly in the center of the city.

The region is likewise loaded up with running ways, and it's an extraordinary spot for running and trekking. There are swan boats you can lease and oar your way around the lake. There are some bite shops and a coasting, high end café. The café is on a boat and buoys around during a supper journey.

Bere Lake has its own island (associated by a suspension footbridge). The island is a well known spot for couples to go for heartfelt strolls. Somewhere else in the lake, there's a little Buddhist sanctuary (Gangarama Seema Malaka) set into the water on a few wharfs. The lake is an incredible area to take photographs, particularly around evening time. You have a delightful, outside climate with the horizon of Colombo as the scenery.

2. Kandy

Situated in focal Sri Lanka, Kandy is the previous capital city of the Sri Lankan imperial tradition, the country's primary capital before the frontier time frame. The high mark of what's known as the "Kandian Era" was between the fifteenth and eighteenth hundreds of years, when the region stayed free while the greater part of the waterfront locales were colonized by European forces.

Make certain to visit the city's National Museum of Kandy, as it shows the tale of the locale and its kin through displays and ancient rarities. Close by, the Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic is a blessed Buddhist hallowed place, part of the illustrious castle complex.

3. Udawalawe National Park

This enormous untamed life park is in the southern piece of the country, about an hour's drive from the city of Hambantota. The landscape and climate fluctuate, as the recreation center is on the line of the nation's wet and dry zones.

Guests to the recreation center can see elephants, as there's an enormous populace of them, alongside crocodiles, water bison, and that's only the tip of the iceberg. Truth be told, it's perhaps the best spot on the planet to see elephants in nature.

There are panthers there, as well, yet they can be extremely difficult to track or spot. There are likewise monkeys and an enormous collection of deer and little warm blooded creatures. It's additionally a superb spot for bird-watching.

There are some little facilities and guesthouses opposite and surprisingly inside Udawalawe. You can likewise visit as a road trip, the best occasions to visit are promptly in the first part of the day or exceptionally late in the early evening.

4. Galle

The city of Galle is around a two-hour drive from Colombo through one of the country's first present day expressways. This antiquated exchanging port primarily mirrors its pioneer history and is engaged around a huge, seventeenth century seafront fortification.

Galle Fort is a whole safeguarded walled town, presently loaded up with store lodgings, shops, and eateries (alongside genuine inhabitants). The whole region is an UNESCO World Heritage Site.

This is an incredible spot to investigate by walking — the whole Fort region is without vehicles. It's difficult to get lost, as you're encircled on three sides by the ocean.

Beside and outside the post, the city is encircled by some stunning sea shores. Like others in the country, the wide sand sea shore leads into clear, turquoise water. There's even a sea shore directly underneath the notorious Galle beacon.

5. Hikkaduwa Beach

Just an hour and a half from Colombo, this seashore is about water sports, surfing, bodyboarding, swimming, and scuba jumping. All the stuff is effectively accessible for lease from one of the beachfront stands. It's one of the nation's best riding regions, with the best waves among November and March.

The sea shore is enormous, so it never feels excessively swarmed. There are a great deal of beachfront stands selling a wide range of scrumptious neighborhood road food and a lot of little lodgings and guesthouses assuming you need to remain for the time being.

It's likewise known for its coral. The Hikkaduwa Coral Sanctuary is a safeguarded marine region and a piece of Hikkaduwa National Park, found simply off the shoreline. It was made to ensure the region's coral reefs and instruct guests about coral.

6. Galle Face Green

Sri Lanka's rendition of LA's Venice Beach isn't the spot to move away from everything, except it is the spot to unwind, individuals watch, and have a great time with other Sri Lankans, regardless of whether it's day or night. Beside the sea shore, there's a huge lush space where individuals excursion and mess around. For the best energy, visit on a Friday or Saturday night.

You can partake in the sea shore and water or possibly fly a kite in the always present breeze. You can play some football (soccer) or cricket as there are consistently impromptu games going on. The sea shore is fronted by merchants and eateries, and the region past it is loaded up with lodgings going in cost from spending plan to extravagance.

Galle Face Green is in the core of downtown Colombo, simply before Fort. You have the horizon behind you and the lovely ocean before you. It's the region between Galle Road and the Indian Ocean.

7. Yala National Park

Situated on the island's southeast coast, this public park is known for panther safaris. Panthers are exceptionally uncommon, however the recreation center has an enormous populace and it's feasible to spot them even on a road trip. The recreation center is additionally home to a huge populace of Asian elephants, which are endemic to Sri Lanka.

Beside the fauna, the recreation center is home to some mind boggling, shifted conditions and environments. You can visit the marine and sea shore climate of the beach front regions, follow panthers across immense prairies, or investigate tropical rainforests.

There are additionally some significant Buddhist sanctuaries and holy places inside Yala, which isn't a long way from the city of Hambantota.

8. Anuradhapura

A visit to Anuradhapura, one of the country's old capitals, rewards guests with a brief look into the past. The region is novel, as there's a flourishing, current little town contiguous to an antiquated one, you're not simply visiting ruins. It's a pleasant spot to visit and remain for an evening or two.

The remains are great, with many disintegrating sanctuaries, sculptures, pools, and different constructions. There are current constructions, as well, and the sanctuary stays a functioning spot of love. The center of the complex is a tree, an exceptionally old tree. The Sri Maha Bodhi is accepted to be the world's most established living tree planted by a human.

Anuradhapura is a cool spot to visit, as there are a ton of little guesthouses and modest spots to eat, alongside bicycle rental, local area experts, and different organizations taking into account travelers.

9. Pollonnaruwa

This is a significant old city ruin site, another of the country's World Heritage Sites. Pollonnaruwa was Sri Lanka's second capital city, after Anuradhapura, flourishing around 1,000 years prior.

The nursery city is totally saved, albeit a large portion of the designs are in ruins. There are nurseries, castles, and sanctuaries, and keeping in mind that it's fairly smaller, it's best investigated by bike. A reward, the vestiges are possessed by a huge group of macaques, likewise occupants of the space since old occasions. Duran fans will perceive the site, as their Save a Prayer video was recorded here during the 1980s.

There's a little, present day town a couple of miles from the remains, with guesthouses, bicycle rentals, bistros, and other vacationer administrations.

10. Tangalle

As an island, Sri Lanka is encircled by sea shores, and there truly is something for everybody. For an assorted scope of sea shore encounters, head to the Tangalle region. It's in the focal point of the southern bank of the island and a famous hotel objective.

You'll track down a wide scope of sea shores around here, from tropical bays to wide, desolate, apparently interminable stretches of open sand. You can likewise discover sea shores with administrations, sellers, and beachfront remains, just as remote seashores where you're practically sure to observe yourself to be separated from everyone else.

At Rekawa Beach, only east of the town, there's a major ocean turtle settling region and protection focus.

11. Bundala National Park

This public park and wetland safe-haven, with its hills, tidal ponds, and huge freshwater waterways, is one of the world's best places to visit for bird-watching. There are numerous types of birds here; some are endemic to Sri Lanka. Large numbers of the birds relocate here occasionally from as distant as Siberia.

Beside the birds there are numerous crocodiles, which like to eat the birds, just as an enormous populace of elephants. The sea shores are a famous spot for four of Sri Lanka's five types of ocean turtles to lay their eggs.

The Bundala park region is along the southern Sri Lankan coastline among Kirinda and Hambantota.

12. Ella

Now and then it's as much with regards to the excursion all things considered with regards to the objective. An illustration of this is Ella, a little, slope country town set among Sri Lanka's lavish tea estates. It's loaded up with little guesthouses, stunning food, and well disposed individuals. It's a great escape from the city or an approach to partake in a couple of long periods of relaxed climbing in the open country.

A central explanation for individuals visiting Ella is to ride the extremely lethargic train from Kandy. Gradually, it wraps its direction here and there slopes, through modest communities, across green tea fields, until at long last showing up in the little mountain town after around six hours. The ride is viewed as one of the most delightful train ventures on the planet. You can begin in Colombo, which adds three hours to the excursion.

13. Adam's Rock

One more extraordinary spot to visit in Sri Lanka that is likewise about the excursion is Adam's Rock. This mountain is topped by a sacrosanct stone arrangement, and explorers customarily move to the highest point around evening time on schedule to watch the dawn.

The climb by and large requires around three hours, and there are rest stops and food merchants along the way. After the climb, you'll be compensated by seeing a stone with an impression molded space where some trust Adam made his initial step. Others trust it's the impression of Buddha, and some trust it was made by the god Shiva.

The Adam's Rock climb starts in the town of Nallathanniya in focal Sri Lanka. The best occasions to make the trip are among December and May.

14. Sigiriya

Like Machu Picchu or Masada, Sigiriya dazzles guests just with the silliness of its development. It's a gigantic stone development that has been cut and changed into a royal residence. The remains are close to the town of Dambulla in the focal piece of the country.

Worked around 1,500 years prior, the royal residence complex sits on a 660-foot (220-meter) rock with sheer dividers. Those dividers have old painted frescoes and carvings changing the entire construction into a show-stopper. In one stone divider, there's a monster door cut looking like a lion.

Beside the royal residence over, the region beneath is an unpredictable city complex with gardens and private and business regions. It's a vital enduring illustration of early city arranging from this time.

Click here to visit more: