Six weeks of culture and nature

A large Catholic church known for the painted ceiling inside, at the centre of the town.

The ruins of a capital of Sri Lanka in the mid 13th century, on the Kurunegala to Negombo road.

A temple from the reign of Dutthagamani, near Ridigama, said to mark where the silver ore for the Ruwanwelisaya stupa was found.

A 13th-century citadel built around a granite rock rising about a hundred metres from the plain. A steep stone staircase climbs to the ruins of the temple built for the Sacred Tooth Relic.

A great white stupa built by King Dutugamunu in the 2nd century BC and ringed by a wall of carved elephants. Beautiful in the late afternoon light.

The ruins of two vast monastery complexes, with the huge brick domes of Abhayagiri and Jetavanaramaya, guardstones, moonstones and bathing ponds such as the Twin Ponds.

The sacred fig tree grown from a cutting brought from India in the 3rd century BC, among the oldest documented trees in the world, surrounded by terraces and offerings.

An ancient Buddhist temple on the island of Nainativu, counted among the sixteen holiest Buddhist shrines (Solosmasthana). It is reached by a short ferry from Kurikadduwan jetty.

A star-shaped fort, first built by the Portuguese and rebuilt by the Dutch in the 17th century, with a moat and ramparts over the lagoon.

The white library, burned in 1981 with tens of thousands of books and rebuilt in its original style, a powerful symbol for the city.

A boat trip to Nainativu, home to the Nagapooshani Amman temple and the Buddhist shrine of Nagadeepa. The ferry leaves from Kurikadduwan jetty, about an hour's drive from the city.

Long, quiet beaches north of town with calm water in season.

A fort first built by the Portuguese in 1623 and later held by the Dutch and British, still in military use; spotted deer graze inside the gates.

A Hindu temple dedicated to Shiva on a cliff above the sea, reached through Fort Frederick.

A circular relic house with carved stone steps and guardstones, in the old Quadrangle. It was built either by Parakramabahu I for the tooth relic, or by Nissanka Malla for the alms bowl.

A rock temple made in the 12th century by King Parakramabahu I, with a seated, a standing and a reclining Buddha cut from one granite face. The reclining figure is the largest.

The 11th to 13th-century royal capital, best explored by bicycle or car, ending at the rock-cut Buddhas of Gal Vihara.

The palace-fortress on the rock, with water gardens, frescoes, the Mirror Wall and the lion staircase. A UNESCO World Heritage Site.

An 8th-century stone shrine in the style of South Indian temples, with Buddhist and Hindu features, moved stone by stone when a reservoir flooded its old site.

A cave temple in the hills 30 km north of Kandy on the Matale to Dambulla road, with painted walls and a long association with the writing down of Buddhist texts.

Five painted caves under one rock overhang, with Buddha statues and ceiling murals spanning many centuries. A UNESCO World Heritage Site.

A shrine to the god Kataragama built by King Vikramabahu III in the Gampola period (1357 to 1374), known for its carved wooden pillars.

An old Buddhist temple in the Pilimathalawa area west of Kandy, close to Lankatilaka and Embekke.

A flat 3.4 km loop around the lake in the centre of town, best early in the morning or before the evening service.

Sri Lanka's largest botanic garden, on a bend of the Mahaweli river, known for its avenues of royal palms, orchid house and giant Javan fig tree.

A half-day or full-day guided hike through cloud forest and grassland ridges, with waterfalls, endemic birds and lizards, and views from the peaks.

A short walk across a high grassland to the edge of a steep drop known as Mini World's End, with views over the lowlands on a clear day.

A windy ridge with views over the forests of the Knuckles and down to Matale, reached by a short walk from the road.

A hillside garden on the road to Ella, first planted in the 1860s for cinchona trials, now known for roses and cloud-forest views.

A working tea factory a few minutes from town, with a short tour of the processing floor and tea tasting with views over the estate.

A reservoir from the British period at the edge of town, with a lakeside path and boats for hire.

A 220-metre waterfall near Koslanda. A path climbs to the rock pools at the top, where you can swim when the river is low.

The viewpoint where Sir Thomas Lipton is said to have surveyed his tea estates, with views far across the southern plains on a clear morning.

A working tea factory built by Thomas Lipton in 1890, with short tours of the withering lofts, rolling and sorting floors.

A steeper half-day hike to a cliff top above the valley. Go early with a guide or good offline map, as the paths split.

A tall waterfall beside the main road below Ella, at its best after rain.

An easy, well-trodden walk of about 45 minutes each way through a tea estate to a grassy summit with views across Ella Gap.

The stone railway viaduct at Demodara, in a valley of tea and forest. Check the timetable if you want to see a train cross.

An ancient reservoir with birdlife and a lakeside road, near the restored Tissamaharama dagoba.

A half-day jeep safari (about 06:00 to 10:00, or 14:30 to 18:00) from the Palatupana gate, looking for leopards, elephants, sloth bears and birds across scrub, lagoons and rocky outcrops.

A Ramsar wetland of lagoons and dunes west of Yala, with flamingos in winter, crocodiles and many wading birds. Quieter than Yala.

The grid of streets inside the walls, with the Dutch Reformed Church (Groote Kerk), old warehouses and small museums.

Finds from shipwrecks in Galle harbour, from anchors and cannon to trade ceramics, displayed in a long 17th-century Dutch warehouse near the Old Gate.

A temple with one of the island's largest seated Buddha statues, about 50 metres tall, and a tunnel of painted scenes of the afterlife.

A morning boat trip of four to six hours to look for blue whales, sperm whales and dolphins. Sightings are likely in season but never guaranteed.

The traditional stilt fishing poles in the shallows at Koggala. Real fishing happens at dawn and dusk; at other times the fishermen often pose for a fee.

Geoffrey Bawa's country estate and garden on a lake, shaped over fifty years. Visits are by guided tour.

A boat trip through the mangroves and small islands of the Madu Ganga estuary at Balapitiya, with a stop at a cinnamon island.