Sabaragamuwa

Ratnapura

The "city of gems", where sapphires and other stones are still dug from river gravel by hand, with an ancient shrine to the god Saman and waterfalls in the hills around.

Plan a trip with Ratnapura

Time to spend: 1 night
Best months: January to March. Ratnapura is one of the wettest towns on the island.
Getting around: Tuk-tuks in town; a driver for the gem pits and waterfalls.
Good to know: Gem dealers will offer you stones. Buy only from a shop licensed by the National Gem and Jewellery Authority and ask for a certificate.

Ratnapura has been the centre of the Sri Lankan gem trade for centuries. Sapphires, rubies and other stones are found in layers of gravel under the paddy fields, and many are still mined from simple pits and washed by hand.

The Maha Saman Devalaya, a shrine to the god Saman, guardian of Sri Pada (Adam's Peak), is one of the most important shrines on the island and the focus of a big procession in July and August.

The town is a gateway to the Sinharaja rainforest and Udawalawe, and to the Ratnapura route up Sri Pada (Adam's Peak). Bopath Ella, a waterfall shaped like a leaf of the sacred bo tree, is about an hour away.

What to see and do

Maha Saman Devalaya
Directions Open in Maps
An ancient shrine to the god Saman, guardian of Sri Pada (Adam's Peak), rebuilt in the Kandyan period, with a Buddhist temple in the same compound.
45 min · MorningFree entryCover shoulders and kneesDetails
Donations are welcome.
Gem pit and washing visit
Directions Open in Maps
A visit to a working gem pit outside town, where miners haul up gravel in baskets and wash it in the river to find stones.
1 hr 30 min · MorningLKR 0 to LKR 3,000estimateDetails
Often arranged free by gem dealers, who will expect you to look at their stones; an independent guide charges a fee.
Batadombalena cave
Directions Open in Maps
An archaeological cave with evidence of habitation from about 8,000 years BCE, where stone tools and ostrich eggshell beads of Balangoda Man were found. It lies in the Kuruwita area.
1 hr · MorningFee chargedto confirmDetails
Access arrangements and any fee vary. Ask at the Ratnapura museum or in the village.
Bopath Ella
Directions Open in Maps
A waterfall about 30 metres high whose shape is said to resemble a leaf of the bo tree, near Kuruwita on the way to Colombo.
45 min · AfternoonFee chargedto confirmDetails
A small fee is charged at the entrance.
Fa Hien Cave (Pahiyangala)
Directions Open in Maps
A large cave in the Bulathsinhala area of Kalutara district, where excavations found Late Pleistocene human remains and signs of occupation from about 33,000 years ago. Its name comes from a local legend about the monk Faxian, which has no archaeological or historical support.
1 hr · MorningFee chargedto confirmDetails
Access arrangements and any fee vary. Confirm locally.
Ratnapura National Museum
Directions Open in Maps
A small museum in an old walauwa (manor house) with fossils, gems and finds from the prehistoric cave sites of the area.
45 min · MiddayFee chargedto confirmDetails
A small fee is charged; closed on public holidays.

Also consider

Nearby places to stay

SinharajaAbout 1 hr 45 min by carPlan with both
UdawalaweAbout 1 hr 45 min by carPlan with both
KitulgalaAbout 2 hr by carPlan with both

Photos

The entrance gate of Maha Saman Devalaya, Ratnapura

Washed gem gravel being sorted by hand at a gem pit near Pelmadulla

When to go

January: Best
February: Best
March: Best
April: Good
May: Poor
June: Poor
July: Good
August: Good
September: Good
October: Poor
November: Poor
December: Good

BestGoodPoor

Ratnapura is in the wet zone and gets heavy rain with both monsoons; the driest months are usually January to March.

Where it is

Driving times from here

Sinharaja	1 hr 45 min (allow 2 hr 15 min)
Udawalawe	1 hr 45 min (allow 2 hr 15 min)
Kitulgala	2 hr (allow 2 hr 30 min)
Colombo	2 hr 15 min (allow 2 hr 45 min)
Haputale	2 hr 15 min (allow 2 hr 45 min)
Bentota	2 hr 30 min (allow 3 hr)
Negombo	2 hr 45 min (allow 3 hr 30 min)
Ella	2 hr 45 min (allow 3 hr 30 min)
Airport (CMB)	3 hr (allow 3 hr 45 min)
Hikkaduwa	3 hr (allow 3 hr 45 min)
Tangalle	3 hr (allow 3 hr 45 min)
Kurunegala	3 hr (allow 3 hr 45 min)
Galle	3 hr 15 min (allow 4 hr)
Tissamaharama	3 hr 15 min (allow 4 hr)
Hiriketiya	3 hr 15 min (allow 4 hr)
Thalpe	3 hr 15 min (allow 4 hr)
Unawatuna	3 hr 15 min (allow 4 hr)
Badulla	3 hr 15 min (allow 4 hr)
Kandy	3 hr 30 min (allow 4 hr 30 min)
Ahangama	3 hr 30 min (allow 4 hr 30 min)
Weligama	3 hr 30 min (allow 4 hr 30 min)
Mirissa	3 hr 45 min (allow 4 hr 45 min)
Nuwara Eliya	4 hr 15 min (allow 5 hr 30 min)
Sri Pada (Adam's Peak)	4 hr 15 min (allow 5 hr 30 min)
Dambulla	4 hr 30 min (allow 5 hr 30 min)
Mahiyangana	4 hr 45 min (allow 6 hr)
Sigiriya	5 hr (allow 6 hr 15 min)
Arugam Bay	5 hr 30 min (allow 7 hr)
Polonnaruwa	6 hr (allow 7 hr 30 min)
Anuradhapura	6 hr 15 min (allow 7 hr 45 min)
Kalpitiya	6 hr 15 min (allow 7 hr 45 min)
Knuckles Range	6 hr 15 min (allow 8 hr)
Wilpattu	6 hr 15 min (allow 7 hr 45 min)

Car times from OpenStreetMap routing, adjusted for road conditions.

Ready-made trips that include Ratnapura

Use one as it is or open it in the planner and make it yours.

11days
Eleven days of gems and rainforest
Negombo → Ratnapura → Sinharaja → Udawalawe → Tangalle → and 1 more
Best Jan to Mar
18days
Eighteen days of gems and hills
Negombo → Kitulgala → Ratnapura → Sinharaja → Udawalawe → and 5 more
Best Jan to Mar
60days
Two months on the pilgrim's road
Negombo → Colombo → Ratnapura → Sri Pada (Adam's Peak) → Kandy → and 15 more
Best Jan to Apr
90days
Ninety days: the whole island
Negombo → Kalpitiya → Wilpattu → Anuradhapura → Jaffna → and 31 more
Best Feb to Apr