Sri Lanka has a heritage and culture spanning 2500 years from 500 BC which is even predated to the time of King Ravana in the Ramayana Epic. Some must visit locations are mentioned below:

The Sigiriya Rock Fortress (4 hours drive from Colombo)

Sigiriya, one of Sri Lanka’s most popular tourist attractions and a UNESCO World Heritage Site is a ruined fifth century city with some extraordinary features, including moat and wall fortifications, elaborately landscaped gardens and a monastery. The two-hundred-metre-high granite rock that stands out from these ruins is undoubtedly the star attraction, with its exquisite frescoes and the remains of a royal palace on the summit.

The Sacred Temple of the Tooth in Kandy (3-4 hours’ drive from Colombo)

The Temple of the Tooth Relic of Lord Buddha, Sri Dalada Maligawa, is the most venerated Buddhist Temple in Sri Lanka. The beautiful and magnificent temple was built by late king Vimaladharmasooriya 1st in 1592 AD and is located in the Royal Palace Complex of the Former Kingdom of Kandy. The Temple is located at the heart of Kandy Town.

The 16 Century Galle Dutch Fort (2 hours drive from Colombo)

Basking on the southern coast of Sri Lanka in the bay of Galle, the Fort was first built by the Portuguese in 1588 before being extensively fortified by the Dutch in the mid 1600s. Recognized by UNESCO for its cultural heritage value, the Fort was declared a World Heritage Site in 1988 as a unique exposition of “an urban ensemble which illustrates the interaction of European architecture and South Asian traditions from the 16th to the 19th centuries.”

Today a Museum occupies the stables; jewellery  shops abound; cafes emerge from behind restored columns; interior design shops mingle with book stores and fashion outlets.