The “Pearl of the Indian Ocean” is how Sri Lanka is known. Sri Lanka truly has many gems such as its diverse terrain to its immersive culture. You are invited to surf on hot sandy beaches, take in the beauty of the cool hillside country, explore historic tea plantations and spot leopards and elephants in the lushly overgrown national parks. For these, and many other reasons, Sri Lanka is one of the countries that everyone’s thinking about this year.

Here are some of the top things to do in Sri Lanka:

Sigiriya

Sigiriya (Lion Rock) is one of Sri Lanka’s most iconic historic landmarks as well as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It is a 1200 step climb but it is worth it to see the rock-top fortress. It has bee used as a royal palace and a monastery. It also boasts some dramatic features such as a lion’s paw and a mirror wall.

Pidurangala Rock

Fewer people know about Pidurangala Rock compared to its adjacent sibling, Sigiriya Rock. There is no reason to choose between the two. Pidurangala has a 360 view of the surrounding valleys as well as an amazing angle of Sigiriya.

Temple of the Tooth

This is a very important temple to the Buddhists and it is equally as beautiful. The attraction of the temple is its relic over which there have even been wars. It is believed to have belonged to Buddha himself. Be sure to visit the temple whilst you are in the kingdom of Kandy.

Visit the Tea Plantations

Sri Lanka is famous for its tea industry. It was colonised by the English and a lot of this culture still remains. Thus you can visit beautiful and neatly-terraced tea estates. You might specifically want to visit the Haputale Mountains, where it all began for Sir Thomas Lipton.

Check out our next blog post for more Top Things to Do.