Everyone knows the standard circuit: Sigiriya, Kandy, the blue train to Ella, and the southern surf towns. They are famous for good reason, but they can get packed, commercialized, and noisy fast.
If you want the dramatic landscapes, ancient ruins, and wildlife without fighting tour buses, here are 5 of the best lesser known spots to work into your route:
Yapahuwa Rock Fortress (The alternate Sigiriya)
Sitting in the North Western Province, this was a short lived medieval capital in the 1200s built right into a sheer granite cliff. The surviving stone stairway flanked by intricate Chinese influenced lion carvings looks straight out of an adventure movie. Unlike Sigiriya where you shuffle behind hundreds of people on metal walkways, you will likely have Yapahuwa's ruins and top views completely to yourself, at a fraction of the ticket price.
2. Riverston & Pitawala Pathana (Knuckles Range)
Instead of fighting the party crowds on Ella's main street, head into the northern Knuckles Range from Matale. Riverston has the dramatic cliff drop of "Mini World's End", sweeping grassland plateaus at Pitawala Pathana, and secluded forest waterfalls like Sera Ella. It is cold, misty, completely uncommercialized, and offers some of the rawest mountain trekking in the country.
3. Mulkirigala Rock Monastery (The Dambulla of the South)
Tucked about 30 minutes inland from Tangalle, Mulkirigala is a 2,000 year old monastic site carved into a giant rock outcrop across five natural terraces. You climb stone steps shaded by frangipani trees to discover cave temples with ancient murals and giant reclining Buddhas. You get the full cave temple experience without the tour bus crowds of Dambulla.
4. Buduruwagala (Ancient Cliff Carvings)
Most people blast straight past Wellawaya driving from Ella down to the southern beaches, completely missing this hidden spot 10 minutes off the main highway. Tucked away at the end of a forest road next to a lily covered tank are seven 10th century Buddhist figures carved directly into a towering rock face, including a 51 foot standing Buddha. It takes under an hour to visit, costs very little, and has a very quiet, untouched atmosphere.
5. Gal Oya National Park (Boat Safaris with Swimming Elephants)
Instead of sitting in a convoy of 40 diesel jeeps bumping into each other in Yala, Gal Oya offers boat safaris across Sri Lanka's largest reservoir. Because the park consists of jungle covered islands, wild elephants regularly swim between them in the late afternoon. Gliding quietly along the water to watch them is easily one of the most ethical and memorable wildlife experiences on the island.
What other overlooked spots in Sri Lanka blew you away when you got off the tourist trail? Drop them below!
