It is customary to speak of Sri Lanka primarily as a resort. Indeed, it is a difficult task to gain strength and leave the picturesque Lankan beach, even for the sake of the most exciting locations. And yet this place has something to surprise, even if at first glance it seems that the nine-arch bridge, Adam’s Peak and the temple of the tooth of the Buddha are the local maximum. We tell you where you will get invaluable impressions. The rules of entry into the country are available by the link.

You can fly to Colombo on direct flights of Aeroflot in about 8 hours.

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The north of the island is not very popular with tourists. Meanwhile, it is here that the archaeological park and Mihintale Temple Complex, which is considered the cradle of Buddhism in Sri Lanka. The well-known name of this place was given after a mountain range 12 km east of the ancient capital of the island of Anuradhapura. And the place, in turn, bears the name of Mahinda, an Indian preacher who brought Buddhism to these lands in the III century BC.

In fact, the ridge consists of only three hills: Mango Plateau, Royal Hill and Elephant Mountain. But the complex itself occupies a much larger area, which almost all tourists usually run past. The fact is that if you search for Mahinda on the Internet, you mostly come across an image of giant boulders on top of a hill — the so-called Invitation rock. For local pilgrims, these stones are one of the main religious shrines. It is not surprising that her photos are most replicated on the web. The way to the top along the worn stone steps is difficult and quite dangerous, and the view from above, although picturesque, is clearly not worth a trip from a Lankan beach. Therefore, if you decide to travel here, you need to keep in mind that in addition to the rock of Invitation, the archaeological complex is replete with atmospheric ruins, ancient dagobas, small stupas (Buddhist architectural and sculptural religious buildings), secret and not very caves, ponds full of water lilies… In general, the location is definitely not for one photo, but for a full-fledged walk for the whole day. Just keep in mind that you can only move around the temple complex barefoot, so you may need to bring socks with you.

An hour and a half south of Mahinda, almost in the center of the island, is located “Lion Rock”, which is also called Sigiriya. At the top there is a massive sloping rocky plateau, and on it is what remains of an ancient fortress.

The ascent is paid, costs more than $ 20 * per person, but the stairs to the top are rarely empty even at five in the morning and after dark, because the sunrises and sunsets encountered there are remembered by tourists for a long time.

But literally a couple of kilometers north of Sigiriya, you can get the same impressions almost ten times cheaper. Pidurangala Rock – also a triangular-shaped inclined plateau at the top of the hill. At the foot of Pidurangala there is a small cave temple, and immediately after it the ascent begins. The staircase winds through a dense tropical forest and leads to huge boulders, at the base of which you can find ancient monastic cells carved directly into the stone. Further along the road you will meet a restored statue of the reclining Buddha, and then the most difficult part of the road will begin – narrow passages along a rocky embankment among inclined slabs and, finally, a plateau-top with an amazing view not only of dawn and sunset, but also of the Lion Rock, which is much more picturesque and textured than Pidurangala, if viewed from the side.

Sri Lanka is rightfully considered a country of waterfalls. 150 km east of Colombo, on the Kotmale Oya River, is located Devon Falls. Powerful streams break from a 97-meter height and hit first a flat large rock, and then, having overcome several smaller rapids, they are lost in the dense greenery of the Lankan jungle. In the background, neatly trimmed plantations can be seen, founded in the colonial era by one of the British colonialist entrepreneurs, whose name this waterfall received.

A few kilometers to the east is the local “Little Niagara”, that’s what they call this wide – 80 meters – porozhisty St. Clair Falls. Because of the dam that was built above a few years ago, as well as the abundance of small rapids, it seems that the water flows down the riverbed slowly, as if reluctantly making its way through the emerald tea fields.

Unfortunately, there is no way to get closer to Devon or St. Clair: the rocky landscape with steep drops and land leeches are to blame for everything, happily waiting for curious victims on literally every wild bush.

There is a special place in the south of the island — Sinharaja National Park. Locals call this forest the king of the jungle. The uniqueness of this place is that a special biosphere characteristic of moist primeval forests has been preserved in its depths: giant horsetails, fleshy lianas, huge ferns, as well as dozens of birds, mammals, reptiles and insects listed in the Red Book. Even wild elephants live in the jungle, but locals always warn tourists not to look for a meeting with them in any case: this can be deadly, as is the case with snakes, leopards… However, the primeval forest, as well as its surroundings already inhabited by mankind, are attractive because almost everything in them tries to kill, and then also eat a pale, gaping tourist from a far northern country. Therefore, it is better to hire a guide to visit this place safely.

Like Sinharaja, Yala Park It is a national protected nature reserve, and the oldest, the first open on the island. Unfortunately, this oasis of wildlife was hardest hit by the tsunami in December 2004.

A wave six meters high swept the shore for a kilometer and a half and literally washed the tourist part of the reserve into the ocean along with some of its inhabitants. Over the next 20 years, the park has almost completely recovered, but locals claim that the tsunami has greatly changed its appearance.

Spice plantations are one of the ways of sightseeing and entertainment leisure for tourists. Pepper, cloves, cardamom, vanilla, cinnamon – these are just some of the types of spices that have long grown in Sri Lanka. Guests of the island can touch the fragrant world in any of the three dozen certified by the government spice gardens. In fact, these are ancient plantations turned into tourist locations and aimed primarily at the tourist’s wallet. Nevertheless, to see how nutmeg, cardamom and cinnamon grow, to find out, for example, that vanilla and black pepper are actually a kind of lianas, and expensive sandalwood is a weed and a parasite, seems to be an educational and broadening event. Due to the climate, the best spice harvest is traditionally harvested in the areas of Matale, Kandy and Kegalle, where most of these gardens are concentrated.

*Prices are valid at the time of publication