Top choice in The Hill Country
On the edge of the Sinharaja reserve (very rare purple-faced langurs are regularly seen) this is one of the remotest hotels in Sri Lanka. Highly original rooms with stupendous views have been created out of metal shipping containers. The staff are trained from the local community, water comes from nearby springs and there's also an impressive recycling scheme.
It's 17½ rather tortuous kilometres north of Deniyaya.
24.09 MILES
With herds of elephants, wild buffalos, sambars and spotted deer, and giant squirrels, this Sri Lankan national park is one of the nation's finest. In…
22.71 MILES
Dangling off a rocky crag 16km northwest of Tangalla and nestled away among a green forest of coconut trees are the peaceful rock temples of Mulkirigala…
19.03 MILES
This complex is a halfway house for orphaned elephants. After rehabilitation, the elephants…
28.48 MILES
This exquisite tea plantation in the hills above Koggala offers (free) highly informative tours of the estate. You'll sample and learn how they produce…
5.12 MILES
The Sinharaja (Lion King) rainforests occupy a broad ridge at the heart of the island’s wet zone. The only way to get about the reserve is by foot, and…
23.61 MILES
This Buddhist temple, 4km northwest of the city, is an architectural treasure well worth visiting. Perched on a small hill, it has a handsome series of…
29.96 MILES
Just offshore – you can walk out to it at low tide – is this tiny island. It looks like an ideal artist’s or writer’s retreat, which indeed it once was:…
21.4 MILES
Established by a local gemmologist, this impressive private collection of precious stones (plus quartz, fossils and artefacts) is a good place to learn…
5.12 MILES
The Sinharaja (Lion King) rainforests occupy a broad ridge at the heart of the island’s wet zone. The only way to get about the reserve is by foot, and…
6.29 MILES
The Kolawenigama Temple, 6km southwest of Deniyaya, is of modest proportions, but has a unique structure that resembles Kandy’s Temple of the Sacred Tooth…
6.58 MILES
The impressive Kiruwananaganga Falls, some of the largest in Sri Lanka (60m high in stages and up to 60m wide during the height of the rainy season), are…
4. Getabaruwa Raja Maha Viharaya
6.93 MILES
This superb early-17th-century rock temple is just west of Kotapola, 11km south of Deniyaya. There's a steep access road then steps up to the site, which…
19.03 MILES
This complex is a halfway house for orphaned elephants. After rehabilitation, the elephants…
21.4 MILES
Established by a local gemmologist, this impressive private collection of precious stones (plus quartz, fossils and artefacts) is a good place to learn…
22.41 MILES
There’s a full-size replica of the Aukana Buddha at this vihara on top of a hill overlooking town; you can walk to it through Pompakele Forest Park.
22.63 MILES
The town’s somewhat neglected National Museum displays the fossilised remains of various animals (including rhinos and elephants) discovered in gem pits…