How To Use This E-Book
Getting around the e-book
This Insight Guide e-book is designed to give you inspiration for your visit to Sri Lanka, as well as comprehensive planning advice to make sure you have the best travel experience. The guide begins with our selection of Top Attractions, as well as our Editors Choice categories of activities and experiences. Detailed features on history, people and culture paint a vivid portrait of contemporary life in Sri Lanka. The extensive Places chapters give a complete guide to all the sights and areas worth visiting. The Travel Tips provide full information on getting around, activities from culture to shopping to sport, plus a wealth of practical information to help you plan your trip.
In the Table of Contents and throughout this e-book you will see hyperlinked references. Just tap a hyperlink once to skip to the section you would like to read. Practical information and listings are also hyperlinked, so as long as you have an external connection to the internet, you can tap a link to go directly to the website for more information.
Maps
All key attractions and sights in Sri Lanka are numbered and cross-referenced to high-quality maps. Wherever you see the reference [map] just tap this to go straight to the related map. You can also double-tap any map for a zoom view.
Images
Youll find hundreds of beautiful high-resolution images that capture the essence of Sri Lanka. Simply double-tap on an image to see it full-screen.
About Insight Guides
Insight Guides have more than 40 years experience of publishing high-quality, visual travel guides. We produce 400 full-colour titles, in both print and digital form, covering more than 200 destinations across the globe, in a variety of formats to meet your different needs.
Insight Guides are written by local authors, whose expertise is evident in the extensive historical and cultural background features. Each destination is carefully researched by regional experts to ensure our guides provide the very latest information. All the reviews in Insight Guides are independent; we strive to maintain an impartial view. Our reviews are carefully selected to guide you to the best places to eat, go out and shop, so you can be confident that when we say a place is special, we really mean it.
2018 Apa Digital (CH) AG and Apa Publications (UK) Ltd
Table of Contents
Sri Lankas Top 10 Attractions
Top Attraction 1
Galle Fort. A perfectly preserved colonial time capsule, the quiet streets of Galle Fort ooze old-world atmosphere, with characterful Dutch-era mansions encircled by a venerable chain of ramparts and bastions, and the crashing waves of the Indian Ocean breaking just beyond. For more information, .
Corbis
Top Attraction 2
Kandy. The cultural capital of Sri Lanka has a vibrant traditional arts scene, a superb array of Buddhist temples and palaces, and a beautiful location amidst the islands precipitous central hills. For more information, .
Sylvaine Poitau/Apa Publications
Top Attraction 3
The Gathering, Minneriya National Park. The worlds largest gathering of Asian elephants, who congregate around the waters of Minneriya tank in their hundreds every year from June to September. For more information, .
Alamy
Top Attraction 4
Polonnaruwa. This is where youll find Sri Lankas finest collection of ancient Buddhist art and architecture, from the magnificent rock-carved statues of the Gal Vihara to the exquisitely decorated temples of the Quadrangle. For more information, .
Sylvaine Poitau/Apa Publications
Top Attraction 5
Yala National Park. Sri Lankas foremost wildlife destination is home to the worlds highest concentration of leopards, alongside elephants aplenty, fabulous birdlife and skittish monkeys plus a wonderful landscape of unspoilt jungle and salty lagoons. For more information, .
Sylvaine Poitau/Apa Publications
Top Attraction 6
Sigiriya. The unforgettable rock-fortress of Sigiriya towers high over the surrounding plains, one of Sri Lankas most dramatic natural sights and brimful of historical interest too. For more information, .
Sylvaine Poitau/Apa Publications
Top Attraction 7
Rice and curry. For the true flavour of Sri Lanka, tuck into an authentic Sri Lankan rice and curry, a miniature banquet of contrasting ingredients and flavours with a fair bit of spice thrown in. For more information, .
Sylvaine Poitau/Apa Publications
Top Attraction 8
Anuradhapura. Capital of Sri Lanka for over 1,000 years, its enormous dagobas and jungle-swathed ruins are among the islands most magnificent, and atmospheric, ancient remains. For more information, .
Shutterstock
Top Attraction 9
Worlds End. The hill country at its most dramatic: the sheer cliffs of Worlds End fall away beneath ones feet for the best part of a kilometre, offering heart-stopping views over the distant plains below. For more information, .
Sylvaine Poitau/Apa Publications
Top Attraction 10
Whale-watching. Southern Sri Lanka offers arguably the best place in the world to see both blue and sperm whales together, along with lots of dolphins. For more information, .