Author name: Dinesh siri

Ella sits at just over 1,000 metres, and it shows the moment you step off the train — cooler air,

Mirissa is small — one curved beach, a handful of streets running back from it — but it packs in

Galle Fort is one of the best-preserved colonial fortifications in Asia — built by the Portuguese, expanded by the Dutch

At just under 1,900 metres, Nuwara Eliya is the coolest town in Sri Lanka by a wide margin — evenings

Trincomalee sits on one of the finest natural deep-water harbours in the world, and it’s shaped the town’s whole history

Negombo sits fifteen minutes from Bandaranaike International Airport, which is the main reason most visitors see it at all —

Habarana doesn’t have a single headline sight of its own, and that’s exactly the point — it sits at the

Sinharaja is Sri Lanka’s last significant stretch of primary rainforest, and it’s protected accordingly — a UNESCO World Heritage site

Talalla is what Mirissa was before it became well-known — a long, largely undeveloped stretch of south coast sand, with

Tangalle is the south coast’s quieter answer to Mirissa — longer, less-crowded beaches, and a pace that suits travellers who’d