Wanderlust - 04.2020

SRILANKA

88 wanderlust.co.ukApril 2020

AWL; Dreamstime

Rockofages

Sigiriya,theancient

rockfortress,isnearly

200mhighandserved

asamonasterybefore

becomingthesiteof

aroyalresidence

around500BC;

(bottomleft)Buddhas

atDambulla’scaves

DURATION1014days

ROUTEKandy•Polonnaruwa•

Dambulla•Sigiriya•

Anuradhapura•Anamaduwa

WHYDOIT?Totickoive

ofSriLanka’seightUNESCO

WorldHeritagesites.

Kandywasthelastkingdomto

fallintoBritishhandsin1815.

Busybydayyetghostlyquiet

byevening,it’spopularly

visitedforitsgilt-roofedTooth

TempleandtheBotanical

GardenslankingPeradeniya

University’sleafycampus.

Othersightsaredeservingtoo

• dothe‘three-templeloop’by

The culture trip

Bestfor:Archaeology,culture&history

tuk-tukandtraveltotheoutskirts

ofthecitytovisitthreeintricately

carved,historicdevales

(sacredshrines)atEmbekke,

LankatilakeandGadaladeniya

Inthedry-zoneplainssome

threehoursnorthofKandylie

theoriginsofSriLankan

civilisation–vast,ancientcities

withman-madetanks,graceful

stupasandcarvedmoonstones

lyingpartlyexcavatedbeneath

dustyforest.Anuradhapuraand

Polonnaruwa’sancientruinsare

extensive,andbestexploredby

bicycle(hireonefromthe

entrances).Visitformerrocktop

fortressSigiriyaassoonasit

⊳

openstoavoidtheheatand

coachpartyqueues,orscale

Pidurangalarock,opposite,for

viewsofSigiriya’sgiantlion

paws.Nottobeoutdone,

Dambulla’scavetemplesglowin

thelateafternoonlight.

Windyourtripupinan

eco-lodgeinAnamaduwa

(themudhouse.lk),ringedbyrocky

outcrops,riceieldsandlotus-

strewnlakes.Fromhere,visit

archaeologicalsitesYapahuwa

andDambadeniya(bothformer

royalcapitals),therocktempleat

MulegamaandthenTonigala’s

30m-longrockinscriptions(the

longestofitskindinAsia).

Minneriya

NP

Wilpattu

NP

Anuradhapura

Alankula

Beach

Colombo Kandy

Sigiriya

Dambulla

Anuradhapura

Anamaduwa

Tonigala

Polonnaruwa

0 20 km

⊳