Things to Do in Colombo

A rocky mountain plateau rising some 660 feet above the relatively flat landscape in central Sri Lanka supports one of the country’s most significant cultural and historical sites: an ancient sky palace.
Atop this massive rock column, King Kassapa I built a palace complex in the late fifth century. Experts say less than 20 percent of the original structures survive today.

While for some it’s enough just to visit the onsite museum and glimpse the monolith from below, most visitors attempt to climb the approximately 1,200 steps to the summit of Sigiriya. Through an entrance guarded by lion’s feet, visitors ascend to Mirror Wall, a narrow passageway which now appears as an orange ring near the base of the rock. There, a smooth, lacquered wall reflects original frescoes of deities painted on the rock face opposite. Afterward, a not-for-the-faint-of-heart series of spiral staircases lead to more frescoes and to the final Lion Staircase, where visitors make their final ascent to the summit Sky Palace. All vantages afford much-needed breaks and breathtaking views of the jungle below. The summit’s terraced gardens and water gardens, along with the remaining foundations of early structures, leave everyone marveling at this remarkable feat of sky-high engineering.

Wildlife abounds in southern Sri Lanka’s Udawalawe National Park. Here, open-top jeep safaris bring visitors within close range of members of the park’s resident elephant population — some say it’s the country’s largest, with as many as 400 individuals. The park is centered around a massive man-made reservoir, which displaced hundreds of hectares when it was created in the 1970s but now draws wild buffaloes, sambar deer, crocodiles, jackals, macaques, leopards and flocks of water birds. Udawalawe’s dry weather and short, grassy vegetation provides an ideal setting for viewing these creatures.

Most park visitors arrive via an organized tour; only official vehicles and those with park-licensed guides are allowed to explore the park. For an extended stay and a greater chance of seeing some of the park’s rarer critters, visitors can also opt to stay in onsite accommodations, which include four campsites and bungalows ranging from plain rustic to rustic chic.

Just outside the park, the ETH, or Elephant Transit Home, is a popular stop often combined with a trip to Udawalawe — there, baby elephants, orphaned by the ivory trade, are rehabilitated and released to join the park’s population.