CultureAncient sites, living culture

See Sigiriya at first light, before the stairs get busy, and the Dambulla cave temples with the lights low. Visit the Temple of the Tooth in Kandy during the morning ritual, and walk the fort streets of Galle in the early evening. Anuradhapura and the older capital at Polonnaruwa complete the ancient triangle.

The smaller sites are worth the detour: Mihintale, where Buddhism first arrived; the Aluvihara caves at Matale, where the Tripitaka was written down; and Embekke's wood-carving temple in the Kandyan hills. In the north, the Nallur Kandaswamy temple and the Dutch fort at Jaffna reflect the island's Hindu and Tamil heritage. Sri Lanka is Buddhist, Hindu, Muslim and Christian within an hour's drive.

Timing helps. The Esala Perahera processes through Kandy in July or August with caparisoned elephants and Kandyan dancers. Vesak fills the country with lanterns in May, and the Sinhala and Tamil New Year falls in April. Traditional crafts continue too, from mask carving at Ambalangoda to batik in Mahawewa.

Our guides are chosen for genuine expertise, built on years of return visits and the patience to take a site slowly.