Many people come here to see the Dambulla Cave Temple, a sacred pilgrimage site with a rich history that goes back millennia. This is the best-preserved cave temple in Sri Lanka, featuring five main caves filled with ancient Buddha statues, shrines and intricate frescoes. You don’t need to be a Buddhist to feel the spiritual hum here. Just to walk through the hushed corridors set into the curved rockface feels like stepping back in time.

You can carry on from here to see the Golden Temple, which you won’t struggle to spot. A giant gold Buddha sits gleaming at the top, proudly looking out over the town. Aside from these well-known sites, you can visit a prehistoric burial site, or pop into Popham’s Arboretum, a 34.5-acre sanctuary, where night safaris are popular for a chance to spot the rare Gray Slender Loris. If you’re after slightly larger (more conspicuous) wildlife, you can easily go on a safari in nearby Minneriya and surrounding national parks to see wild elephants.