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Ratnapura

Named as the “city of Gems”. Almost every street corner you could find gem related dealings. The Gem Museum exhibits prehistoric fossils, precious stones and valuable jewellery item. You could see the demonstrations of jewel polishing by the craftsmen at workshops; even the finish products are available. You can buy very rare shades of gems in this area. This city is one entrance to historical ‘Adams Peak’ or ‘Sri Pada’ mountain which is worshiped by many pilgrims.

Sinharaja Rain Forest

Which is a world heritage site. This is the only surviving tropical rain forest in Sri Lanka. Waterproof clothing and boots are essential. Not a hint of sunlight penetrates the dense tree canopy on which the rain patters. Insects hum and chirp incessantly, but only the Butterflies display any colour in this evergreen world. In addition, there is very rare endemic bird call “Blue Magpie”. Environmental protection groups saved this paradise by freeing from timber factories and the forest has been nature reserve since 1989.The travellers can feel that they have entered into another world without distracting sounds of day-to-day hassle.

Hot water wells

The island has no any active volcanoes, but there are hot springs in Sri Lanka which are situated in a line from Hambanthota to Trincomalee and Madunagala is lying in the middle. All the hot springs are suitable for bath. Madunagala hot springs are well constructed as a bathing spot by the local council.

Buduruwagala

Is a place where one can find a group of statues embossed on a granite rock; the finest example of “Mahayana” concept existed in the island. It is believed to be carved over thousands of years ago using an unknown mechanism. The tallest image of Buddha stands 50 ft high, dominant in the centre, out of seven figures.

Bundala

This is the first Ramsar Site declared in Sri Lanka and it is the most important wetland for the birds outside the Northern Province. The park’s lagoons are amongst the most important wintering areas for migratory shore birds in the country, regularly accommodating over 15,000 of them at any one time. It is the last refuge of the greater Flamingo in this part of the island besides being important for elephants and variety of threatened reptiles.

Galle

This was once the key Port of Sri Lanka. Galle is still well known for hand-made lace. You can also visit the Galle Fort (spanning 90 acres), which was originally built by the Portuguese and later extended by the Dutch in 1663. This is a World Heritage site too.

Turtle Hatchery

This is a conservation project to save turtles considered as endangered species. Sri Lanka is a safe haven for turtles. Out of eight remaining turtle species five of them lay their eggs on Sri Lankan coast during the breeding season (December to February).

Madu River

This is one of the most beautiful wetlands of Sri Lanka. The importance of this estuarine lagoon was recognized with the declaration as a Ramsar site in March 2004. With this declaration, Madu River has been given the status as a wetland of international importance. Madu River is very rich in natural stands of Mangroves. There are total 14 different species of Mangroves to be found. It is also a wonderful place to observe animals, especially birds. The best time to do so is just after sunrise or just before the sunset at this hour bird-singing is eminent. Boat rides are available for those who love to travel through this wetland and jungle.