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UNESCO World Heritage Sites

10 places

Sri Lanka’s eight UNESCO World Heritage Sites — listed here as ten places, since the Central Highlands inscription covers three protected areas (Peak Wilderness/Adam’s Peak, Horton Plains, and Knuckles).

All sites

Adam's Peak, a 2,243-metre conical mountain in Sri Lanka's central highlands

Adam's Peak (Sri Pada)

Anuradhapura, Sri Lanka's first ancient capital

Anuradhapura

Dambulla Cave Temple, featuring the reclining Buddha statue in the largest cave

Dambulla Cave Temple

Galle Fort, the 17th-century Dutch fortress on Sri Lanka's southern coast

Galle Fort

Galle

Montane grassland and cloud forest at Horton Plains in the central highlands

Horton Plains National Park

Knuckles Mountain Range, the third Central Highlands UNESCO component east of Kandy

Knuckles Mountain Range

Ruins of Polonnaruwa, Sri Lanka's medieval capital

Polonnaruwa

Sigiriya, the 5th-century rock fortress in Sri Lanka's Cultural Triangle

Sigiriya Rock Fortress

Sinharaja Forest Reserve, Sri Lanka's largest lowland rainforest

Sinharaja Forest Reserve

Temple of the Tooth, a Buddhist shrine in Kandy

Temple of the Tooth