Sri Lanka's Cultural Triangle has an embarrassment of religious and cultural riches, as well as staggering scenic beauty, making it an essential stop on most Sri Lanka travel itineraries. Its standout sites though are the stunning Sigiriya rock fortress and the Dambulla Cave Temples.
Helpfully, the close proximity of sites means it a boon for the time-stretched traveller. In just 48 hours you can take in both these treasures and two of the country's most unforgettable experiences.
Get the full story and read our 48-hour guide to The Cultural Triangle -
including what to see, where to go and where to stay - here:
www.jetwinghote...
"I spot it first from the jeep - an ancient volcanic outcrop, rising proudly from this island’s central plains in the heart of what is known here as the ‘Cultural Triangle’. This is a region with an embarrassment of religious and cultural riches, as well as staggering scenic beauty, making it an essential stop on most Sri Lanka travel itineraries. Helpfully, the close proximity of sites means it a boon for the time-stretched traveller. In just 48 hours you can take in some of the country’s most unforgettable experiences.
Yet few people arrive prepared for Sigiriya or ‘Lion Rock’, the ancient rock fortress and perhaps Sri Lanka’s most arresting sight. Standing at the edge of water gardens, which form the formal entrance to its foothills, its vertical sides soar up, filling my vision. From here I can see little of what lies on its summit, but the water gardens provide tantalising clues. Serene and landscaped they also hide some of this rock’s secrets and engineering wonders in plain sight. As we walk past some old fountains, our guide from the local Jetwing Lake hotel - Bandara - drops an amazing fact: these were fed by underground pipework that ran from the very top of the rock to where we are standing, hundreds of meters in total. Even more impressive is that, in rainy season, they still work. This perfect union of form and function, of art and science, sums up much of what makes this place both so beguiling. Small wonder it is an official UNESCO World Heritage site and, albeit less officially, known as the ‘Eighth Wonder of the World’."