Dambulla

Dambulla is a rock temple that monks have used for around two thousand years. Five caves under a great overhang hold painted ceilings and more than a hundred statues of the Buddha, most of them gilded, set in cool half-light.

The walk up takes about fifteen to twenty minutes on stone steps, and you leave your shoes at the foot. Go early, before the heat, and wear something that covers your shoulders and knees; the paving gets hot by midday.

Dambulla sits on the main road into the cultural triangle, twenty to thirty minutes from Sigiriya. Most people stop for the morning on the way rather than stay the night, which also breaks the long drive from the airport.