A guide to Peradeniya Royal Botanic Gardens: 14th-century royal origins, Allied WWII command centre, the orchid house, visiting tips and map.

A guide to the Three Temples Loop near Kandy (Gadaladeniya, Lankatilaka, Embekke): the Gampola era, walking route, visiting tips and map.

A guide to Gadaladeniya Temple near Kandy: its 1344 construction by a South Indian architect, Dravidian stone carving, visiting tips and map.

A guide to Lankatilaka Temple near Kandy: its clifftop position, 172 original steps, frescoes, and the theory of divine kingship, visiting tips and map.

A guide to Embekke Devale near Kandy: its UNESCO-recognised wooden pillars, the Drummers' Hall, King Vikramabahu III's dedication, visiting tips and map.

A guide to Hakgala Botanical Gardens near Nuwara Eliya: the Ramayana Ashok Vatika legend, cinchona research history, rose gardens, visiting tips and map.

A guide to Dunhinda Falls near Badulla: the 'mist waterfall' name, buried treasure legend, eloped princess story, visiting tips and map.

A guide to Badulla: the provincial capital linked to King Ravana, the Buddha's third visit, and 'champagne tea,' visiting tips and map.

A guide to the Badulla Kataragama Devalaya: its destruction by Portuguese forces, the Battle of Randeniwela, Kandyan wood carving, visiting tips and map.

A guide to Nuwara Eliya: how a Nile explorer built a British hill town in Sri Lanka's highlands, colonial architecture, visiting tips and map.