Sigiriya rock fortress

There’s nothing in the world like Sigiriya rock fortress. Guaranteed to punch the breath right out of you (and not just because of the 1,200-step climb to the top), this one-time city in the sky seems to have sprung fully formed from the jungled plains of northeast Sri Lanka. That’s not true, of course; Sigiriya reclines on the magma plug of a volcano that blew its top around two billion years ago. The volcano itself is long gone, leaving behind the 200m-high column crowned with the ruins of a fortified 5th-century palace – and some of the best views in Sri Lanka.

The 5th-century King Kasyapa rocketed Sigiriya to bright (if short-lived) national fame. He bumped off his father, swiped the throne from his half-brother, and planted himself on Sigiriya, building a fortified city around him. But for all the work put into the rock-top palace and surrounding moats, gardens, orchards and pools, King Kasyapa only stayed for 11 years before being ousted by his half-brother. Buddhist monks moved in for a few centuries, before abandoning Sigiriya to the forest – where it stayed, until colonist archaeologists came knocking in the 1800s.

The reward for your climb? No biggie: just the best view in Sri Lanka. Eagles circle below your boots, hovering over miles of jungle and lakes that roll out to the Knuckles Mountains. Look down, and you’ll finally appreciate the mathematical symmetry of the pools and paths of the pleasure gardens.

Your guide will show you how Sigiriya was actually more pleasure palace than fort. They’ll decipher the skeletons of tiered pools, water cisterns and dance halls, and explain why the Buddhist monks come to wash their feet in the lily ponds. This is your chance to rest in the shade before taking the 1,200 steps back down to earth.