Sri Lankans refer to the area most important to their history and culture as the Cultural Triangle, and with good reason, as it is a highlight of any tour of the island and this region is highly recommended to visitors to their country.

The so-called Cultural Triangle stands on its point in the Hill Country at Kandy, capital of the last Sinhalese kingdom. Within this area are the great sites of ancient Lanka. Close to Kandy is Aluvihara, the sacred monastery of the sangha where the Buddhist Doctrine or Tripitaka was first set down in writing in the 1st Century BC. At the top left is Anuradhapura, the first capital over 2500 years ago, where centuries of kings built even larger domed monuments to the Buddha.

Nearby is Mihintale, a monastic city which grew up around the cave that sheltered the first disciple of Buddhism to reach Sri Lanka, Mahinda. The medieval capital, Polonnaruwa, is further south and contains complete buildings and colossal rock sculptures. In the middle are Sigiriya, where a usurper built his magnificent royal palace on top of a loaf-shaped rock, Dambulla, site of the most impressive cave temples in Sri Lanka, and finally the 8th-Century gedige or image house at Nalanda, a curious hybrid of Buddhist and Hindu architecture set in peaceful and enchanting surroundings.

The cultural wealth of this region is indicated by the presence of five of the island's World Heritage Sites, containing treasures ranging from the exquisite paintings high on Sigiriya's rock face to the recumbent monolithic Buddha in Polonnaruwa.