This one takes a little effort to reach, and that’s precisely why it’s worth it. Ritigala is an ancient Buddhist forest monastery built by ascetic monks in the 1st century BCE on an isolated granite mountain deep in the dry zone interior – its stone pathways, meditation platforms, and bathing ponds gradually reclaimed by the forest over the centuries since the monastery was abandoned. The site was never fully excavated and retains a sense of genuine mystery. Combined with the surrounding medicinal forest – one of the richest in Sri Lanka – it’s the kind of destination that rewards travellers who seek out what most others miss.