Ancient to extraordinary: six Sri Lankan sites that defy the travel trends

We used to know Sri Lanka mainly for its tea (do try it!). Then, after the civil war ended in 2009, its beaches caught the eye of backpackers. The island became known for sun, sand, and surf - a new frontier for the more adventurous young travellers looking for something beyond Southeast Asia.

In the past decade, though, tourism in Sri Lanka seems to have been constantly evolving, as though the country doesn't quite know who it wants... and its visitors don't quite know what they want from it. Influencers have flooded feeds with dreamy train trips in the mountains, mainstream tours have followed the crowds on the same route to the main attractions, high-end travellers have stretched their wallets at new yoga and ayurvedic wellness retreats, while the coastal towns have seen digital nomads fill the places once taken by budget backpackers.

Despite all the changes - and the country is still, in many ways, in a state of flux - there has been a constant over the years: the heritage. Centuries of cultural brilliance have left their mark, and one of the best ways to get a sense of it all is through Sri Lanka's six cultural World Heritage Sites. Each, in its own way, is well worth a visit.

Probably the most famous of these sites is Sigiriya, the 5th-century fortress built atop a massive granite column by a king fearful for his life. Why was he so scared? Well, he'd just killed his father to take the throne and his brother was out for revenge!

The new king, Kashyapa I, turned Sigiriya into a small city, with the centre of it 180 metres above the ground, with grand halls, residential areas, and pools. Climbing the steep and narrow staircase to the uppermost ruins, past rock murals and carvings, is the highlight these days, although there's also lots to see lower down if you can't face the steps.

Oh, and if you were wondering, Kashyapa's brother did eventually come for him and win the battle.

Before it was moved to Sigiriya, the royal capital of Sri Lanka was in Anuradhapura, and many important buildings have been protected from its centuries as a cultural centre.

There are remains of palaces and monasteries, temples with rock carvings, royal baths and pleasure gardens, and many stupas (including the oldest in Sri Lanka and one of the largest in the world). But the highlight for many pilgrims is the Sri Maha Bodhi Tree, considered the world's oldest known living tree (2300 years and counting!), grown from the original Bodhi tree under which Buddha is said to have attained enlightenment.

It was in the third century BC, not long after Anuradhapura became the capital, that Buddhist monks first started living in natural caves at Dambulla, about 60 kilometres away. In the centuries to follow, they gradually transformed them into incredible art galleries filled with colourful Buddha statues and paintings on the rock walls.

There are several main caves you can go into, filled with dozens of statues and murals. Whatever the weather outside, these caverns feel cold and quiet, a spiritual aura amongst the darkness. It's a popular pilgrimage site for locals who make the trek up the long staircase to the temple. Don't let the climb put you off - join the worshippers at one of Sri Lanka's most interesting sites.

In 993, Anuradhapura was destroyed in an invasion by the Chola Empire from India - and Sri Lanka's capital was moved to Polonnaruwa. What had been a military outpost quickly transformed into an opulent city with a 1000-room palace at its centre, surrounded by ceremonial and religious monuments. Many are considered to be highlights of South Asian medieval architecture.

There's lots to see but it's all relatively compact, so I recommend hiring a bike and cycling around the ancient city. The most important stop will be at Gal Vihara, where there are four massive Buddha statues carved out of a single granite rock face, including a 14-metre-long reclining Buddha.

From Anuradhapura to Polonnaruwa, whenever the capital was moved, so was one important relic - a tooth of Buddha that was smuggled out of India in the 4th century. The Sinhalese believed whoever possessed the tooth had the divine right to rule and an important temple was always built for it. The last of them to be constructed was in Kandy, the capital of the final independent kingdom during the colonial period.

Kandy's Temple of the Tooth is the focus of the city's World Heritage Site and has huge crowds of local pilgrims every day. You can join them to walk past elephant statues, through golden corridors, and next to offerings of flowers. The tooth itself isn't on display, but you'll know where it is by the large gathering around its shrine.

Finally, the legacy of Sri Lanka's colonial occupiers can be seen in the city of Galle on the island's south coast. Founded by the Portuguese, expanded by the Dutch, then taken over by the British, the architecture is an amalgam of all those European influences with traditional Sri Lankan styles.

Many visitors are drawn here for the restored heritage buildings now used as boutique hotels, restaurants, and shops. But don't miss important landmarks like the churches, the clock tower, and the historical mansion museum. My top tip is to walk along the seawall to the lighthouse, built in 1848, a symbol of the foreign visitors who saw the riches of Sri Lanka well before today's tourists.