Sinharaja Rainforest

Sinharaja is the island's last great stretch of primary lowland rainforest, a UNESCO World Heritage wilderness where more than half the trees, and a remarkable share of the birds, butterflies, and amphibians, exist nowhere else on Earth. Walking its trails is an immersion in green: towering dipterocarps, curtains of liana, the constant chorus of cicadas, and mixed feeding flocks that can hold a dozen endemic bird species in a single tree.

Go with one of the superb local guides — they hear and spot what you never would, from green pit vipers coiled on branches to the blue flash of a Sri Lanka magpie. Mornings are best, leeches are part of the deal, and the forest after rain is unforgettable.

We've walked the trails, paid the fees, and rated every guide. Below: how to get there, when to skip it, and what nearby places pair well — the kind of advice a local friend would give.