Ritigala, truly an eco travel enthusiast’s paradise lies 157Km’s away from the bustling city of Colombo and it is situated between 2 of the most important ancient cities of  Sri Lanka, Anuradhapura and Pollonnaruwa which are only 43Km’s and 49Km’s away. It will take around 6 hours to get to this city that has many ruins from an old Buddhist Monastery dated back to the 1st century BC.

Ritigala Mountain Range situated in the Ritigala Strict Nature Reserve has 4 peaks and the highest peak in the south is called the Ritigala Kanda (Mountain). Ritigala Kanda is comparatively in a higher elevation than Sigiriya, Dambulla and Mihintale even though it is only 2513ft., high. This mountain range that needs to be travelled mostly on gravel and dirt roads is a perfect place for hiking and the road sides are filled with fauna and flora unique to its Dry Zone.  Do not forget to carry water and snacks if you intend to stay long hours inside this reserve which is a bit away from the villages.

The Buddhist Monastery has been in the eastern side of the mountain range of Ritigala and all the ruins are in a vast area of 24 acres. The caves in Ritigala are extremely prehistoric as well but a lovely site for both young and the old with archaeological importance and there are plenty of tales about these old caves, the monastery and the area even though it’s a comparatively infamous city when looking at Anuradhapura and Pollonnaruwa

You won’t be able to find hotels or resorts inside the nature reserve of Ritigala and will have to travel to Habarana for lodging which is only 21Km’s away.  Habarana has many great hotels and boutique hotels that will provide you with comfortable lodging. Cinnamon Lodge Habarana and Chaaya Village Habarana are great hotels to be visiting with many luxury facilities. 

If you love nature and its gifts you wouldn’t even mind getting lost in the jungle tracks you need to be travelling to reach Ritigala because the beauty inside the nature reserve cannot be easily explained through words.