Sigiriya

Sigiriya rises 200 metres straight out of the surrounding plain, and on its flat summit are the ruins of a fifth-century royal citadel built by King Kasyapa. The approach alone is remarkable: symmetrical water gardens, a mirror wall once polished enough to reflect the king, and a gateway that was originally a colossal lion, of which only the paws survive.

Sheltered in a rock pocket halfway up are the Sigiriya frescoes — celestial maidens painted more than 1,500 years ago, their colours still startling. It is a steep climb of around 1,200 steps, and worth every one.