One of Sri Lanka’s most extraordinary and least-visited sites, Ritigala is an ancient forest monastery complex hidden within a strictly protected nature reserve whose isolation has preserved both its ecology and its atmosphere. The ruins date from the 1st century BCE and extend across a mountain whose forest has never been cleared for agriculture, creating a biodiversity corridor of exceptional quality. Walking through Ritigala with a specialist guide is an encounter with archaeology, ecology, and an ancient quality of stillness that few destinations on the island can match.