Anuradhapura Ancient City, Anuradhapura

Famous for its well-preserved ruins of an ancient civilisation, Anuradhapura is one of the ancient Sri Lankan capitals. Now a UNESCO World Heritage Site, the city is one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world.

The ancient city, which is considered sacred by Buddhists, contains a vast collection of archaeological and architectural wonders such as large dagobas, soaring brick towers, ancient pools and crumbling temples built during the city's 1000 years of rule over Sri Lanka. The ruins of the ancient city cover an area over 16 square miles, and yet more is still to be uncovered.

Of the various sights across Anuradhapura, one particularly worth visiting is Sri Maha Bodhi. This sacred Bodhi tree, central to the ancient city in both the spiritual and physical sense, was brought as a cutting from Bodhgaya in India by the sister of Mahinda, who originally introduced the Buddha's teachings to Sri Lanka. It is also the oldest historically authenticated tree in the world, having been tended by an uninterrupted succession of guardians for over 2000 years.

Spend a fascinating day wandering around this ancient city, visiting palaces, dagobas, gardens and the sacred Bodhi trees, with your guide bringing the ruins to life. The size has to be seen to be believed, and the more it comes to life the more it's possible to understand what made this the world's most advanced civilisation of its time.