Besides the coastal area and beaches, Sri Lanka offers so much more variety in a close distance. Natural parks with large open fields and dry land are home to many different animals and so makes it perfect for safaris. The central region of the country is more mountainous with splendid views on numerous tea plantations and offers some interesting trekking opportunities. Let’s start from the beginning and see where did I manage to go.
Ella
Ella is a small town in the mountains with houses based on the hillsides. Driving from the coast towards the mountains and gaining elevation I definitely felt the difference in the climate. It is a bit more chilly and cloudy in the hills. While on the beachside the temperature almost did not drop below 30 degree Celsius (I visited Sri Lanka in September), then in Ella it got down to 18 degrees at night time. There is one main street in the town and many of the guesthouses are situated a bit away from all the fuzz up on the hillsides. While Ella might have been small and cute little mountain village some time ago, then at least now it is catering to a flow of tourists. The main street has plenty of shops and restaurants. While it can be a bit busy, Ella still is in a beautiful location and offers some interesting things to do.Ella Rock
The first thing after arriving in Ella and checking in to my hostel I went to see the sunset from Ella Rock. It is possible to get pretty close to the peak with a scooter and from there it was just a 15 min walk to the top. Luckily we were there right in time for the sunset. Coming by foot from the centre of the city it takes approximately 45 minutes to one hour walking to reach the viewpoint. The views on the town and the surroundings are pretty spectacular.
Photo. Sunset at Ella Rock viewpoint.Nine Arch Bridge
This iconic stone structure is positioned right in the middle of the jungle. A railway which connects Damodara and Ella stations runs over the bridge. To reach the bridge you need to just follow the train tracks from Ella town or take a path through the forest. We decided to make a loop by first walking on the railway and taking the forest path back to the town. The bridge has become quite popular among tourists who gather there to take photos while the train is passing over it. As we are on the topic of trains, the train ride between Ella and Kandy is supposed to be one of the most scenic ones in the world. I can not verify that though since I was driving a scooter in Sri Lanka and did not take that train.
Photo. Following in the train tracks through the jungle towards the Nine Arch Bridge. 
Photo. Nine Arch Bridge.Little Adam’s Peak
Another viewpoint and popular quick trek from Ella town is to Little Adam’s Peak. This one takes a bit more time than Ella Rock and is more complicated. It is still an easy trek though. There are lots of trails leading up to the top from the town but there are also lots of trails that do not lead there. The possibility of getting lost without having proper instructions is high. But once again MAPS.ME comes to the rescue and leads you to the peak without a worry. All of the trails are marked on that map so just choose the one you prefer. If going up there for sunset then make sure to bring a flashlight with you since it gets pretty dark in the forest when coming back down. Being in the dark is all not that bad though. There were loads of fireflies flying around so on the way down we actually just made a stop and sat in the dark enjoying the silence and the beauty of fireflies. Little Adam’s Peak is a bit higher up and on the opposite side of the town so it gives even better views.
Photo. Views on Ella from Little Adam’s Peak.Sigiriya Rock (also known as Lion Rock)
This ancient rock fortress is located in the Central Province of Sri Lanka near the town of Dambulla. Sigiriya Rock is one of the most famous destinations in Sri Lanka and when you research “Sri Lanka”, the photos of the fortress are probably one of the main ones that come up. So there is a temple on top of a tall rock which stands out from the surrounding plain and green fields. I did not visit the temple on top of the massive Lion Rock BUT I climbed the rock (hill) which is located right next to it. Pidurangala Rock is just 2 kilometres away from Sigiriya and offers the best views on the temple rock itself. The entrance fee is also really thin compared to what you would pay at Sigiriya Rock. The temple on top of the rock is ancient and has a long history. I visited the sight in a couple of hours (1 h up, 1 h on the top & 1 hour down) as a short stop between Trincomalee and Kandy. As I hear it is worth to go there early and catch the sunrise. It might be easiest to base yourself in Dambulla which is the closest town and visit the temple from there.
Photo. Sigiriya Rock as seen from Pidurangala Rock.Kandy
While arriving in Kandy I was surprised that we are dealing with a quite a big city. With its historical touch, the main attractions in Kandy are religious sites. Since it was raining for most of the time while I was in Kandy, I managed to visit only one place. I am aware that there are plenty of more to do inside of Kandy and also just a short drive out of the city. The main and most famous attraction being the Temple of the Tooth Relic. The tooth they have in the temple is supposed to belong to the Buddha himself.The Big Buddha
Besides the fact that there is a huge Buddha statue on top of a hill, the location gives great views on the city. It is possible to climb some stairs up the Buddha and even enter a small room in the statue. Mainly, this place was worth to visit to get a nice overview of Kandy from above.
Photo. The Big Buddha statue.Adam’s Peak
The most famous mountain peak in Sri Lanka is Adam’s Peak. There is a holy temple on top of the mountain which is a pilgrimage destination for Sri Lankan Buddhists. I teamed up with another guy in Kandy who also rented a bike and we set off in the morning towards Adam’s Peak. Closer to Kandy, the traffic was quite intense and houses were following each other for an hour or two. Once a bit further out the roads got more empty and the scenery around us more and more beautiful. Soon enough we were surrounded by lush hills and tea plantations. We noticed a tall waterfall in the distance in the middle of the jungle and without giving it too much thought decided to find our way to the waterfall. After asking some locals and driving some sketchy roads we finally made it to the falls. There were many stairs leading down to it, but when getting to our destination the effort was all worth it. I do not even know the name and height of the waterfall but it was definitely an impressive one.
Photo. A random waterfall in the middle of the jungle. It took a couple more hours and getting soaked in the rain before we finally reached the guesthouses next to Adam’s Peak before sunset. After getting some hours of sleep we woke up at about 3-4 am and started the climb from the base of the mountain. There are only stairs leading to the very top of Adam’s Peak so no proper trekking is required. But it is a lot of stairs. A lot! It takes 1.5-3 hours to get to the very top. We made it comfortably on time for the sunrise though. 
Photo. Sunrise from Adam’s Peak. After “hiking” Adam’s Peak, I continued my drive to the south coast of Sri Lanka. It was the longest and toughest days of driving of them all in Sri Lanka. I got caught in the rain multiple times and reached the coast (Mirissa) in the late evening a couple of hours after the sun had set. But at the same time, it was one of the best drives due to the scenic surroundings in the mountains. I was driving through numerous tea plantations for hours. I simply could not believe how many of them there were. If the road quality would be better, then driving on these roads would be definitely one of the top things to do in Sri Lanka. More about driving a motorbike in Sri Lanka already in my next post. 
Photo. A winding road through tea plantations.Yala National Park
Besides temples and mountains, the central region hosts multiple national parks. It is possible to visit each of them by booking a safari. Yes, apparently safaris also exist outside of Africa as well. Yala national park is the most famous and visited one in Sri Lanka and the main attractions are the leopard and elephants. I made myself a base in Tissamaharama and booked a safari for the following morning. They picked us up about 4 am since there was a bit of a drive to get to the national park and since the wildlife is at its most active around sunrise time. Throughout the half a day we saw quite some wild animals, including peacocks, spotted deer, water buffalos, different birds (also kingfisher) and black face monkeys. But not a leopard or elephants. Apparently, it was not really a season for elephants in the national park. During this time there were higher changes to see them in national parks situated more to the north. We were waiting and chasing to see the leopard for hours. When a jeep driver noticed something all the other jeeps in the park were racing to the location. Well, we did not notice a leopard at the end. It felt a bit strange as well, chasing a to see a leopard like that. By racing through the roads, the driver even was not considerate to deer that were on the road. This kind of behaviour is really disruptive to animals and the national park does not deserve its purpose anymore. Anyways, as soon as we left the national park grounds, a wild elephant came on the road. What you do not see in the park, you see out of the park. Sri Lanka is actually famous for its wild elephant population and it is easy to notice them around. This was the only encounter with a wild elephant though for me this time in Sri Lanka.
Photo. Wild elephant on the road. 
Photo. A peacock. 
Photo. Blackface monkeys next to an artificial pond. 
Photo. Spotted deer.Outro
Besides mountains, safaris and beaches, Sri Lanka also has a colourful history and culture and so there are many temples and historical sites to visit. During this trip, I did not visit almost any though, since my focus in Sri Lanka was a bit different. So when planning a trip to Sri Lanka and want to get most of it, then make sure not to forget about including cultural destinations. Some of the places worth mentioning and visiting:
Sigiriya Temple (Lion Rock). Besides climbing the Pidurangala Rock, it is probably worth to go to the temple as well.
Anuradhapura city (ancient Kingdom)
Dambulla Cave Temple
The Temple of Tooth Relic in Kandy
Polonnaruwa (medieval capital of Sri Lanka)