Located at the rear of the National Museum in Colombo, the country’s only National Museum of Natural History is often overlooked but holds a wealth of information on a host of the country’s animal and bird species as well as geological specimens. With a good collection of stuffed and preserved fauna, the highlight is a leopard known as the maneater of Punani, which is reputed to have taken thirteen lives in Batticaloa. The museum also features a very informative National Engineering Technological gallery, which has good exhibits on the engineering feats of ancient Sri Lanka in irrigation and architecture.

Written by Jonathan Roelofsz for Travel Lanka Compass