Missing Piece · Map quiz · Series

Missing Piece #4: name the island in 3 clues

Three clues, four options, one piece of the world: tea is its most famous export, wild elephants and leopards, and a rock fortress in the jungle. Watch the film and lock in your answer before the piece drops. The answer, and how to actually go there, is below. Spoilers from here on.

The places in this film

1. 1

   The answer: Sri Lanka

   The tea is Ceylon tea, grown in the cool hill country around Nuwara Eliya and Ella. The elephants and leopards live in national parks such as Udawalawe and Yala. And the fortress is Sigiriya, a flat-topped rock rising about 200 metres out of the forest, with the remains of a fifth-century palace on top. It is one of the most compact places on Earth to see wildlife, mountains and beaches in one trip.

2. 2

   Sigiriya

   Climb at opening time, before the heat. Pidurangala Rock next door is the place to photograph Sigiriya itself.

3. 3

   The hill country by train

   The slow train between Kandy and Ella runs through tea estates and is the best-known rail journey on the island. The Nine Arches Bridge is a short walk from Ella.

4. 4

   Safari and the south coast

   Udawalawe is the reliable park for elephants. Finish on the beaches of the south coast.

Plan it

Best time

January to April for the west and south coasts and the hill country. May to September for the east coast, which has the opposite monsoon.

How long

Ten days to two weeks for the classic loop of the ancient cities, the hills, a safari and the coast.

Getting around

Hire a car with a driver, which is the normal way to travel here, and take the train for the hill-country stretch.

Good to know

• Book the Kandy to Ella train seats ahead. They sell out.
• Check entry and visa rules before you fly, as they change.
• Cover shoulders and knees at temples, and take shoes off.

Frequently asked

What is Missing Piece? +

Missing Piece is a short 3D map quiz by Drift Vistas. A country is lifted out of the globe, you get three clues and four options, and the piece drops back into place to reveal the answer. Then the film cuts to real footage of the country.

Is the map real? +

Yes. The globe and terrain are built from Sentinel-2 satellite imagery and Copernicus elevation data, with borders from Natural Earth. The height of the mountains is exaggerated so the relief reads on a phone screen, but the shapes are the real ones.

Where can I watch the next one? +

New episodes go up on YouTube, Instagram, Facebook and TikTok at @driftvistas. Every episode also gets a page here with the answer and a short guide to visiting the country.