The Southeast Asian island of Sri Lanka boasts colorful Buddhist temples, thriving wildlife like elephants and monkeys, and nearly 2,000 feet of beautiful beaches. Some come to walk the ruins and visit temples, others flock to the shores or to local restaurants serving up fiery curry dishes.
Eight UNESCO World Heritage Sites offer a glimpse into Sri Lanka’s past through ancient cities, cave temples and forest reserves. But without a doubt, one of the must-visits is the Sacred City of Kandy, where you’ll find the Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic. The temple is an altar for what is, according to legend, a tooth that once belonged to the founder of Buddhism. You’ll also find yourself surrounded by more orchids than you can count at the Royal Botanical Gardens, which boasts one of the best orchid collections in the world. Every July or August, the town erupts in fire dances and lavishly costumed elephants during Esala Perahera, one of the country’s grandest processions that honors the Sacred Tooth Relic and the religion surrounding it.
Take a deeper look into this under-the-radar Asian country with this photo tour of Sri Lanka.
(Main image: Adarsh Upadhyay used under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike license)
