Ask the uninitiated about Sri Lanka, and they’ll likely come up with “tea” and “cricket”. After all, it’s almost impossible to have enjoyed a nice cuppa without noticing where those cherished leaves originated from, or to have even a passing interest in the “gentleman’s game” without knowing that the onetime British colony got rid of the colonisers but clung feverishly to their national sport. And yet, while visitors to Sri Lanka can certainly enjoy an authentic cup of Ceylon tea or catch some quality cricket played in a stadium or on the street, this “jewel of the Indian Ocean” has so much more to offer the more adventurous traveller.
With hundreds of miles of often-scenic railways – another legacy of colonial rule – and a well-developed, if at times impressively potholed, road network, this compact island invites visitors to give the picturesque beaches and luxury hotel chains a break, and venture into its historic temples, sprawling wildlife sanctuaries, and charismatic, bustling cities.
1 DAMBULLA CAVE TEMPLE
Sri Lanka has no fewer than eight properties inscribed on UNESCO’s World Heritage List, and one of the most important is the mind-blowing cave-temple complex at Dambulla in the country’s centre. If you only visit one temple in Sri Lanka, make it the Dambulla Cave Temple.
Denne historien er fra AG 161-utgaven av ASIAN Geographic.
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Denne historien er fra AG 161-utgaven av ASIAN Geographic.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
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Wildlife Big Yellow Beauty
The popular "amelanistic" form of the Burmese python is considered among the most beautiful snakes - if that's your sort of thing
All That Glitters Is Gold
From Turkey to China, the yellow metal plays a central role in cultural practices and is coveted as a symbol of affluence and status
Chengdu Hotel Spotlight TRIKA TSANG INTERNATIONAL HOTEL
For an authentic taste of Tibet in the heart of Chengdu, the most luxurious option is the majestic Trika Tsang International Hotel.
The Mighty Yellow
Over 5,000 kilometres long and flowing through nine provinces and autonomous regions, the Yellow River is China's second largest, after the Yangtze, while its basin is deemed the cradle of Chinese civilisation
Conservation Yellow in Peril
While the demand for use in traditional Chinese medicine is putting seahorses under pressure, it is damaging non-selective fishing that is driving depletion
Revealed Doctor Yellow
Japan Railways' special lemony Shinkansen is a rare sight to behold
History Spiritual Rebirth
During the Spanish Golden Age, Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan achieved the first European navigation to Asia via the Pacific, arriving in the Philippines in 1521 and claiming the islands for Spain. But by converting the first Filipinos to Catholicism, Magellan also instigated the Christianisation of the entire archipelago, a spiritual rebirth celebrated through the two most important festivals in the Philippines - Fiesta Señor and Sinulog.
Green Dreams
With its tea plantations and rice paddies, dense jungles and expansive forests, the region is well known as a green paradise. But many of the most impressive Asian landscapes have names you may never have heard of. Journey with us as we reveal just some of the incredible locations that make the rest of the world green with envy!
Life On The Edge
In the Chukotka Autonomous Okrug, in the remote northern Russian Far East, indigenous ethnic groups like the Chukchi and the Yupik live in the most extreme conditions, hunting seals in their traditional kayaks as they have for millennia
The Karakoram Anomaly Decoded
For decades, scientists have believed that glaciers in the Karakoram Range are defying the trend of those across the globe-resisting glacial melt due to human-induced global warming. But as we trek up the Karakoram's second-longest glacier in July, as the United Nations announces the world's hottest ever month on record, does the melting ice beneath our feet suggest the so-called Karakoram Anomaly is slowing? Or is there a ray of hope it will continue to delay the inevitable?
