Colombo

Sri Lanka is a land as old as time, with temples and shrines from the days of Buddha, massive monolithic relief carvings, and ornately detailed cliff faces. Once you venture beyond the city limits, elephants are a part of everyday life, and parentless pachyderms can be observed at the Pinnewela Elephant Orphanage near Kandy. If you're lucky, you might see a light—fingered macaque or langur monkey pop out of the jungle in search of a snack or a bright, shiny object to treasure.