Anuradhapura was the home of the longest continuous kingdom in the world, lasting 1400 years with 189 successive kings. It is home to three Buddhist monasteries of over 5000 monks each, and the most sacred Bodhi tree in Sri Lanka. We did a bike tour around the large archaeological site. The first stupa we visited … More Anuradhapura, Sri Lanka

Dambulla Cave Temple is also a UNESCO World Heritage Site. One of the ancient kings hid at the site for 14 years around the 1st century BC. A monk helped him hide while he trained people to fight to regain his throne. He offered the temple to the monk in thanks for his service. There … More Dambulla Cave Temple, Sri Lanka

We went on a game safari known for Asian elephants. Asian elephants are smaller than African elephants and are more commonly tuskless. They also have a more prominent frontal bone and tuftlike hair on their heads. There are around 6000 wild elephants in Sri Lanka. We saw a few Asian water buffalo, which look much … More Minneriya National Park, Sri Lanka

We visited four of the eight UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Sri Lanka while on this tour. One of these sites is Sigiriya, which means “lion.” At the top, there are two lion paws that mark the entrance to the final ascent. There used to be a lion mouth that you climbed through, but that … More Sigiriya, Sri Lanka

We took a train one morning from Kandy to Nuwara Eliya. Although Sri Lanka is famous for the iconic blue train, our train route took us through virtually the same scenery: the tea plantations and highlands of Sri Lanka. While sipping masala chai, we took in the magnificent surroundings. Tea was first introduced in the … More Sri Lankan Highlands

Sri Lanka is a small island only 29 kilometers from India’s eastern coast. It is 77% Buddhist and the national language is Sinhalese. Sri Lanka was colonized by the Portuguese, then later the Dutch, and finally the British until independence in 1948. The British called the country Ceylon, which is why the famous tea from … More Kandy, Sri Lanka