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Horton Plains & Worl d’s E n d

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The wild, windswept Horton

Plains (p173), high, high up in Sri

Lanka’s hill country, are utterly unexpected

in this country of tropical greens and blues,

but they are far from unwelcome. You’ll

need to wrap up warm (a morning frost isn’t

uncommon) for the dawn hike across these

bleak moorlands – it’s one of the most

enjoyable walks in the country. And then,

suddenly, out of the mist comes the end of

the world and a view over what seems like

half of Sri Lanka. Horton Plains National Park

from World’s End

Kandy: Cultural Capital

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Kandy (p 144 ) is the cultural capital

of the island and home to the Temple

of the Sacred Tooth Relic, said to contain

a tooth of the Buddha. For the Sinhalese,

this is the holiest spot on the island, but for

tourists Kandy offers more than religious

satisfaction: there’s a pleasing old quarter,

a pretty central lake, a clutch of museums

and, in the surrounding vicinity, some beau-

tiful botanical gardens. In case you need

further blessings from the gods, there’s

also a series of fascinating ancient temples.

Interior, Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic (p145)

KEVIN CLOGSTOUN / GETTY IMAGES ©

RICHARD ROSS / GETTY IMAGES ©

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PLAN YOUR TRIP

Sri Lanka’

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