Sri Lanka’s last independent kingdom and still its cultural capital, Kandy sits in a valley of green hills around a man-made lake created by the final Kandyan king in 1807. The Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic is the most sacred Buddhist site in the country, and the puja ceremonies conducted three times daily fill the outer courtyard with drums and incense in a way that is deeply moving regardless of faith. The surrounding city offers Peradeniya Botanical Gardens, a thriving crafts quarter, and the extraordinary Esala Perahera festival in August.