Nantes — spirited and audacious — blends a storied past with fresh creativity: once a bustling seaport tied to the slave trade, it honors memory while reinventing life, art and neighborhoods.

A small town in Sri Lanka, Minneriya is famous for two things — the great Minneriya Lake and Minneriya National Park. Declared a wildlife sanctuary in 1938, the park is an incredible location for safari lovers and known for its abundance of roaming elephants.

Pinnawala hosts a renowned elephant orphanage and breeding centre — spend the night and wake to the sight of elephants gathering at their watering hole.