Jaffna one of the 18 most underrated places in Asia-CNN Travel

CNN Travel has classified Jaffna as one of the 18 most underrated destinations in Asia. This is what CNN said about Jaffna.

“Most foreign tourists head to Sri Lanka’s beautiful south coast or into its central tea country, both of which are fairly easy to reach from the main city of Colombo and beloved by Instagrammers who come to ride the famous rails. But the northern patch of the island is worth the sometimes-challenging car or bus trip to get there.”

Jaffna is the primary home of the country’s Tamil-speaking population and still has glimmers of its Indian and Dutch colonial past, resulting in a fascinating, complex culture.

Start with architecture: the ornate, bright gold Nallur Kandaswamy Kovil Hindu temple and sprawling white Colonial-era Jaffna Library are both exceptional. Then, indulge in the food: bananas and mangoes fresh off the trees combined with curries, pickles and rice dishes for filling, inexpensive meals.”

The classics are classics for a reason -- from the awe-inspiring architecture of Angkor Wat and the Taj Mahal to the buzzy metropolises of Tokyo and Hong Kong and the beaches of Bali and Phuket, no travellers can find something, not to their liking.

But for the travellers who are fortunate enough to have time to dig a little bit deeper, there are less-crowded, equally-rewarding treasures to be found.

CNN Travel tapped into our network of colleagues and contributors to ask them where the locals go. Here’s what they had to say.

The other 17 destinations are Ipoh, Malaysia, Isaan, Thailand, Leshan, China, Skardu, Pakistan, Nikko Japan, Dalat, Vietnam, Davao, Philippines, Meghalaya, India, Pulau Ubin, Singapore, Samosir Island, Indonesia, Pakse, Laos, Bangladesh, Tengchong, China Gogunsan Islands, South Korea, Lan Ha Bay, Vietnam, Kenting, Taiwan and Banteay Chhmar, Cambodia.