Kandy travel guide

Temple of the Tooth, lake and botanic gardens. Most people stay 2–3 nights. Best months: Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr, Jul, Aug, Dec.

Highlights

• Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic
• Kandy Lake
• Peradeniya gardens
• Kandyan dance

Things to do in Kandy

• Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic · 2 h · about ₹700 per person. Wear white or light clothes covering shoulders and knees; the evening puja (~6:30pm) is the most atmospheric.
• Kandy Lake walk · 1 h · free
• Royal Botanic Gardens, Peradeniya · 3 h · about ₹850 per person. 15 min from town; the orchid house and the giant Java fig are the highlights. Carry an umbrella.
• Kandyan cultural dance show · 1 h · about ₹600 per person. Shows start around 5pm near the lake; pair with the evening puja at the Temple of the Tooth.
• Pinnawala Elephant Orphanage · 3 h · about ₹1,000 per person. About 1.5h from Kandy. Animal-welfare groups criticise the chaining and crowding; wild elephants at Minneriya or Udawalawe are the better alternative.
• Bahirawakanda Buddha statue viewpoint · 1 h · about ₹200 per person
• Ambuluwawa Tower · 3 h · about ₹400 per person. About 1h from Kandy near Gampola; the top of the spiral tower is narrow and exposed.
• Ceylon Tea Museum, Hantana · 1.5 h · about ₹300 per person
• Esala Perahera procession (Jul/Aug only) · 4 h · about ₹6,000 per person. Ten nights leading up to the Esala full moon; reserved roadside seats are sold through hotels and agents and cost most on the final nights.
• Udawattakele forest reserve walk · 2 h · about ₹400 per person

Where to stay in Kandy

• Town centre and lake-edge guesthouses (budget, ₹2,000–₹3,500 a night): Walk to the Temple of the Tooth and the lake.
• Hills above Kandy Lake (Lake Round area) (mid, ₹5,000–₹9,000 a night): Lake views, 5–10 min by tuk-tuk to the temple.
• Mahaweli river and hill estates outside town (premium, ₹13,000–₹28,000 a night): Quiet valley views; 20–40 min from the centre.

What to eat

• String hoppers with dhal and pol sambol: Kandy town breakfast places
• Wood-apple juice: Juice bars near the lake
• Tamil-style vegetarian rice and curry: Kandy town centre

Getting there

• ~2.5h to Sigiriya
• ~3h to Nuwara Eliya
• ~7h scenic train to Ella

Good to know

• Rooms are scarce and expensive during the Esala Perahera (Jul/Aug).

Sri Lanka itineraries with Kandy

• Kandy and Nuwara Eliya: temples and tea · 6 days, Kandy → Nuwara Eliya → Negombo · from ₹34,425 per person, base estimate before flights. Hill country only: Kandy's temple and gardens, then tea estates and Horton Plains, with a beach night by the airport.
• Cultural Triangle and Kandy · 7 days, Negombo → Sigiriya & Dambulla → Kandy · from ₹44,075 per person, base estimate before flights. Three nights for the rock fortress, cave temple, Polonnaruwa and wild elephants, then Kandy's temple and gardens.
• Tea country by train: Kandy, Nuwara Eliya and Ella · 7 days, Kandy → Nuwara Eliya → Ella → Colombo · from ₹45,225 per person, base estimate before flights. Hill country by rail, with tea factories at each stop and the best of Ella before a last night in Colombo.
• Family week: Kandy, tea hills and Bentota beach · 8 days, Negombo → Kandy → Nuwara Eliya → Bentota · from ₹55,800 per person, base estimate before flights. Short drives, gardens, a tea factory and three beach nights with boat rides and turtles, paced for children.
• Ramayana trail: Munneswaram, Sita Eliya, Ella and Kelaniya · 8 days, Negombo → Kandy → Nuwara Eliya → Ella → Galle → Colombo · from ₹47,475 per person, base estimate before flights. The temples and sites linked to the Ramayana in Sri Lankan tradition, from the Shiva temples near Chilaw to Sita Eliya, Ravana Falls, Rumassala and Kelaniya.
• Sri Lanka classic: Sigiriya, Kandy, tea country and Galle · 8 days, Negombo → Sigiriya & Dambulla → Kandy → Nuwara Eliya → Ella → Galle · from ₹56,600 per person, base estimate before flights. The standard first loop by car and driver: Lion Rock and elephants, Kandy's temple, a tea factory, the scenic train to Ella and a night in Galle Fort.
• Hills to the south coast: Kandy, Ella, Yala and Mirissa · 9 days, Kandy → Nuwara Eliya → Ella → Yala & Tissamaharama → Mirissa → Galle · from ₹62,325 per person, base estimate before flights. Skip the Cultural Triangle and go straight to the hills, then a leopard safari and the south coast.
• Wildlife: Minneriya elephants, Yala leopards and Bundala birds · 9 days, Negombo → Sigiriya & Dambulla → Kandy → Ella → Yala & Tissamaharama · from ₹66,475 per person, base estimate before flights. Elephants in the Cultural Triangle, the train through the hills and two dawn starts at Yala for leopards, with Bundala for birds.
• Honeymoon: Kandy, Ella, Mirissa and Bentota · 10 days, Kandy → Ella → Mirissa → Bentota · from ₹67,200 per person, base estimate before flights. Hill views and the scenic train first, then five nights on the south and west coast with whale watching, quiet coves and an Ayurveda day.
• Backpacker: trains, hikes and surf · 11 days, Colombo → Kandy → Ella → Mirissa → Galle · from ₹70,000 per person, base estimate before flights. Trains and buses instead of a driver: Kandy, three nights of Ella hikes, surf and whales on the south coast, and the Fort to finish.