Kandy has 11 things to do. Aside from the Tooth Relic Temple, I swear I’ll go crazy if I read any more blog posts that say one of the best things to do in Kandy is to walk around the city lake. There is a nice lake in the middle of town, close to the Temple of the Tooth Relic. However, you’ll likely walk by it ten or more times a day.
Relic of the Temple of the Tooth
Sri Dalada Maligawa is the most popular place to visit in Kandy, as the people call it. There are buses full of tourists who only stop in Kandy to see this one-of-a-kind Buddhist temple. What a fun way to see the place where the Sri Lankan kings and queens used to live.
Being so important, the temple of the tooth relic is included in most Sri Lankan tour packages. This includes 10-day tours, 7-day tours, and most other tour packages that last more than one day. People can book trips to Kandy that only include that city, like a one-day trip to Kandy to see the tooth relic museum. They can also plan a trip to Sri Lanka that includes both Kandy and the temple of the tooth treasure. Tour companies like Seerendipity Tours take people every day from Colombo and many other beach towns to Kandy.
When people come to Kandy for the first time, they usually go to the Temple of the Tooth and the lake I talked about before. Not a surprise. This Buddhist temple is very busy and has a strong spiritual vibe. Its power and beauty add to this feeling. Most temples in Sri Lanka don’t charge visitors, but the Temple of the Tooth Relic does. It costs 2000 rupees to come from outside of Sri Lanka.
This is not meant to make you not want to go to the temple. The temple is what I think is needed. Like the Eiffel Tower in Paris or Red Square in Moscow, you only need to see them once. It doesn’t matter how long the lines are at the ticket station. Don’t stop there, though; Kandy has many more great things to do.
Visiting Knuckles mountain range
Nuwara Eliya and Ella are two of the first places that tourists think of when they want to go climbing or mountain exploring in Sri Lanka. Not very many people know that Kandy can be a nice place to stay while visiting the beautiful Knuckles Mountain Range. Early British travellers named this range after the way it looks like the knuckles of a closed fist when seen from certain spots in Kandy. People who live there call it the Misty Mountain Range.
It’s not a good idea to only use your fingers. Sri Lanka’s national parks aren’t always open to tourists, like national parks and woods in developed countries. There are no clear roads or signs to help you find your way, and there is no one within miles to call for help.
For your Sri Lanka wildlife discovery trip, you should definitely hire a driver or guide. You can get a guide to show you around by calling Seerendipity Tours. You can take as long or as little time as you want on the walk. Some tourists like to go up and down in one day, even though you could camp in the mountains and climb for several days.
Trekking in the Hanthana Mountain Range
There are great places to go hiking in the Hanthana Mountain Range while you are in Kandy. There are seven hills in all, with Uura Kanda being the tallest at 3,800 feet. Knuckles’ base is farther away than Hanthana’s, but it only takes thirty minutes to get there.
You can choose from a number of walks and seven summits, so the book should help you make a smart choice. The three-hour walking trip to Hantana is usually pretty easy. People walk through beautiful tea plantations that are lit up by the sun, climb a hill with a view of the valley, and then go back through the jungle.
Temple of Lankathilaka
Along with Lankathilaka Temple, the following two churches are outside of Kandy but not too far away. The atmosphere of Buddhist churches in Sri Lanka is more accurately shown by them than by the Temple of the Tooth Relic.
A lot of tourists think that Lankathilaka is the best of the three. It takes about thirty minutes to drive from Kandy to Udunuwara, where this ancient temple was built by King Bhuvanekabahu IV in the 1400s.
Panhalgala is the name of the rough rock surface where the temple was built. It is thought that Embekke Temple and Lankathilaka are two of the most technically difficult buildings from the Gampola Kingdom.
The Temple of Embekke
Embekke Devalaya is one of Sri Lanka’s strangest Buddhist churches. The rafters, entrances, beams, and pillars are decorated with carvings made of wood. Most churches in Sri Lanka are made of stone or brick, but Embekke’s beautiful wooden pillars make people think of Russia, where wood carving has been done for hundreds of years.
During the Gampola Era in the 1400s, King Vikramabahu III constructed the Embekke. The Hall of Drummers, the Hall of Dancing, and the Sanctum of Garagha are its three major parts. The one with the supports is the second one.
Gadaladeniya Temple
King Bhuvanekabahu IV built the Gadaladeniya Temple in 1344. It is close to the Lankathilaka Temple and can be reached after a short drive. Indian architects built the temple, which was first known as Dharma Kirthi Viharaya, after the founder monk. It was designed in a very South Indian way.
The three temples—Lankathilaka, Embekke, and Gadaladeniya—are not in Kandy city, even though they are close. It’s best to take a tuk-tuk for three or four hours if you want to see all three temples in one day.
If you don’t want to leave Kandy, Bahirawakanda Viharaya is another temple that not many people visit. You can see the huge Buddha statue from almost anywhere in Kandy. It stands on top of a hill in the city centre. At 88 feet tall, this Buddha figure is one of the tallest in Sri Lanka. Since it was built in the 1970s, this temple is pretty new.
You can walk up the hill if you are in good shape. The climb is short but steep. You can buy king coconuts at a small stand right in front of the temple, which is good news. Taking a tuk-tuk is a little easier and less of a workout.
Royal Botanical Gardens of Peradeniya
A popular tourist spot is the Royal Botanical Gardens, which are in the city of Peradeniya, about five miles from Kandy. A tuk-tuk will get you here in fifteen minutes without any trouble. Every year, more than two million people visit the park.
The gardens are on 147 acres and are close to Sri Lanka’s largest river, the Mahaweli. It is thought that they have been around since the 1400s, even though they weren’t officially formed until 1843. Some of the most famous things to see in the gardens are the orchid collection, the palm avenue, the forty-meter-tall bamboo tree, and the suspension bridge over the Mahaweli River.
University of Peradeniya
It is very close to the University of Peradeniya to the Royal Botanical Gardens. It’s possible to get off the train one stop before reaching Kandy, at Peradeniya. From there, you can visit the university grounds, walk around the Botanical Gardens, and eat lunch at Hela Bojun.
There are many sites close to each other at the university. The most beautiful places can be found in the arts area. When you get there, take a walk around the grounds. They are very pretty. The travellers are shocked to see a huge tree grow next to the milk bar; it’s definitely worth a trip. Next, visit Sarachchandra, which is Sri Lanka’s only outdoor stage. It was built in the style of ancient Greek theatres and was named after a playwright from Sri Lanka.
What is the Ambuluwawa Biodiversity Complex?
One of my favourite things to do in Kandy. Because it takes more than 1.5 hours to get to Gampola, you will have to drive some. But Gampola is in Nuwara Eliya right now. This means that you can stop in Ambuluwawa if you are going from Kandy to Nuwara Eliya.
More than 3,000 feet above sea level, Ambuluwawa Mountain is home to a wildlife complex and has a huge white spiral structure on top that looks like a Buddhist stupa.
At the ticket office, you can pay a small fee to keep driving the car to the top of the mountain. But getting to the tower’s beautiful views takes some work, so if you’re not very athletic, I think it’s better to leave your car at the gate and walk up. As you get closer to the top, the tower gets weaker, but you can still climb it until you reach the side stairs, where you run the risk of being blown over by strong winds. This is not a climb for people who are easily scared.
Village of Saradiel
Teenagers from Kandy are mostly the ones who visit this strange, funny, and not-well-known spot. In the 1600s, Robyn Hood, who was also known as Saradiel, was a wealthy Uthuwana Sri Lankan person who stole from rich people and gave their valuables to poor people. Isn’t it great? In Sri Lanka, Robyn Hood really existed!
Ten years ago, a village was built near Uthuwankanda Rock, where Saradiel used to hide from the police, to show how people lived in Ceylon in the 18th century. The grounds are six acres, which is very big.
A tour guide who speaks English is there to talk about 18th-century Sri Lankan habits and customs. People say that Uthuwankanda Rock can be climbed, but you will need help to get there.
The Nelligala International Buddhist Centre
How few people know about this great place in Kandy! It is one of the most beautiful temples I’ve ever seen in Sri Lanka. It is built on top of a steep rock. Seven huge golden Buddha statues stand on top of the building. There are not many people in the area, and the views of the hill country are stunning.
Eating in Kandy
When you’re in Kandy, Hela Bojun is the place to go for real local food. This chain of food courts in the neighbourhood offers tasty food at surprisingly low prices. The Department of Agriculture established the chain to empower rural women and promote local food.
Every woman who sells food at this open market has been trained to do so. Every morning, dinner is made from scratch and tastes great. The crowd, which is mostly made up of locals, is usually a good sign.