Central Highlands
Kandy
The last independent kingdom on the island, built in a bowl of hills around a lake, and home to the Temple of the Tooth.
- From Colombo
- 3 hours
- Good for
- Temples · Gardens · The train south
Go to the Temple of the Tooth for the evening puja at 6.30pm, when the drummers start and the inner shrine is opened. The middle of the day is queuing.
Kandy is also where the mountain railway begins, which makes it the natural hinge of any itinerary — ancient cities behind you, tea country ahead.
Routes that include Kandy
5 daysThe Cultural Triangle
Sigiriya at dawn, the ruined cities of Polonnaruwa and Anuradhapura, and the cave temples at Dambulla — the oldest part of the island, driven at a sane pace.
from$640pp
See the route
12 daysSri Lanka End to End
The full circuit in twelve days — ancient cities, the mountain railway, a proper safari and the south coast — without the 5am departures that usually come with it.
from$1480pp
See the route