The Greatest Issues to Do In Kandy, Sri Lanka

Tucked into Sri Lanka’s misty central highlands, Kandy stays the nation’s cultural and non secular coronary heart. As soon as the ultimate capital of the island’s unbiased kingdom, it nonetheless attracts pilgrims to the Temple of the Tooth, the place a sacred dental relic of the Buddha himself is alleged to be stored.

Town of Kandy is an intoxicating mix of colonial echoes, historical rituals, and avenue life that feels unmistakably Sri Lankan.  Monks chatting on cellphones jostle with hawkers promoting greens picked that morning, whereas tuk-tuks buzz round them like caffeinated bees. Kandy is chaotic, charming, and completely compelling.

Kandy additionally makes an excellent base for exploring the broader area. Hikers can escape into the misty Knuckles Mountains for rainforest trails and sweeping views, or take a day journey north to the traditional fortress of Sigiriya, rising sheer from the plains like a legendary folktale. Meals lovers can be part of cooking courses to excellent coconut sambol and the elusive spice steadiness that makes a curry sing whereas cultural performances reveal the area’s vibrant music and dance traditions.

Kandy may not allure you at first look, however give it two days (and this Kandy journey information) and also you’ll be beneath its spell, understanding precisely why it stays the soul of Sri Lanka’s highlands.

Let’s tuck into the very best issues to do in Kandy, we could?

When to go to Kandy, Sri Lanka

Kandy’s gentle hill-country local weather makes it nice year-round.  The most effective time to go to Kandy is December to April,when days are dry and skies clear, however we visited in September and located it comparatively cool and nice.  August brings the spectacular Esala Perahera competition, assume elephants in elaborate costumes and streets alive with drums and dancers. It’s unforgettable, if extraordinarily crowded. 

No matter once you go to, maintain a light-weight waterproof or further layer helpful; mountain climate can – and does – flip in minutes.

Credit score/debit card acceptance is rising in Sri Lanka however you’d be effectively suggested to have a provide of native foreign money (rupees – LKR) with you.  ATMs are plentiful in Kandy, cash changers much less so.

Attending to Kandy, Sri Lanka

·      By prepare: The scenic experience from Colombo (about 4 hours) or Nuwara Eliya (additionally 4) ranks amongst Asia’s nice rail journeys. Sit on the proper facet from Colombo or left from Nuwara Eliya for the very best views. Tickets are launched 30 days forward through Sri Lanka Railways, reserving forward is wise.

·      By automotive: Round 3½ hours from Colombo or 2½ from Sigiriya. Enable further time for hairpin bends and inevitable picture stops.  Hiring a personal driver is surprisingly inexpensive – round $700 for 2 weeks – and excellent for {couples} or small teams wanting stress-free journey.  You’ll be able to nonetheless add a prepare journey with out the trouble of dragging suitcases on and off.

·      Bus: By far the most cost effective technique to journey, with bus journeys from Colombo beginning at LKR 200.  Hunt down air con ‘tremendous luxurious’ buses.   Minibuses additionally go direct from Colombo airport.

Getting Round Kandy, Sri Lanka

·      Most of Kandy’s highlights: the Temple of the Tooth, Central Market, and lakeside accommodations, are inside simple strolling distance of lakeside or central accommodations.

·      For longer hops, together with to Kandy Lake Membership, obtain PickMe, Sri Lanka’s ride-hailing app. It presents automobiles, tuk-tuks, and bikes and is dependable and speedy. Funds are often in money, so maintain small notes (LKR 100 and 200) helpful; drivers not often carry change.

The place To Keep in Kandy, Sri Lanka

·      Accommodations dotted across the lakeside provide nice views and quick access to the town (we stayed at SWP Ecolodge (c. $65 per night time) which had glorious breakfast and comfy rooms).

·      Hillside guesthouses are quieter and barely cheaper – Magnificence Hills (c. $50 per night time) will get rave reviewed for its rooms and views however would require common Pickme journeys into the town.

1. Go to the Temple of the Tooth

Kandy’s Temple of the Tooth (Sri Dalada Maligawa) is among the most sacred Buddhist websites on the planet and probably the greatest issues to do in Kandy. The temple homes a relic mentioned to be the Buddha’s tooth, dropped at Sri Lanka within the 4th century AD.  Day by day, pilgrims arrive bearing hanging purple lotus flowers (stalls across the temple promote them if you wish to be part of) and incense, and the rhythmic drumming of the puja ceremonies fills the air.  Even for non-believers, it’s a sight (and sound) to behold.

You’ll be able to’t see the relic itself, it’s encased in a sequence of ornate gold caskets, hidden from view.  The expertise lies within the ritual: the regular move of worshippers, the scent of incense, the murals and carvings that hint Kandy’s proud historical past as each Buddhist stronghold and unbiased kingdom till 1815.

Gown modestly (cowl legs and shoulders), take away your sneakers, and go to early morning or late afternoon to keep away from the biggest crowds. Entry is 2,000 LKR, and guided excursions (which frequently embody different websites round Kandy) are effectively price it to decode the symbolism and ritual earlier than your eyes.  

Even for non-Buddhists, it’s a serene and interesting glimpse into the non secular coronary heart of Sri Lanka.

2. Hike within the Knuckles Mountain Vary

Simply an hour’s drive from Kandy lies a world that feels way more distant. If you happen to love mountaineering and outside journey that is completely probably the greatest issues to do in Kandy.

The Knuckles Mountain Vary, named by the Victorians for its resemblance to a clenched fist, presents cool air, cloud forests, and mountaineering trails winding by tea estates and tiny villages. 

Mountaineering right here have to be accomplished with an area information (we used Nipuna Mountaineering, who had been glorious). Your information won’t solely steer you thru the unmarked trails but additionally level out the astonishing number of vegetation, fruits, and spices that make this UNESCO-listed area one in every of Sri Lanka’s most biodiverse.  In three hours, we noticed – and sampled – mango, nutmeg, three kinds of bananas, pepper, turmeric, aubergine, cocoa, chilli, tamarind, ardour fruit, soursop, espresso, and a minimum of three sorts of beans.  You’ll by no means discover a tastier hike.

Trails vary from mild day walks to multi-day treks with in a single day stays in eco-lodges or homestays. Most guides present leech socks and disinfectant spray – a lower than refined trace at who else enjoys the local weather. Anticipate all 4 seasons in a single afternoon, and pack your waterproofs accordingly.

3. See a Cultural Dance Present at Kandy Lake Membership

Kandy’s wealthy historical past is distilled into an hour-long crash course each night time on the Kandy Lake Membership above the town.  It’s unquestionably touristy but it surely’s informative, joyous and downright enjoyable in equal measure

Drummers pound out hypnotic rhythms as dancers in elaborate headdresses carry out rituals as soon as reserved for royal courts and temples.  The agility and talent of the performers – to not point out the flowery costumes – is outstanding and guests are supplied with an interpretation sheet to elucidate precisely what you’re watching and its cultural significance.  

Performances embody dances to drive out evil spirits, choices to native deities and stylised battles between eagles and cobras – miniature variations of the masks utilized by performers are a few of the most eye-catching Sri Lankan souvenirs

The hearth-walking finale – barefoot males crossing glowing embers – feels an acceptable climax, fortunately with out viewers participation.

E-book on-line (4,500 LKR) upfront to get an honest seat close to the stage or simply pay on the door.  It’s a couple of 30-minute stroll uphill from the town centre, we used a Pickme tuk-tuk who was solely too pleased to return on the finish of the present to choose us up.   Drinks and snacks obtainable by a (surprisingly environment friendly) at-seat ordering service.

4. Be a part of a Sri Lankan Cooking Class

Taking a cooking class in Kandy is among the finest methods to grasp the colourful, advanced and deeply regional flavours of Sri Lanka and take a few of its secrets and techniques residence.  There are a bunch of excursions provided on-line – we did a night class, booked through Viator, and would extremely suggest. Value begins from round $35-40 per individual.

Lessons often start with a visit to Kandy’s Central Market [PHOTOS 10-11], a chaotic two-storey jumble of fruit, greens, and spice stalls. Distributors stand above their produce like medieval city criers, shouting costs that appear absurdly low…till you bear in mind most of it’s grown inside an hour of the town.  The higher flooring, a relative pocket of calm, can be probably the greatest spots in Sri Lanka for memento procuring.  Convey your finest haggling face.

As soon as the procuring’s accomplished, you’ll head to a house within the hills above Kandy, the place the kitchen, or open-air pavilion, is thick with the scent of cardamom and curry leaves. Below the watchful eye of a Sri Lankan matriarch (who will depart you in little question who’s in cost), you’ll study to arrange staples like dhal curry, coconut sambol, and brinjal moju (sweet-and-sour aubergine), stirring clay pots over open flames.

You’ll pattern the fruits – and vegetables- of your labour earlier than heading again to your resort, fuller, happier, and newly fluent within the flavours of Sri Lanka.  Lessons sometimes final round 4 hours, together with the market go to, and run at each lunch and dinner instances.

5. Royal Botanic Gardens, Peradeniya

A brief tuk-tuk experience from the town centre, Kandy’s Royal Botanic Gardens provide a peaceable antidote to the city bustle and one other of the very best issues to do in Kandy.

Unfold throughout 150 acres on a lazy curve of the Mahaweli River, the gardens had been as soon as reserved for Kandyan royalty and later polished in colonial type by the British.

Right this moment, it’s a riot of tropical color and a well-liked place for Sri Lankan households to spend a lazy weekend.  Royal palms line the principle avenue, orchids bloom all over the place you look and large (significantly, get a photograph subsequent to them for the size!) bamboo groves creak gently within the breeze.  Preserve a watch out for the resident bats slumbering within the higher branches and be sure you take a look at the avenue of cannonball timber, whose blooms odor divine however whose fruit can concuss the unwary. 

Plan a minimum of two hours to discover, extra when you fancy a picnic beneath the palms. Entry is round LKR 3,000 (no have to guide upfront), and mornings are the good time to go to.   There are many shaded spots so deliver a picnic to decelerate from extra energetic pursuits.

Bonus – Take A Day Journey to Sigiriya 

Kandy could be the guts of Sri Lanka however Sigiriya is its showpiece outfit: a colossal rock fortress that rises 200 metres above the plains, about 2½ hrs north of the town – a comparatively simple day journey. 

Constructed within the fifth century by the formidable – and greater than just a little paranoid – King Kashyapa, it’s half palace, half stronghold, and half historical artwork gallery, with frescoes of celestial maidens nonetheless glowing on its partitions.  The climb itself is reasonable in issue – round 1,200 steps, however with a number of locations to sit down and catch your breath and admire a few of the most interesting views in Sri Lanka.  Convey wise sneakers, snacks and an honest provide of water.

By far the best approach to do that is through a bunch tour (from $30 per individual) or with a personal driver (from $60 per individual) – most itineraries additionally embody the spectacular Dambulla Caves en route, the place the Buddhist frescoes defy gravity and the resident monkeys eye up your pockets (significantly, maintain your valuables in your hand or tucked away in your bag!).

If you happen to want to go south from Kandy, choose up your itinerary from right here for a incredible double dose of mountains and seashores.

Have you ever been to Kandy?

What are the very best issues to do in Kandy? Something you’d add to this Kandy bucket listing?

International Traveller Phil Thomas is a contract journey author, primarily based in UK, with over 110 nations beneath his belt.  You’ll be able to comply with Phil’s adventures by his weblog, Somebody Else’s Nation and through his Instagram, Fb and Blueskychannels.