Kandy Private City Tour Do it All in One Day

Highlights

Inclusions

Itinerary

1. Giragama Tea Factory is one of the oldest in Sri Lanka. The eponymous English "cuppa" might have been somewhat stronger if not for the 1865 coffee blight. Old Ceylon’s up-country plantations were devastated – but not so the spirits of the pioneering planters. They threw in a crop of tea and never looked back. You will visit a tea plantation and observe how the plant is grown and harvested. From here you will travel to a factory and learn about the whole processing procedure and how different types of teas are created.

   45 min

2. Gadaladeniya Rajamaha Viharaya with an ancient monastery is found on the flat rock at Diggala in the district of Kandy. According to a inscription there this temple was built by King Buwanekabahu IV in the year 1344. The chief architect of this temple has been a south indian called Ganesvarachari. Therefore this temple is essentially a South Indian design. The main shrine room has seated (in Vajrasana) Buddha Statue under a Makara Thorana and four standing Buddha images. The makara thorana is decorated on both faces with gods such as Brahma, Suyama, Santhusuta, Natha and Maithree, and two attendants.

   30 min

3. These stunning gardens were once reserved exclusively for Kandyan royalty. Today, even commoners are allowed in to enjoy the most impressive and largest (60 hectares) botanic gardens in Sri Lanka. Highlights include a fine collection of orchids, a stately avenue of royal palms, the extraordinary, aptly named cannonball fruit tree and 40m-high Burma bamboo. Another big hit is the giant Javan fig tree on the great lawn, with its colossal central trunk and umbrella-like canopy of branches. Peradeniya is 6km from central Kandy.

   2 h

4. Regarded as the highest point in Kandy, it is an absolutely breathtaking spot which gives a high angle view of the magnificent city. It’s so relaxing that you would want to sit and watch the fascinating view below all day. It isn’t far from the lake, just around walking distance. They have built a proper place to view the gorgeous scenery. It’s a place you should go with a camera so that you can capture gorgeous photos and videos.

   30 min

5. The Kandy Lake Club Cultural Dance Show is a stimulating Sri Lankan Arts, Dance & Cultural Heritage Show that is a must see for any visitor who visits the historic city of Kandy. The Kandy Lake Club Dance started in 1982 with the view of having a cultural dance performance bringing together all Sri Lankan dance types to one platform. It is the first Cultural Dance Show of its kind to be established in Sri Lanka. It has since become a tourist attraction for many people visiting the country and keen on a glimpse of its rich cultural heritage. Hence it has been performing continuously for the last 35 years.

   1 h

6. The golden-roofed Temple of the Sacred Tooth houses Sri Lanka’s most important Buddhist relic – a tooth of the Buddha. During puja (offerings or prayers), the heavily guarded room housing the tooth is open to devotees and tourists. However, you don’t actually see the tooth. It’s kept in a gold casket shaped like a dagoba (stupa), which contains a series of six dagoba caskets of diminishing size. As well as the revered main temple, the complex includes a series of smaller temples, shrines and museums.

   1 h

Cancellation

Free cancellation up to 24 hours before the experience starts, for a full refund.

Know before you go

How it compares in Kandy

• Its from-price is 22% above the median of the 276 day trips we list in Kandy.
• Its length is typical for the group.
• The operator lists free cancellation on it.

About Kandy

Kandy is the hill-country city of Sri Lanka, home to the Temple of the Tooth, a tree-fringed lake and a botanical garden among tea-covered hills.

Kandy was the last capital of the Sinhalese kings until the British took it in 1815. It stands around an artificial lake, about 500 metres above sea level, in the Central Highlands. The Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic, a UNESCO site, holds a relic said to be a tooth of the Buddha, and pilgrims bring lotus flowers each day. Drummers and dancers perform at the shrine's rituals.

Top-ranked sights in Kandy: Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic (Sri Dalada Maligawa), Alagalla Mountain Range.

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