Walk Through Udawatta Kele Sanctuary with Guide

Highlights

Inclusions

Itinerary

1. You will be starting your tour at 6:30 am from the entrance of Udawattakele Sanctuary. After getting the tickets your naturalist guide will take you on an interesting trail through the forest. You will be stopping periodically to rest and refresh yourselves. The 104 hectare Udawattekele Forest Reserve in Kandy has an interesting history behind it. Historical records state that the caves within the forest were used by monks as dwellings for millennia. Your naturalist might take you for a visit to some of these dwellings. Later during the Kandyan kingdom, the forest was beautifully maintained with wide avenues for taking walks and was used as a pleasure garden reserved for the Royal Family. As such, the forest was forbidden for all except these family members and those who received a special invitations from them.

   6 hAdmission included

2. With the arrival of colonials, this use of the forest stopped, though the British used it for long walks. You will notice this by some of the overgrown stone walkways with names like Lady McCarthy's Drive, Lady Torrington's Road, Lady Gordon's Road, Russell Path, and Byrde Lane. As you go deeper you will find much rare flora and fauna, especially a large number of birds. A survey in 2013 identified 58 tree species, 61 shrubs and small trees, 31 indigenous herbs - of which 12 are orchids, and 57 types of lianas, creepers, and vines; many of which are endemic. Amongst the fauna is 80 birds; including endemic birds such as Layard's parakeet, Yellow-fronted barbet, and the Brown-capped babbler and rare birds such as the three-toed kingfisher. There are also several mammals, reptiles, amphibians and butterflies that you may see. Your naturalist will help you identify them and explain their specific characteristics.

   Passes by

Cancellation

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

Reviews

Ratings come from 1 reviews collected by our booking partner. They are travellers' own words, in the order they were written — never reordered to flatter the experience.

Know before you go

How it compares in Kandy

• Its from-price is 25% below the median of the 767 experiences we list in Kandy.
• Its length is typical for the group.
• By number of reviews it ranks 344 of 767.
• 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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