Mini guide to the trip of Kandy
Travel beyond the pristine beaches of Sri Lanka and Colombo on the west coast to learn about Kandy’s architecture, traditions and culture. The trip of Kandy is in the bucket list of most travellers as it is a perfect opportunity to explore this fascinating city.
There’s more to Kandy’s colourful historical past than the large span of beautiful tea plantations with mountain peaks in its backdrop– travel beyond Sri Lanka’s west coast to find out about this beautiful Sri Lankan city’s architecture, traditions and culture.
The trip of Kandy visiting Udawattakele sanctuary
The Udawattakele sanctuary is a haven away from the hustle and bustle of the city. Designed for the Kandyan king and hist harem, it had been the official pleasure garden of Kandyan King. Today the garden is still holding many important remnants of the pleasure garden.
Despite its historical importance and natural beauty, the park does not attract a large crowd. Udawattakele is not included in most Sri Lanka trip packages such as Sri Lanka 7 days tour and Sri Lanka 5 days trip. It is highly recommended taking a stroll across the park because it allows you to witness a large number of avian fauna species and many flora trees, plants and creepers native to the island.
Visiting Royal botanical garden on the trip of Kandy
The royal botanical garden of Peradeniya is the biggest botanical garden in Sri Lanka, spreading over 147 acres., which is located neighbouring the longest river of Sri Lanka, Mahaweli. It was started as the pleasure garden of Kandy and was limited to the royal dignitaries. Later the botanical garden served as the nursery for cinchona plants. The Garden was transformed into a botanical garden under British administration in the year of 1821, with the guidance of Alexandar Moon.
Peradeniya botanical garden has welcomed many thousand visitors over the last 700 years among its fragrant fruits, orchids, and bamboo alley. The botanical garden is located about 5 km from the city of Kandy and its proximity to Kandy makes the botanical garden a popular tourist site in the mountains.
Exploring tooth relic temple on the trip to Kandy
The temple of the tooth relic sits at the bank of Kandy lake, while in the backdrop of the temple is the Udawattakele sanctuary. The tooth relic temple is an ideal place to get rid of the hectic and noisy town. It is so calm and quiet in the temple, you may even forget that you in a busy town like Kandy.
The temple served as the official residence of Kandy King at the beginning, later it was converted to a sacred temple with the arrival of the tooth relic. The temple is an impressive feat of Sri Lankan design and, the temple makes a good landmark for navigating the city. The temple is open for visitors from dawn to dusk but it can be busy on weekends and full moon days.
The tooth relic temple is surrounded 3 walls and a water ditch much like the Sri Lanka forts built during the ancient time. The temple nestled in the ancient part of the city, which is also categorized as a UNESCO world heritage site. Today the temple is occupied by the monks, who undertake the daily rituals at the temple.
Best for culture
The upper lake dancing hall comes to life every day at 05.00 pm, during which energetic move their hands, legs, hips, heads and entire body on par with the beat of the drum. While female dancers make various rhythmic moves according to the soothing music of the flute. Kandy is the only to witness the Kandy a cultural show, which showcases the typical Sri Lankan dancing forms and musical performances. There are few places, where you can witness the cultural show, however, all of them are located within easy reach of tooth relic temple.
Best for arts and craft
The arts and craft centre of Kandy has a large collection of artefacts, hand-made souvenir, gem and jewellery, spices, tea, batik and various other items that are widely popular among the travellers. Many hundred shops are tightly packed along the main road and offer typical Sri Lankan products.
Where to stay
The queen hotel is an iconic tourist hotel in Kandy, which owes English colonial rulers for its existence. The queen hotel was built about 180 years ago and as the residence of the British governor. The hotel has been restored to a luxury hotel by adding modern facilities and amenities while maintaining the colonial characteristics of the building. The hotel commands a beautiful view over the important tourist places in Kandy such as Tooth relic temple, Kandy lake, the catholic church and many other important tourist places in Kandy.
Despite its location close to the Kandy city, the swiss hotel is wonderfully quiet. It is one of the oldest building in the city with colonial splendour. The hotel is expanded and upgraded under the present administration. Today it serves a large number of travellers that seeking luxurious accommodation in Kandy. The hotel is kitted out in European style and has a spa and outdoor pool.
Transport
Kandy is accessible from all corner of Sri Lanka, due to its location in the middle of the country. Kandy is the hub of Sri Lanka road network and rail transport also allows easy access to Kandy from Colombo and other mountain resorts such as Nuwara Eliya and Ella. Air travel also can be used to reach Kandy form most major cities on the island, however, it can be an expensive option compared to other options. Usually, most Sri Lanka trip packages include Kandy as the base, while the guests explore tourist places in the mountains, therefore, most guests stay few nights in a Kandy hotel and plan daily excursions to nearby places.
Hiring a taxi with a local guide is the most recommended method of travelling in Kandy, which is safe, fast and gives you maximum privacy. Even though it may be a bit expensive compared to public transport, travelling by taxi is the best way to save time wasted on travelling. Travelling by public transport suck your time because they are behind the schedule most of the time. Fully packed buses and trains, especially during the rush hour makes is a bit inconvenient and unsortable to travel with buses and trains.
Why you should take the trip of Kandy with seerendipity?
Seerendipity tour is an entirely locally owned travel company with a head office in Colombo. The highly experienced local staff is a key strength of Seerendipity tours and they can plan your dream holiday to Sri Lanka.
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When you book a tour with us, you directly book the tour with the local company, which means there are no middlemen and therefore you can guarantee the best price. Simply get in touch with us and let us know when you travel and what you like to see.
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Our staff makes a personalized program for you, which you can change until you find the best package for you. You can also browse our existing tour packages for inspiration; all our ready-made tour packages are customizable and can be tailored to meet all your expectations. Write to us at admin@seerendipitytours.com, Tel 0094-77-440977, WhatsApp 0094-77-4440977