Kandy

Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic

The temple that holds the tooth relic of the Buddha, inside the old royal palace complex on Kandy Lake, and a UNESCO site. The relic casket is shown during the three daily services, when drummers play and queues form on the upper floor. The ticket also covers the museums in the complex. The price rose from LKR 2,000 to 3,000; the temple has not published when, and many websites still show the old figure.

Hours: Daily 5.30 am to 8.00 pm. Services (puja) 5.30 to 7.00 am, 9.30 to 11.00 am and 6.30 to 8.00 pm.

• Cover shoulders and knees, remove shoes and hats. White or plain clothing is respectful but not required.
• The evening service at 6.30 pm is the most atmospheric and the most crowded. The 9.30 am service is calmer.
• You will not see the tooth itself, only the outer casket, and only for a short time from a moving queue.
• Bags are searched at the gate. Allow time for security on Poya days and during the Esala Perahera in July or August.

Royal Botanic Gardens, Peradeniya

A large garden in a bend of the Mahaweli river on the Colombo side of Kandy, laid out in the 19th century. The orchid house, the avenue of royal palms, the giant Java fig and the spice and bamboo collections are the main stops. Flat paths make it easy for families and older visitors. The fruit-bat colony in the tall trees is noisy and smelly in places.

Hours: Daily 7.30 am to 6.00 pm, 365 days; tickets sold until 5.00 pm.

• Allow two hours and walk the loop clockwise from the orchid house.
• Mornings are cooler; weekends and school holidays are busy with local families.
• The gardens are on the Colombo road, so they fit on the way into or out of Kandy.

Pinnawala Elephant Orphanage

A government-run captive herd of elephants on the Kandy road, started for orphaned calves and now largely animals born there. Twice a day the herd is walked through the village to bathe in the Maha Oya, which is what most visitors come to see. This is a captive facility, not wildlife: some animals are chained, the bathing is a scheduled show, and bottle-feeding and bathing passes are sold. We include it only when you ask for it, and we tell you plainly what it is. For wild elephants we suggest Udawalawe or Minneriya instead; for orphaned calves being prepared for release, the Elephant Transit Home at Udawalawe.

Hours: Opens 8.30 am; ticket counter closes 5.00 pm; the site closes 5.30 or 6.00 pm (the official page gives both). Feeding from 9.15 am; herd at the river 10.00 am to 12.00 and 2.00 to 4.00 pm.

• Time your visit for the 10.00 am or 2.00 pm river walk; outside those hours the herd is in the enclosure.
• The riverside is lined with restaurants and shops that charge for the view. The ticket does not include them.
• Bathing passes can be cancelled in heavy rain.
• Online tickets exist but carry a convenience fee and must be printed.

Official online tickets

Ambuluwawa Tower

A multi-faith complex on a hilltop above Gampola, 35 to 45 minutes from Kandy, with a tower whose spiral stairway narrows to a single person's width near the top. On a clear day the view takes in the Knuckles, the Hanthana range and Adam's Peak. The road up is steep and single-track in places.

Hours: 8.00 am to 5.30 pm (secondary source).

• The top of the stairway is very narrow and has only a low rail. Not for anyone nervous of heights or for small children.
• Go in the morning; cloud often hides the view by early afternoon.
• Weekends are crowded and the stairway becomes a slow two-way queue.

Aluvihare Rock Temple

A cave temple at Matale, between Kandy and Dambulla, where the Buddhist scriptures are said to have been first written down on palm leaves in the 1st century BC. Several caves hold painted Buddhas, and a steep stair climbs to a dagoba with a view over the valley. A short stop on the Kandy to Sigiriya drive.

Hours: Daylight hours.

• Cover shoulders and knees; shoes off at the caves.
• Allow 30 to 45 minutes, including the stairs to the top.