Pinnawala – Peradeniya – Kandy

Take a journey from historical city of Kandy via Pinnawala Elephant Orphanage and come back to Kandy in the evening. Visit famous Royal Botanical Gardens in Peradeniya. This is an ESSENTIAL day trip when holidaying in Sri Lanka. The journey from Kandy to Pinnwala will take approximately 2 ½ hours where you can have your breakfast while viewing the bathing Elephants. When you are inside the Pinnawala Elephant Orphanage you will be able to feed them with milk. From Pinnawala to Kandy drive will take only one hour and we recommend you to have your lunch in Kandy city, our driver will recommend you few good restaurants in Kandy city. After lunch you can visit the Temple of Tooth Relic followed by Kandy museum visit and a leisurely walk by the Kandy Lake.

Visiting Kandy during day tour of Kandy – Kandy is one of the most beautiful cities of Sri Lanka that is known for its scenic beauty and rich cultural value. Spread over an area of around 1940 square kilometres, it is counted amongst the world heritage sites of UNESCO. The city promises a number of tourist attractions that include the Old Royal Palace and the famous Temple of Tooth. The latter consists of the sacred relic of Buddha’s tooth because of which Kandy is regarded as one of the most sacred places by Buddhists. Other holy spots in Kandy include the Gadaladeniya Temple and the Lankathilake Temple.

Kandy offers an exciting shopping experience with souvenirs ranging from precious stones and handmade laces to stone and wooden carvings. If you visit the city in the month of August, you can get a taste of Kandy Esala Perehera, an annual ritual of the Sacred Tooth Temple. Thus, your vacation can be an enriching and cultural uplifting one if you choose this sacred and beautiful city.

Visit to Pinnawala Elephant Orphanage during day tour of Kandy – See baby jumbos wondering around their cramped foster home or bottle fed and bathed by their human foster fathers at Pinnawala, about 90Km from Colombo towards Kandy is the home to some 60 or more elephant orphans. A place you will really enjoy and never forget. Most orphans are accustomed to their curious human visitors are harmless. Started in 1972 the Elephant Orphanage was relocated to at the present site in 1975 Bathing time at Ma Oya just in front of the orphanage is sharp at 10.00am and 2.00pm. Feeding time is about hour earlier.

Visit to Peradeniya Botanical Garden during day tour of Kandy - Peradeniya Royal Botanical Gardens, the finest of its kind in Asia, the largest of the botanical gardens of Sri Lanka, couldn't be better located. In the Mediterranean climate of Kandy, the gateway to the Central Highlands, the Gardens, at an elevation of 500 meters above sea-level, were tightly bounded on three sides by a loop of River Mahaweli (Great sandy river), the largest river of Sri Lanka. The town of Peradeniya is located at a distance of 110km from Colombo and another 6km over the Peradeniya Birdge and you are at Kandy, home to the sacred Temple of Tooth.

Suggested departure time of the day trip – 6 am from Colombo
Highlights of Kandy day trip – See bathing Elephants in Pinnawala and Milk feed the baby Elephants with bottles. Visit to the Temple of Tooth Relic in Kandy, Peradeniya Botanical Garden, City walk in Kandy town and by the lake

Sigiriya & Dambulla Day Trip Kandy – Dambulla – Sigiriya

Sigiriya and Dambulla have been nominated as UNESCO WORLD HERITAGE SITES and once Sigiriya was nominated as the 8th Wonder of the World. This is a MUST DO trip when holidaying in Sri Lanka. Trip starts at 6 am from Colombo and the drive to Dambulla will take 4 hours approximately. Once Dambullla Cave Temple is visited we suggest you have lunch at a recommended restaurant by our driver. Then we will take you to a lake where you would be able to enjoy an Elephant back ride which is a highlight of this trip. When the sun is not so harsh you can visit Sigiriya Rock Fortress and proceed to Kandy after wards.

Visiting Dambulla Cave Temple during Dambulla-Sigiriya day tour – Dambulla is sited on a gigantic rock which towers more than 160m above the surrounding land. The Rock is more the 1.5km around its base and summit is at 550km. The caves were the refuge of King Walagamba (Vattagamini Abhaya) When he was exile for 14 years. When he returns to the throne at Anuradapura in the 1st century BC, he had magnificent rock temple built at Dabulla. The site has being repaired and repainted several times in the 11th, 12th and 18th centuries.

Dambulla was designated a World Heritage site in 1991. The caves has a mixture of religious and secular painting and sculpture. There are several reclining Buddha's, including the 15m long sculpture of the dying Buddha in Cave 1. the frescoes on the walls and ceiling from the 15th-18th centuries; the ceiling frescoes show scenes from the Buddha's life and Sinhalese history. Cave 2 is the largest and most impressive, containing over 150 statues, illustrating the Mahayana influences on Buddhism at the time through introducing Hindu deities such a s Vishnu and Ganesh.

Visiting Sigiriya during Dambulla-Sigiriya day tour – The ancient city of SIGIRIYA is a premier eco tourism destination in Sri Lanka which was designated a cultural World Heritage Site in 1982. It is also proposed that the site should be named the eighth wonder of the world, indicating it is in the same league as other international wonders such as the Grand Canyon and Ancient Pyramids.

Translated as ‘Lion Rock' into English, the name of the monument indicates the way in which visitors used to begin their final ascent to the top – through the open jaws and throat (‘giriya') of a lion (‘sinha'). Unfortunately, the only remains of this lion figure are the gigantic paws, sculpted into the side of the rock.

The topography of the area is flat except for the massive rock outcrop of the fortress itself (which rises an incredible 600 ft up from the green scrub jungle). The unusual rock is particularly interesting due to its flat top (nearly an acre in size), that was used in its entirety to build King Kasyapa's fortress complex, still evident by the presence of the extensive ruins.

Suggested departure time of the day trip – 6 am from Colombo
Highlights of Kandy-Dambulla-Sigiriya day trip – Visit to Dambulla Cave Temple, Visit to Sigiriya Rock Fortress and Elephant back ride