Highlights
Watch baby elephants being fed and playing at the Pinnawala Elephant Orphanage
Catch the aroma of herbs and spices at the Matale Spice Garden
Go to the sacred Tooth Temple and see the relic of Lord Buddha
See precious and semi precious gems at a gem factory
Wander the Kandy Garrison Cemetery to see the graves of the British colonials
Full description
Discover the highlights of Kandy on a full-day tour of the last capital of the ancient kings’ era of Sri Lanka. An English-speaking driver/guide will pick you up from any location in Colombo for the scenic drive to the Central Province.
Visit the Pinnawala Elephant Orphanage, a captive breeding ground for wild Asian elephants. Located 8 miles (13 kilometers) northwest of Kegalle in the Sabaragamuwa Provice, the nursery is noted for having the largest herd of captive elephants in the world.
Founded to provide care for orphaned and unweaned elephants found wandering in the forests of Sri Lanka, it was established in 1975 by the Sri Lanka Department of Wildlife Conservation (DWC).
Next, visit the spice gardens of Matale and learn why Sri Lanka is famous for its aromatic spices. Catch the scent of herbs, such as sandalwood, cocoa, citronella, jasmine, and coconut. Learn how cloves, pepper, ginger, nutmeg, cinnamon, and saffron are cultivated, and discover their healing properties and how to use them in your day-to-day life.
Continue to the Tooth Temple, overlooking the north shore of Kandy Lake. A place of pilgrimage for millions of devote Buddhists, the Tooth Temple is regarded as the treasury of their entire culture, and is believed to house the upper canine tooth of Lord Buddha himself.
Admire glittering jewels at the Gem Museum of the Sifani Jewelers, a leading retailer of precious and semi-precious gemstones and gold jewelry. Boasting a catalogue of more than 5,000 designs, each piece is lovingly crafted by skilled goldsmiths.
Your last stop is the Kandy Garrison Cemetery, where British colonials were buried more than 150 years ago. Open for just 50 years between 1822 and the mid-1870s, the once forelorn site boasts 195 graves of men, women, and children who succumbed to tropical diseases, such as malaria, cholera, and heat stroke. The charming caretaker will lead you through the graveyard, telling stories of the departed.
