10 activities in Kandy, Sri Lanka

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We take a look at the best activities in Kandy, Sri Lanka's second largest city and cultural capital

history and culture are omnipresent in the living city of Kandy. Known as Sri Lanka's cultural capital, resistance Kandy for three centuries for the Portuguese and Dutch and was the capital of the last Singhalese kingdom, which finally fell to the British in 1815.

The city is wedged between foggy hills, which often leave the sky covered. However, the breeze usually shares the fog to reveal Sri Lanka's famous second city, which is known for the Great Kandy Esala Perahera Festival.

one of the oldest and greatest of all Buddhist festivals in Sri Lanka, the event takes place over 10 days before the Nikini Poya (full moon) at the end of the month of Esala (corresponds to the end of July and early August).

During the rest of the year there is still enough to justify a visit. Here we take a look at the 10 best activities in Kandy, all in the immediate vicinity of the Cinnamon Citadel Hotel.

1. Temple of the tooth relic

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If you do one thing in Kandy, visit the temple of the holy tooth relic. The temple is located north of Lake Kandy and contains Sri Lanka's most important Buddhist relics: a tooth of the Buddha.

Visitors cannot see the tooth because it is kept in a golden box in the form of a Dagoba. In this coffin there is a number of six Dagoba-Chatulen, each of which is from decreasing size.

The complex also houses a network of other temples and museums, including the Sri Dalada Museum with its spectacular selection of gifts and donations.

Avoid a visit on Poya days or other holidays, since the temple is extremely overcrowded, which makes it difficult to move, let alone see the exhibits!

2. Teemuseum from Ceylon

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The Ceylon Tea Museum is a must for everyone who is a fan of a cup of coffee. The beautifully restored factory from 1925 is 4 km south of Kandy. There are exhibits about the tea pioneers James Taylor and Thomas Lipton, who are in addition to various utensils for tea processing. And at the end of your tour there is of course a nice cup of tea, which is included in the entrance fee of 800 LKR (5 USD).

3. National Museum of Kandy

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Although the National Museum of Kandy suffers from poor layout, weak lighting and incorrect labeling, the sheer number and variety of artifacts compensate for its defects.

There are a total of over 5,000 artifacts consisting of weapons, jewelry, tools and other objects from the Kandyan era (17th-19th centuries) and the post-British colonial period. The copy of the 1815 Agreement, which handed over the provinces of Kandy of British rule, is particularly interesting

4. Udawattakele sanctuary

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north of the lake and the tooth temple is the Udawattakele Sanctuary, a thick forest that is famous for its winding trees, bird observations and hordes of vibrating monkeys.

About 80 species of birds were registered in the protected area, some of which are endemic in Sri Lanka. The park also offers a panoramic view of Kandy, the lake and the tooth temple.

5. Walk at the Kandy-See

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Sri Wickrama Rajasinha, the last ruler of the Kingdom of Kandy, created this artificial lake in 1807. Today, almost all the important landmarks of Kandy can be seen from the coast.

It is worth taking a few hours to hike along the lake shore. There are numerous places where you can take a seat and watch the passing city.

6. Bahiravokanda-Vihara-Buddha statue

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The white whipped giant statue of Bahiravokanda Vihara Buddha is one of the most remarkable religious monuments from Kandy. The 26 m high statue is on a hill and can be seen from almost everywhere in the city.

Bahiravokanda means "hill of the devil", so do not be surprised at the challenging climb!

7. International Buddhist Museum

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For those who want to know a little more about the fourth largest religion in the world, the International Buddhist Museum does a good job to make sense of the whole. It contains hundreds of photographs, models and displays that illustrate Buddhism around the world.

Note that the museum is in the temple of the Holy tooth and is only accessible via the temple.

8. British garrison and Kandy war cemeteries

The British Garrison Cemetery, who is only a short walk uphill behind the National Museum, was for British citizens who died during the British rule in Sri Lanka. The cemetery contains 195 graves of men, women and children. Unfortunately, it is unusual to see a grave for a person over 40. The most common causes of death were tropical diseases such as malaria and cholera.

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About 5 km outside the city, on the banks of the Mahaweli Ganga river, the Kandy War is Cemetery, a British military cemetery for soldiers who died in the First and Second World War. There are 203 burdens, including 107 British, 35 Ostaavians, 26 Srilanker, 23 Indians, six Canadians, three Italians, a Frenchman and two unidentified people.

9. Mahaweli-Ganga boat trip

We made a cozy boat trip along the Mahaweli Ganga. Sri Lanka's longest river arises in the mountains and the hilly country around Kandy and flows into the Gulf of Bengal in the northeast of the country near Trincomale.

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The river offers excellent opportunities for bird watching and observing waterwarans and other amphibians and reptiles that hatch into and out of the water. Organize a trip through the Cinnamon Citadel Hotel.

10. Royal botanical garden in Peradeniya

This beautiful complex is far from the largest and most impressive botanical garden in Sri Lanka and was once reserved exclusively to Kandy kings. Today everyone is allowed in.

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The huge Javanian fig tree on the big lawn steals the show for everyone, but the gardens are also known for their beautiful orchid collection with more than 4,000 plant species.

The gardens are located in Peradeniya, about 6 km from the city center. Bus 644 (LKR 15) drives from the bus stop at Kandy's bell tower to the gardens and takes about 20 to 30 minutes. Alternatively, you can organize a transfer via your hotel.

activities in Kandy: The essentials

What: The 10 best activities in Kandy, Sri Lanka.

Where: We stayed in the Cinnamon Citadel Hotel on the banks of the Mahaweli Ganga River. High up in the hilly country next to a quiet river bend, the Cinnamon Citadel offers a welcome rest after a day in the busy center of Kandy, which is 15 minutes away.

We spent our evenings to laze on the pool or to enjoy the view from our spacious balcony: a gentle river in front of lush hills, which are wrapped in different fog levels. Here, in the middle of minimalist interior, which are dusted with strong red tones and traditional Kandy art, they are very aware that they are in Sri Lanka, the land of epic stories and old kings.

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Atlas & Boots

The reasons themselves are very nice. Quiet gardens surround the outer pool, which is overlooked by the hotel's two restaurants. The panorama serves an international menu (but you can hardly resist the delicious Srilankian buffet), while the Café C offers romantic dishes à la carte. The rooms are spacious, stylish and comfortable. Highly recommended.

When: The weather in Sri Lanka is a bit complicated because there are two separate monsoon times that affect different parts of the country. Jan-April and Mitte Juli-Sep offer the best odds for good weather nationwide.

like: Kandy is well connected and one of the easiest to achieve travel destinations in Sri Lanka. The city is 3.5 hours of car from Colombo or 3 hours of car from the international airport. Many visitors choose to drive from the airport directly to Kandy and end on their way to Colombo.

There are several coaching connections from Colombo to Kandy (see timetable here), which take between 2.5 and 4 hours depending on the connection. The prices are as follows.

  1. class: 340 LKR (2.5 USD) 2nd class: 190 LKR (1.5 USD) 3rd class: 105 LKR (0.75 USD)

    2. There are train connections to Anuradhapura and Jaffna in the north, Trincomale and Batticaloa in the east as well as connections to other cities in the mountain country such as Ella and Badulla.

    There are also several bus connections from Colombo and other important goals, but the train is a much more pleasant experience. We found bus trips in Sri Lanka quite stressful, so you might want to take a transfer instead. Your hotel can arrange this, but it is always worth negotiating a discount, since these are normally excessive (e.g. if 15,000 LKR are specified, ask for 11,000).

    Many tourists choose to rent a driver for the entire trip. This costs about $ 45 a day (including the days on which you do not use the driver). We used Ajaa (+94 777 284 178) and Sisi (+94 777 203 083) for shorter transfers and found them friendly and reliable.

    Most international flights end up at the Bandaranaike International Airport (CMB). Book via Skyscanner at the best prices.

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    Lonely Planet Sri Lanka is a comprehensive travel guide for Sri Lanka, ideal for those who want to explore the most important sights and choose less busy roads.

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