LK · Central Province · 7.29°N 80.64°E

kandy

A lakeside temple city with botanical gardens and green hills on its doorstep.

Best time
January–March is the driest stretch. October–November is the wettest, though showers come in other months too, and the Esala Perahera procession in July or August fills the city.
How long
2 days
Getting there
Fly direct from KL to Colombo (about 3.5 hours), then it's about 3–4 hours by road. Sri Lanka is 2.5 hours behind KL.
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LK · Central Provincekandy7.29°N 80.64°Egowherelah.com
Dear group chat,A lakeside temple city with botanical gardens and green hills on its doorstep.— gowherelahTo: whoever’s drivingKandyLK, Central Province
KLkandy
≈ 2,376 km from KL, as the crow flies
Front view of The Temple of the Tooth in Kandy.

Photo: මියුරු සංකල්ප · CC BY-SA 3.0

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Photos: Wikimedia Commons, credited on each.

Kandy was the last royal capital of Sri Lanka, set around a lake in green hills. It's home to the Temple of the Tooth, the island's holiest Buddhist shrine.

Makan

  1. Rice and curryA plate of rice with dhal, vegetable curries, sambols and papadum.Map ↗
  2. String hoppersSteamed nests of rice noodles with curry and coconut sambol, usually for breakfast.Map ↗
  3. Ceylon teaGrown in the hills around you, and best drunk at a tea estate or factory.Map ↗

Things to do

  1. Temple of the ToothHome of a tooth relic of the Buddha. The drumming at the evening puja is the time to go; cover shoulders and knees.Map ↗
  2. Kandy LakeA lakeside loop through the town centre, with the temple on one side.Map ↗
  3. Peradeniya Botanical GardensThe old royal gardens just outside town, with giant bamboo, huge fig trees and avenues of palms.Map ↗
  4. UdawattakeleA forest reserve on the ridge above the temple, with monkeys and birdlife.Map ↗

Good to know

  • Kandy has a sizeable Muslim community, and halal rice-and-curry shops are easy to find in town.
  • Cyclone Ditwah cut the hill-country railway in late 2025 and it's reopening in stages, so for now the road is the dependable way in and out.

Last checked October 2026. Things change, so check opening times, fees and transport before you go.