There are so many places to visit around Kandy City. Here we have brought you the 10 best places. Before we move into the topic, let us give you a brief introduction of Kandy.

About Kandy

Kandy is the capital of the Central province of Sri Lanka. It is a world heritage city. The city is widely popular because of the Temple of the Tooth Relic. It is a significant place for Buddhists all over the world. Therefore, a lot of people come to worship there. Kandy Esela Perahera is another cultural festival which is held in August each year. It is a colorful festival that includes traditional dances and elephants. Kandy is also a historical place. It is the last Sinhala kingdom that was captured by Britain in 1815. Sri Wickrama Rajasinghe was the last king of the Kandyan Kingdom. Apart from its religious, cultural, and historical value, the city is a great place for tourists. Surrounded by mountains and an attractive climate, it has made it an ideal place to travel. There are so many beautiful places to visit inside the city and around the city. Here are some of the best places to visit within Kandy City. The Temple of the Tooth Relic Kandy View Point Bahirawakanda Temple Udawaththakale Sanctuary Kandy City Center Along with these places, there are so many nice places to visit outside the city. But most of them don’t know anything about those places. Therefore, we are going to bring you information about them. Here we have listed the top 10 places to visit around Kandy. The 10 Best Locations to Visit Near Kandy Royal Botanical Garden – Peradeniya Peradeniya Botanical Garden Image Source: Green Nature Facebook Page) The Royal Botanical Garden is situated 5.5km west of Kandy city. You can easily find this place when you are coming to Kandy from either the Gampola direction or the Colombo direction. Peradeniya Botanical Garden is an excellent place to unwind and relax. It is situated close to the Mahaweli River and covers almost 147 acres (59 ha). The elevation is 460m above sea level. There you can see many beautiful flowers and plant species. According to the sources, the garden consists of more than 4,000 plant species, including spices, medicinal plants, palm trees, and orchids. Peradeniya Botanical Garden is well known for its orchids. As well, the palm tree lines have made a great spot for photographers. Annually, over one million tourists visit this beautiful place. The garden has a long history. The British developed this as a botanical garden in the 19^th century. It is considered the largest botanical garden in Sri Lanka and one of the best in Asia. We recommend this as a must-visit place around Kandy City. The Hanthana Mountain Range (Nice Hiking Place to visit Around Kandy

Hanthana is a beautiful mountain range which is situated near Kandy City. The range can be clearly identified and observed from the city. There you can see a few radio towers and television towers on the mountain. It is a fantastic place for hikers and trekkers. The hike is not difficult for anyone. Due to the availability of public transport for more than half its height, you have only around half a kilometer to climb. But the route is along tea estates and mana bushes. Anyhow, you can trek the mountain range for a long distance. The scenic view from the top will definitely amaze you. You can see the entire Kandy city, the Mahawei River, the Knuckles Mountain Range, and the surrounding places very well. The Uragala peak is the highest point of the Hantana range, with a height of 1240m. Katusukonda is also a must-visit place, and it looks like Lizard Backbone. Crossing Katusukonda is an awesome adventure activity for anyone. But you need to be careful. Trekking in Hanthana is also a difficult activity in the rainy months. As well, you need to be careful of the leaches.

Ambuluwawa (Best Adventure Place to visit around Kandy)

A fantastic place for adventure lovers. It is situated in the Gampola area, 21 km away from Kandy City. The fearless can climb Ambuluwawa Tower. But some of them failed to reach the top. This is an ideal place to take an adventure experience in Sri Lanka. Ambuluwawa also has a biodiversity complex and a trigonometry center. Many plant and animal species can be found in the surrounding forest. You can see a clear picture of Gampola City from the top of the tower. The view is absolutely amazing. We recommend you add Ambuluwawa to your list of places to visit around Kandy.

Nelligala Temple

This is a modern temple which is situated in Muruthalawa Village in the Kandy District. It is 12.5km away from the city. Nelligala is a recently famous place with a lot of visitors daily. The temple is constructed on a large rock. Its structure and architecture are fantastic to watch. The Buddha Stratues and Sumana Saman Stratue have given uniqueness to this temple. Nelligala is also another fantastic view point.

Gadaladeniya Temple

Gadaladeniya is an ancient Buddhist temple which is situated near Pilimathalawa town. It is 12km away from Kandy City. This is an ideal spot for a cultural tour in Sri Lanka. Gadaladeniya is considered one of the largest rock temples in Sri Lanka. The temple was constructed by King Buvanekabahu Iv in the 14^th century. It is a place where you can find the Hindu artistic style. The architecture is very similar to the techniques of South Indian architecture. A seated Buddha statue, Makara Thorana, and four Buddha images comprise the main shrine room. The Makara thorana includes the faces of four gods.

Lankathilake Temple

Lankathilake Temple is another ancient Buddhist temple which is situated close to the Gadaladeniya Temple. It is 4 km away from Pilimathalawa. This was also made by King Buvanekabahu IV in the 14^th century. The Hindu architectural style can also be found in the Lankathilake Temple. Those were created by a South Indian architect called “Sathapati Rayar” in the 14^th century. There are six devales for the six gods. The temple premises are so beautiful and you can observe a nice view from around it. According to us, Lankathilake should be included in your list of the best places to visit around Kandy.

Embekka Devalaya

Embekka Devalaya is another culturally and historically important place, which is also situated near Lankathilake Temple. It was built by King Vickramabahu III in the Gampola Era. The devalaya is dedicated to God, ‘Katharagama’. The shrine consists of three sections. It is the Sanctum of Garagha, Hevisi Mandapaya (Drummers’ Room), Digge or Dancing Hall. The Embekka Devalaya is so popular because of its wood carvings. Most of the carvings can be found in the Drummers’ Hall. It is considered one of the best places to see ancient woodcraft in the world. Apart from the sanctum, the entire devalaya is made of wood. That shows the ability of the ancient Sri Lankans. It is a wonderful place for a cultural tour.

Pettigala

This is another superb hiking destination around Kandy City. It is 20 km away from the city. Due to its wonderful view, Pettigala has become hugely popular recently. The mountain is situated very near to the Victoria Reservoirs. So, you can observe an amazing view of the reservoir and the surrounding Knuckles Massif. The footpath towards the Pettigala is via a temple called “Bambaragala Raja Maha Viharaya’. It is also a historically valuable place. You can see old paintings from the 18^th century there. It is considered that Bambaragala Rajamaha Viharaya has over 1500 years of history. There you will see two main caves during your pettigala hike. Monks used these locations in the second and third centuries AD.

Kondagala

Another popular tourist attraction in the Central Province is the. It is located 32 kilometers from Kandy. Kondagala Mountain is entirely surrounded by tea estates. It is the oldest tea estate in Sri Lanka and is called “Loolkondera Tea Estate.” James Taylor was a Scottish planter who was a pioneer in the Sri Lankan tea industry. He started Loolkondera as the first commercial tea estate in Ceylon. Therefore, the place is historically important. Today you can see James Taylor’s cottage, his well and the first established tea plants. As we mentioned earlier, Kondagala has a scenic view. It is not difficult to hike to the top of the mountain. Public vehicles are allowed to enter the tea estate. But it is essential to buy a ticket.

The Knuckles Mountain Range (Best Place for Trekking around Kandy)

The Knuckles Mountain Range covers a large area of the Kandy and Matale Districts. It is an important biodiversity hotspot in the country. UNESCO declared the area as a National World Heritage in 2010. You can find a lot of endemic plants and animal species here. But it is difficult to enter the mountain range and looks like an isolated place. Anyhow, there are so many beautiful places to visit in the Knuckle Mountain Range. They are not far away from Kandy City. There are a few ways to enter the Kncukles range. Yahangala, Hunnasgiriya, Five Peaks, Meemure, Gerandi Ella, Dothalugala, Kotaganga, and Riverston are some of the renowned tourist attractions in the Knuckles Range. Those places are superb for trekkers, campers, hikers, and wildlife enthusiasts.

So, here is our list of the top 10 places to visit around Kandy. Out of these 10 places, there are some nicer tourist attractions near the city.

Kandy City Tour with Lanka Safe Tours

Lanka Safe Tours is a leading tour agency in Sri Lanka. We offer 25+ packages of day tours and multiday tours for tourists. If you are looking for a city tour in kandy, we can also provide it for you.  This day tour cover Temple of the Tooth Relic, Kandy Lake, Kandy View Point, Bahirawakanda Temple, Peradeniya Botanical Garden and much more places. Drop a whatsapp message to: +9477 555 6570 or visit our inquire page to connect with us!

Kandy Tuk Tuk Tours with Lanka Safe Tours

Lanka Safe Tours is not only provide round tours and private tours. We also provide you tuk tuk tours in Kandy. We believe tree weel is the best vehicle to experience the true life in Sri Lanka.  We have four major tuk tuk tour packages and they also cover most of these best places. If you are a someone who is interest to visit best places by tuk tuk then also you can easily drop a WhatsApp message to: +9477 555 6570 to book your tuk tuk tour. . . (Cover Image Credit: Ayesh from Twitter)

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