Things to do in and around Kandy
Sacred temples, royal gardens, elephants and misty mountains. Our front desk can arrange a car and driver for any of them.
Ten places worth the trip
Listed from nearest to farthest. Distances are approximate road distances from the hotel.
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Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic
Sri Dalada Maligawa
The most sacred Buddhist temple in Sri Lanka, inside the old royal palace complex of the Kandyan kingdom. It houses the relic of the tooth of the Buddha. Visit for the evening pooja, when drums echo across Kandy Lake.
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Udawattakele Forest Reserve
Royal forest
Once the royal garden of the Kandyan kings, this forest sanctuary rises right behind the Temple of the Tooth. Walk shaded trails for birdlife, giant trees and a quiet pond, minutes from the city.
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Degaldoruwa Cave Temple
Kandyan murals
A rock cave temple built by King Rajadhi Rajasinha, famous for its vivid Kandyan-era murals, including the Vessantara Jataka story painted across the cave ceiling.
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Royal Botanical Gardens, Peradeniya
147 acres of gardens
Started as a royal pleasure garden and expanded by the British, Peradeniya covers 147 acres along the Mahaweli River. Do not miss the orchid house, the giant Java fig and the avenue of royal palms.
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Galmaduwa Viharaya
Unfinished stone temple
A striking stone and brick temple with a tall gopuram-style tower, where Buddhist and South Indian Hindu architecture meet. Its unfinished state makes it all the more fascinating.
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Gadaladeniya Temple
14th-century rock temple
Built during the reign of King Bhuvanekabahu IV on a flat rock outcrop, Gadaladeniya is known for its stupa-shaped shrine and ancient stone inscriptions in South Indian style.
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Lankatilaka Viharaya
Temple on the rock
A grand white temple on a rock above paddy fields and tea-covered hills, reached by a stone stairway. Legend says it was built after a golden bowl appeared in a nearby reservoir.
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Pinnawala Elephant Orphanage
Elephants at the river
One of the largest captive elephant herds in the world. Time your visit for bath time, when the herd walks down to the Maha Oya river.
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Knuckles Mountain Range
Dumbara Kanduvetiya
The mountain range you see from our upper floors. Named for its likeness to a clenched fist, it is a UNESCO World Heritage cloud forest with misty trails, waterfalls and remote villages.
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Horton Plains National Park
World's End viewpoint
A high, misty plateau in the central highlands, famous for the sheer drop at World's End and Baker's Falls. Leave very early to see the view before the clouds roll in.
Tips from our front desk
Dress for temples. Cover shoulders and knees, and be ready to leave your shoes at the entrance.
Start early. Horton Plains and the Knuckles are clearest in the morning, before the clouds come in.
Perahara season. The Esala Perahera runs for ten nights in July or August. Rooms fill months ahead.
Need a driver? Ask at reception. We can arrange a trusted car and driver for a day trip.
Make Hotel Neits your base in Kandy
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