Kandy - Last Royal Capital
One day tour to Kandy: tea plantations, elephants and Royal Gardens
A picturesque ancient city, spread among the mountains and hills with tea plantations. Kandy was the last stronghold of resistance to the colonialists. The city is famous for the Temple of the Tooth Relic and Royal Botanical Gardens.
Organizer:
"It is my pleasure to help people around the world to get better understanding about Sri-Lanka and Vietnam"
Luong · online
Travel consultant ofAurora Holidays
23 reviews
Contacts us:
+84901401648
Highlights of the tour:
- Sacred Buddha Tooth Temple, Buddha Tooth Museum
- Bahirawakanda Monastery, Buddha Statue on the hill and The Observation Point
- Royal Botanical Garden in Peradeniya, 700 years old and one of the largest gardens in the world, where you can see trees planted by many famous people
- Tea Plantations
- Tea Factory
- Elephant Dung Paper Factory and Elephant Museum
- Elephant Orphanage
Detailed Program
Breakfast and departure from the hotel
On the way to Kandy we will pass traditional agricultural villages, such as Rambutan Village, Pineapple Village, Leather Village and Keshyu Village.
Buddha Tooth Temple
Around 540 BC, the deceased Buddha was cremated and four teeth were taken out of the fire, which were transported around the world. The tooth was brought to Ceylon in 371.
The city of Anuradhapura was chosen as the initial storage location, then the tooth was transferred to the city of Polonnaruwa, and already at the beginning of the 18th century it was transported to Kandy.
The shrine, after several centuries in India, was sent to Ceylon IV by the ruler of Kalinga, who suffered defeats in wars and feared for the fate of his state. The relic on the island was transported by the ruler’s daughter, hiding it in her hairdo. Magical power has long been attributed to this tooth: possessing it, he possessed all the fullness of power. Therefore, the tooth of the Buddha became the possession of the royal dynasty. Inside the Temple there is also a Buddha Tooth museum, which displays a variety of historical artefacts and offerings donated to the temple.
Bahirawakanda Buddha Statue and Observation Point
Next, we will visit the monumental statue of Buddha, located on top of a hill towering above the city.
Royal Botanic Garden
Royal Botanic Garden, whose history spans over 700 years.The shrubs and trees here are gigantic in size, reminiscent of Gulliver's Travels to Lilliput Kids.
Here we can see the magnificent orchid garden, as well as the Alley of Memorial Trees planted by famous historical figures, among whom are Nicholas II (Last Russian King), many British Kings and Queens, first spaceman Yuri Gagarin, etc.
Tea plantations and tea factory
We will visit a tea plantation and a factory where we can see how it is assembled and produced, and even we can taste the legendary, universally recognized Best Ceylon Tea in the World.
Ceylon tea became the front-runner of the industry and was much loved for its unmatched quality and variety. The alchemy of land, sun and rain in the Paradise Island of Ceylon, as it was known 40 years ago, presents the ideal climatic conditions for cultivation of tea.
Elephant Dung Paper Factory
Elephant Dung Paper Factory is an eco-friendly factory that introduces and explains the unique steps involved in making our much talked about paper products from elephant poop fibers!
What else we can do while visiting Kandy:
- Participate tea ceremony and do the degustation of more than 10 premium varieties of tea ($15)
- Ride the Elephant ($25)
- Visit batik factory where you can try traditional dresses including kandian sari (the only sari in the world which is different from indian sari)
- National Dance Show
- Gem Museum
Excursion features
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Tour cost:
$135/pax (minimum two)
What is included. Entrance tickets
Included in price:
Temple Buddha's tooth
Royal Botanical Gardens in Peradeniya
full-day excursion
comfortable 4-seater car with air conditioning
gasoline, parking, toll roads
English-speaking driver
Not included:
Pinnawala Elephant Orphanage - $ 20
Elephant Museum + elephant ride + Dung Paper Factory - $ 25
Tea Ceremony and tea tasting - $ 15
food (lunch in a European restaurant is possible as a buffet - $ 15 per person)
Reviews about the organizer
John15.03.2023
Michael14.07.2022
I, as a professional wildlife photographer, traveled to Sri Lanka with some unusual requests. Igor helped not only to plan the route through the national parks and provided a very good driver, but also helped to find professional ornithologists in all the necessary locations.
We traveled to almost all national parks - Udawalawe, Minneriya, Yalu. We went to Sinharaja. There are many elephants and birds everywhere. Yala confirmed its reputation - here we managed to see leopards, however, unfortunately - very far away. I really liked Khabarana - the best place for shooting birds that you can find. We took a half-day ride to Wilpattu - a little-known park among tourists, which Igor recommended to me. The park itself is beautiful, comfortable, good paths, it is clear that they are taking care of it. You can definitely put it on a par with Yala. Unlucky to see leopards, but lucky to see Himalayan bears and giant squirrels. Of the minuses in Wilpattu - the complete absence of normal hotels near the park. I would not advise anyone to stay here overnight.
The rain spoiled the experience a bit. Complicated filming in Sinharaja. It is a pity that because of the rains it was not possible to shoot in the forests in the Kandy region. If you go to Sri Lanka for the sake of animals and national parks, you still need to take into account the season. But anyway, a huge thank you guys for organizing! With all the difficulties, it was thanks to them that we managed to squeeze the maximum out of this trip. Organization at the highest level - the guys will solve any problems, always in touch, find hotels in the right places at any time, organize transport, professional guides and ornithologists will prompt. Definitely 5+
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Mark25.04.2019
Good afternoon, the tour went great. Very good guide, we will recommend you to all our friends. THANK YOU!
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