Family Guide - Kandy - practical advice with names and honest picks.
This guide covers 5 family places in and around Kandy: Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic, Royal Botanic Gardens Peradeniya, Kandy Cultural Show, Ceylon Tea Museum and Pinnawala Elephant Orphanage. If you only have time for one, make it Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic: experience living Buddhist culture at Sri Lanka's most important religious site.
This guide covers 5 family places in and around Kandy: Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic, Royal Botanic Gardens Peradeniya, Kandy Cultural Show, Ceylon Tea Museum and Pinnawala Elephant Orphanage. If you only have time for one, make it Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic: experience living Buddhist culture at Sri Lanka's most important religious site.
Where to go
Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic
Sri Lanka's most sacred Buddhist temple holds what tradition says is the left canine tooth of the Buddha, in a golden-roofed complex beside Kandy Lake. The Mahavamsa chronicle tells how Princess Hemamali carried the relic to the island hidden in her hair, and for centuries whoever kept it was seen to have the right to rule.
Opening hours and how to get there are on the Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic page.
Royal Botanic Gardens Peradeniya
These 147-acre botanical gardens hold more than 4,000 plant species, in a bend of the Mahaweli River. The site was a royal pleasure ground in the 14th century, was kept by the Kandyan kings, and became a botanical garden in 1821 under Alexander Moon after the British took the kingdom.
Full details: Royal Botanic Gardens Peradeniya.
Kandy Cultural Show
Traditional Kandyan dance performances showcase fire walking, sword dancing, and drum ensembles at several venues around the city. These hour-long shows feature elaborate costumes, acrobatic movements, and live percussion music representing centuries-old court traditions.
The Kandy Cultural Show page has directions, hours and photos.
Ceylon Tea Museum
A working-class tea factory from 1925, now a museum on the Hantana road a few kilometres south of Kandy. Its floors hold the original rollers, dryers and withering troughs that turned green leaf into black tea, with photographs and papers from the planters who built Ceylon tea in these hills.
Opening hours and how to get there are on the Ceylon Tea Museum page.
Pinnawala Elephant Orphanage
Stand on the riverbank as the herd files down the street and into the water, calves tumbling after their mothers, and watch them roll and spray in the current. See a large herd of elephants close up on a day out from Kandy, including calves, in a setting that is easy to reach.
Full details: Pinnawala Elephant Orphanage.
Before you go
- Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic: Dress modestly covering shoulders and knees, and remove shoes at the entrance (sarongs are often available to borrow).
- Royal Botanic Gardens Peradeniya: Bring water and snacks, as refreshments inside are limited.
- Kandy Cultural Show: Book tickets in advance during peak season.
- Ceylon Tea Museum: Take a tuk-tuk or taxi from the centre - it is a short ride, and arranging the return before you go avoids a long wait on the road.
- Pinnawala Elephant Orphanage: Arrive in time for the first river bath, which is when the herd leaves the grounds and the best viewing starts.
More on Kandy
The Kandy overview has costs, areas and transport in one place. The Kandy travel guide is the longer read.
We plan trips to Kandy and the rest of Sri Lanka. Tell us your dates and we will put a route together. Our routes are on the tours page.