Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic
A UNESCO-listed shrine and the spiritual centre of Sri Lankan Buddhism.
Sacred City
Kandy travel guide
The last royal capital, wrapped around a lake and a sacred relic.
About Kandy
Kandy & the Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic
Kandy held out against colonial armies longer than anywhere else on the island, and it still feels like a capital with its own mind. The city curls around an artificial lake, hemmed in by forested ridges, with the Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic at its heart.
The temple houses a tooth of the Buddha, the most venerated object in the country. Three times a day drummers announce the opening of the inner chamber, and the queue of white-clad pilgrims carrying lotus flowers is as memorable as the shrine itself.
- Drive from Colombo
- 3 – 3.5 hours (115 km)
- Drive from the airport
- 3 hours (95 km)
- Temple dress code
- Shoulders and knees covered, shoes removed
- Ideal stay
- 2 nights
Photo gallery
Kandy in high definition
Highlights & attractions
What you should not miss
The five things our guides make sure every guest sees in Kandy.
Esala Perahera
July or August: caparisoned elephants, fire dancers and drummers parade for ten nights.
Royal Botanical Gardens, Peradeniya
60 hectares of orchids, giant bamboo and a legendary Javan fig tree.
Kandyan Dance & Drumming
An hour of fire-walking, acrobatics and low-country drum rhythms.
Udawatta Kele Sanctuary
A rainforest reserve directly behind the temple, once the royal pleasure garden.
Things to do
How to spend your time in Kandy
- Attend the evening puja at the Temple of the Tooth, when the drumming starts and the shrine doors open.
- Walk the 3.5 km loop around Kandy Lake in the early morning.
- Ride the observation-car train from Kandy to Ella — one of the world’s great rail journeys.
- Spend a morning among the orchid houses at Peradeniya Botanical Gardens.
- Watch a Kandyan cultural show, then eat at a local rice-and-curry buffet.
- Take a tuk-tuk to the Bahirawakanda Buddha for a panorama over the city at dusk.
Best time to visit
January to April and July to September — and August for the Esala Perahera.
Kandy sits at 500 metres, so it is pleasantly cool year round with evenings around 20°C. Rain falls in short bursts from October to December. If the Esala Perahera festival matters to you, plan around the full moon in July or August and book accommodation months ahead.
Month-by-month weather guide
Tour packages
Tours that include Kandy
Most popular
Classic Sri Lanka Round Tour
The complete island in one journey — the Cultural Triangle, Kandy, tea country, a leopard safari and three nights on the southern coast.
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Cultural Heritage & Triangle Discovery
Five UNESCO World Heritage Sites in one focused week — Anuradhapura, Polonnaruwa, Sigiriya, Dambulla and Kandy.
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Tea Trails & Hill Country
Kandy, the high-grown estates of Nuwara Eliya, Horton Plains and Ella — travelling by road and by the famous hill country train.
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Nearby destinations
Kandy pairs naturally with these — most guests combine them into one route.
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