Some days Kandy’s skies seem perpetually bruised, with stubborn mist clinging to the hills surrounding the city’s beautiful centre piece lake. Delicate hill-country breezes impel the mist to gently part, revealing colourful houses amid Kandy’s improbable forested halo. In the centre of town, three-wheelers careen around slippery corners, raising a soft spray that threatens the silk saris worn by local women. Here’s a city that looks good even when it’s raining. And when the drizzle subsides, cobalt-blue skies reveal a city of imposing colonial era and Kandyan architecture, none more impressive than the Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic, one of Buddhism’s most sacred shrines.
History and culture are on tap. Yes, the city is renowned for the great Kandy Esala Perahera festival (held annually in July/August),but its vibrant cultural life and attractions more than justify a visit at any time of year.One of Asia’s most spectacular festivals,with huge processions of magnificently caparisoned elephants accompanied by ear-splitting troupes of Kandyan drummers, plus assorted dancers and acrobats.
Kandyan dancing and drumming • Traditional Sinhalese culture at its most exuberant, with brilliantly costumed dancers performing carefully stylized dances to an accompaniment of explosively energetic drumming.
Overview
Beautifully situated amidst the central highlands, this historic city remains the island’s most important repository of traditional Sinhalese culture, exemplified by the great Esala Perahera festival and the Temple of the Tooth.
You can travel by the train The hill country line runs from Colombo to Kandy then on to
Hatton (for Adam’s Peak), Nanu Oya (for Nuwara Eliya), Haputale, Bandarawela, Ella and Badulla.
Highlights
- Spice garden
- Tea estate
- Ceylon Tea tasting
- Kandy sightseeing tour
- Upcountry train journey
- Gregory lake
