Tourism Department
Kandy visitor arrivals up 18 percent in the second quarter
Provincial figures show sustained growth in overnight stays, with the strongest increase in visitors staying three nights or longer to reach the surrounding hill country.
The last royal capital of Sri Lanka, kept as it was given
Kandy holds a sacred relic, a walled lake and a forested valley inside one hour's walk. This is the official record of what to see and when to see it.
The Collection
Four places that explain the city
Sacred, royal, cultivated and high. Begin with these, and the rest of Kandy arranges itself around them.
- 01Sri Dalada MaligawaTemple of the Sacred Tooth RelicSri Dalada Veediya, Kandy · Daily 05:30 - 20:00, thevava at 05:30, 09:30 and 18:30
- 02Kandy LakeKiri Muhuda, the Sea of MilkCentral Kandy · Open access, lakeside path lit until 22:00
- 03Royal Botanical Gardens, Peradeniya147 acres of collectionsPeradeniya, 6 km west of Kandy · Daily 07:30 - 17:00
- 04Bahirawakanda Vihara Buddha StatueThe white Buddha above the cityBahirawakanda, Kandy · Daily 07:00 - 20:00
The Schedule
What is happening, and when
Nightly from 19:30
Festival
Kandy Esala Perahera
Ten nights of processions culminating in the Randoli Perahera, with whip crackers, fire dancers, Kandyan dance troupes, drummers and caparisoned tuskers escorting the sacred casket through the city.
Sri Dalada Veediya and central Kandy
Sri Dalada Maligawa
Tickets via organiser(opens in a new tab)18:00 - 20:30
Culture
Kandyan Dance Festival
Three evenings of udarata natum from the region's leading troupes, closing with a combined performance of the ves natuma by more than eighty dancers and drummers.
Kandy Cultural Centre
Kandy Municipal Council
Tickets via organiser(opens in a new tab)08:00 - 17:00
Nature
Peradeniya Flower and Orchid Show
The botanical gardens open their propagation houses for an annual show of orchids, anthuriums and heritage roses, with growers' talks each afternoon.
Royal Botanical Gardens, Peradeniya
Department of National Botanic Gardens
Tickets via organiser(opens in a new tab)09:00 - 18:00
Community
Hill Country Tea Festival
Estates from Hantana, Gampola and the Knuckles foothills bring single-origin lots for public tasting, alongside plucking demonstrations and a cupping masterclass.
Ceylon Tea Museum, Hantana
Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority
Tickets via organiser(opens in a new tab)10:00 - 20:00
Community
Kandy Traditional Crafts Fair
Carvers, brassworkers, batik artists and mat weavers from across the district set up along the lakeside walk, with daily demonstrations of the liya vela motif.
Kandy Lakeside Promenade
Kandy Municipal Council
Tickets via organiser(opens in a new tab)
The Programme
Hours worth giving to the hill country
Not performances arranged for visitors, but the working calendar of the temple, the estate and the carving village, which you are welcome to join.
Culture
Kandyan Dance and Drumming
The ves natuma and the geta bera drum are the signature of the hill country. Evening performances at the cultural centre run through the full cycle of dances and end with a fire walk.
- Duration
- 1 hour
- When
- Nightly at 17:00
Culture
Attending a Thevava Ceremony
Three times a day the inner chamber of the Sri Dalada Maligawa opens to the sound of drums and horanewa. Dress in white, cover shoulders and knees, and arrive twenty minutes early.
- Duration
- 45 minutes
- When
- 05:30, 09:30 and 18:30 daily
Nature
A Morning on a Tea Estate
Walk the plucking fields with an estate guide, follow the leaf through withering and rolling, then taste the day's grades side by side in the factory tasting room.
- Duration
- Half day
- When
- 06:30 - 11:00
Craft
Wood Carving in Nattarampotha
The carving villages east of Kandy still cut the lotus, liya vela and mythical beast motifs that decorate temple timber. Workshops take two hours and you keep what you carve.
- Duration
- 2 hours
- When
- Weekday mornings
The Record
Bulletins from the stakeholders
Kandy Municipal Council
Lakeside walk restoration enters its final phase
Resurfacing of the northern promenade and repairs to the walled parapet are scheduled for completion before the Esala season, with night lighting upgraded along the full circuit.
Sri Dalada Maligawa
Route and viewing arrangements confirmed for Esala Perahera
The Maligawa has published the nightly procession order for the ten-night festival, together with guidance on dress, photography and designated public viewing areas.
Department of Archaeology
Moonstone conservation project begins at the palace precinct
Conservators have started stabilising four carved moonstones at the entrance to the old palace complex, using a reversible consolidant trialled at Polonnaruwa.
District Secretariat
District transport plan adds two park-and-ride sites
Two peripheral parking sites with shuttle links to the city centre will open in stages, intended to reduce private vehicle traffic inside the sacred precinct.
Plan Your Visit
Come for the relic, stay for the valley
Trains climb from Colombo in three and a half hours, and everything in the sacred city is within walking distance of the lake.