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The Temple of the Tooth in Kandy, its octagonal pavilion rising behind a white scalloped wall
Heritage · Kandy

Kandy day tour with the Pinnawala elephants

A full day in the old royal city of Kandy, with the Temple of the Tooth, the Peradeniya botanical gardens and the elephants of Pinnawala.

Duration
Full day, about 14 hours
Pickup
Pickup from your hotel or home in Colombo; Negombo on request
Group
Private car with a driver guide, just your group
Languages
English and Sinhala; Tamil on request
Cancellation
Free up to 24 hours before pickup
Confirmation
Within a few hours of your request
  • A large herd of elephants bathing in a shallow, rocky river lined with palm trees
  • The white colonial Queens Hotel on a busy street in Kandy
  • An elephant and her calf feeding among trees
  • Kandy Lake with the Temple of the Tooth on its shore and green hills behind

Highlights

  • Elephants bathing in the river at Pinnawala
  • The Temple of the Tooth, home of Sri Lanka’s most sacred Buddhist relic
  • The Royal Botanical Gardens at Peradeniya, with its orchid house and palm avenues
  • A walk by Kandy Lake, in a city listed by UNESCO
  • A viewpoint over the town and the hills

Why you’ll love it

  • Sri Lanka’s most sacred temple

    The Temple of the Tooth keeps the island’s most revered Buddhist relic, and you see worshippers arriving with flowers and offerings.

  • Elephants in the river

    At Pinnawala the herd walks down to the Maha Oya to bathe, and you watch them from the riverbank.

  • Gardens fit for kings

    Peradeniya was once a royal pleasure garden and now has an orchid house, avenues of royal palms and a giant Javan fig.

  • Door to door from Colombo

    Pickup and drop-off at your hotel or home, with a private car and driver guide for the whole day.

How the tour runs

  1. 6:00 am

    Pickup

    We collect you from your hotel or home in Colombo for the drive inland to Pinnawala, about 2.5 hours.

  2. 8:30 am

    Pinnawala Elephant Orphanage

    Arrive at Pinnawala, set up to care for orphaned wild elephants and now home to a large herd.

  3. 10:00 am

    River bath

    Walk down to the Maha Oya river to watch the herd bathe and play in the water.

  4. 12:00 pm

    Lunch stop

    A break for lunch at your own expense on the road to Kandy.

  5. 1:30 pm

    Peradeniya gardens

    Walk through the Royal Botanical Gardens: the orchid house, the avenues of royal palms and the giant Javan fig tree.

  6. 3:30 pm

    Temple of the Tooth

    Visit the Temple of the Tooth (Sri Dalada Maligawa) in the old royal palace complex. Cover shoulders and knees, and leave your shoes at the entrance.

  7. 5:00 pm

    Kandy Lake

    A short walk by the lake, then a photo stop at a viewpoint above the town.

  8. 5:30 pm

    Return to Colombo

    Drive back to Colombo, about 3 to 3.5 hours, and drop-off at your hotel or home.

What’s included

Included

  • Pickup and drop-off in Colombo
  • Air-conditioned car with an English-speaking driver guide
  • Pinnawala Elephant Orphanage entry ticket
  • Royal Botanical Gardens entry ticket
  • Temple of the Tooth entry ticket

Not included

  • Lunch
  • Offerings and donations at the temple
  • Personal expenses and tips

Good to know

What to bring

  • Clothes that cover shoulders and knees
  • Slip-on shoes, and socks for the temple floors
  • A hat, sunscreen and water
  • Insect repellent for the gardens
  • Cash for lunch, offerings and tips

Not suitable for

  • Travellers who would rather not visit captive elephants
  • People who find long car journeys hard (about 7 hours on the road)

Know before you go

  • Entry tickets are priced at the foreign visitor rate. Sri Lankan citizens pay much lower fees, or none at all.
  • At the Temple of the Tooth, cover shoulders and knees and take off shoes and hats. Posing for photos with your back to a Buddha statue is seen as disrespectful.
  • The orphanage sets the elephants’ bathing times and can change them; we check them the day before.
  • Full moon (poya) days are public holidays, when the temple is at its busiest and the roads into Kandy are slow.

Cancellation policy

Free cancellation up to 24 hours before pickup. Cancellations after that, and no-shows, are charged in full. If we call the trip off for heavy rain, flooding or a closure on the day, you choose a full refund or a new date.

Questions

What should we wear to the Temple of the Tooth?

Clothes that cover your shoulders and knees; light colours are a respectful choice. Shoes and hats come off before you go in, so slip-on shoes make it easier.

When do the elephants bathe?

The herd walks down to the river at set times in the morning and again in the afternoon. We time the visit for the morning bath and check the day’s times before you set off.

Do Sri Lankans pay less for the tickets?

Yes. Sri Lankan citizens pay much lower entry fees at Pinnawala, Peradeniya and the Temple of the Tooth, or none at all. Tell us your nationality when booking and we will price the tickets to match.

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