Kandy
The last royal capital of Sri Lanka, set in the hills around the Temple of the Tooth Relic, with tea estates climbing away on every side.
- Arrival
- Bandaranaike International, Colombo · CMB
- To the city
- About 30 minutes by air, 3 to 4 hours by road
- Private jets
- Land at Colombo, open 24 hours
- Best time
- January to April
The city
A kingdom’s last capital, in the hills.
Kandy held out as the seat of the Sinhala kings until the British took it in 1815, and the city still turns around the shrine that made it sacred: the Temple of the Tooth Relic, a major place of pilgrimage and, since 1988, part of a UNESCO World Heritage site. Beyond the town the land rises into the central highlands, where estates and new retreats now share the ridges with the tea.
The hills keep the heat in check, with afternoons in the high twenties. January to March is the driest stretch, and Sri Lanka Tourism names March and April, the warm weeks between the monsoons, as a good time for the hill country. The second inter-monsoon makes October and November the wettest weeks in the hills.
- The Temple of the Tooth Relic The shrine of the Buddha’s tooth, the reason Kandy remains a city of pilgrims.
- Peradeniya Royal botanic gardens laid out in 1821 on a bend of the Mahaweli, with avenues of palms and an orchid house.
- The Knuckles range Mountain ridges within sight of the hill estates, part of a UNESCO-listed highland landscape.
Arriving
Colombo, then up into the hills.
Kandy has no airport for jets. Everyone arrives at Bandaranaike International, north of Colombo, and goes on by road or by a short domestic flight.
- Malé 1 h 30
- Mumbai 2 h 20
- Singapore 3 h 45
- Istanbul 8 h 30 long-range jet
- Johannesburg 9 h 00 long-range jet
When to go
January to April.
Highs run from 27 to 30 °C through the year, and most months are wet. January to March brings less than 90 mm of rain a month; in April the totals rise, much of it in afternoon thunderstorms. The second inter-monsoon makes October and November the wettest months, with around 300 mm each.
- 27° J 86
- 29° F 82
- 30° M 89
- 30° A 213
- 29° M 164
- 27° J 118
- 27° J 119
- 28° A 116
- 28° S 155
- 28° O 297
- 28° N 303
- 27° D 211
Where to stay
Estates in the hills.
Shown for information. We have no arrangement with any of these hotels.
- Ceylon Tea Trails Five restored planters’ bungalows at about 1,200 metres, with everything from morning tea to the four-course dinner included.
- Santani Wellness Kandy Twenty freestanding concrete rooms with glass walls framing the valley, and Ayurvedic programmes in the spa.
- W15 Hanthana Estate Kandy Suites in colonial-style bungalows with verandas among the tea, for adults only.
Where to dine
The best tables in the hills.
No MICHELIN Guide covers Sri Lanka. Theva Cuisine is reviewed by Time Out and priced at the top of the local market on Tripadvisor; The Restaurant belongs to Santani, a MICHELIN Key hotel on this page.
- Theva Cuisine Time Out Sri Lankan fusion $$$$ Theva Residency, Kandy
- The Restaurant at Santani Signature restaurant, Santani Wellness Kandy Wellness cuisine Santani Wellness Kandy, Werapitiya, in the hills east of Kandy
Elsewhere in Sri Lanka
More reasons to come.
- Colombo Colonial hotels on the Galle Face Green, by the Indian Ocean.
- Galle Ramparts, churches and small hotels inside the old fort.
- Nuwara Eliya Tea estates and colonial bungalows, high in the hills.
- Sigiriya A palace on a rock, at the heart of the island.
- Trincomalee A deep natural harbour, and blue whales offshore in season.
Flying to Kandy?
Choose how you arrive.
A Business or First Class seat on a scheduled airline, or an aircraft of your own. Tell us the date and how many are travelling, and we reply with one final price, our margin included.