About this experience
Depart your Colombo hotel at 0600 hrs in an air-conditioned vehicle with your English-speaking chauffeur guide and head towards Kandy. Your first stop is Pinnawala Elephant Orphanage, home to more than 70 elephants — the largest captive herd in the world — where you watch, feed, and observe rescued calves up close. Continue to the Royal Botanical Gardens at Peradeniya, which shelters over 4,000 plant species and houses Asia's largest orchid collection. The Temple of the Tooth, a UNESCO World Heritage Site built in the 16th century, follows — walk its painted halls, carved pillars, and golden shrines at your own pace.
After a lunch break of your choice, take your seat for an evening Kandyan Cultural Dance Show: cobra dance, mask dance, the fire-power Ginisisila, and a fire-walking finale. All entrance fees are covered, and a litre of bottled water per person is provided. Around 1930 hrs you begin the return to Colombo, stopping at Ambepussa for dinner (own expense). The tour wraps up with door-to-door hotel drop-off, making this a complete 12-hour private day trip.
