The Pinnawala and Kandy Tour from Colombo City is a full day out of the capital into the hill country, joining three of the best-known stops on the road inland: the elephant orphanage at Pinnawala, the Royal Botanic Gardens at Peradeniya and the Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic in Kandy. You travel in an air-conditioned vehicle with an English-speaking chauffeur guide, collected from and returned to your hotel in Colombo.
The day begins early, heading out of Colombo towards Kandy and pausing at Pinnawala in Sabaragamuwa Province. The orphanage was set up in 1975 to care for young elephants displaced from their natural habitat, and it is now run by the Department of National Zoological Gardens. Here you can watch the herd at close quarters, and at set times of day the elephants are led down to bathe in the Ma Oya river.
Further on, the Royal Botanic Gardens at Peradeniya lie just west of Kandy on a loop of the Mahaweli River. Laid out in 1821, the gardens hold more than 4000 plant species, and the walk takes in the orchid house, the spice garden, the long palm avenues and the great lawn with its spreading Java fig.
In Kandy itself you enter the old royal palace complex beside the lake, home to the Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic, venerated as the resting place of the Buddha's tooth and part of the Sacred City of Kandy World Heritage Site. Inside, passageways and painted halls lead between carved wooden pillars and golden statues, with daily rituals carried out by the monks of the Malwatte and Asgiriya chapters. A lunch break follows at a place of your choosing before the drive back to your hotel in Colombo.
Transport, the guide's services, bottled mineral water and taxes and service charges are part of the tour, while food and drinks, gratuities and personal expenses are not. Wear comfortable walking shoes, and note that heads may not be covered when entering the Temple of the Tooth, which includes caps, hats and hijab. Driving times depend on traffic, and photography stops along the way can be arranged where there is somewhere sensible to park.
