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View all Colombo toursKandy Day Trip from Colombo by Train with a Home-Cooked Lunch
Ride the hill-country line from Colombo up to Kandy, visit the Temple of the Tooth and quieter temples around the town, and eat a home-cooked Sri Lankan lunch with a local family.
Highlights
- Morning train from Colombo Fort up the hill-country line through the Kadugannawa pass
- Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic and Kandy Lake
- Quieter Kandyan temples away from the main visitor route
- Home-cooked rice and curry lunch with a local family
- Tea estate and factory visit on the slopes outside Kandy
Kandy Day Trip from Colombo by Train with a Home-Cooked Lunch: Key Facts
| Price | From $148.4 per person |
|---|---|
| Duration | 12 hours |
| Group size | Up to 8 people |
| Languages | English |
| Tour type | Guided Tour |
| Booking | Direct with the local operator — no OTA markup |
Full description
The railway from Colombo to Kandy was built by the British in the 1860s to move tea and coffee down to the port, and it remains one of the better ways to travel between the two. The line climbs steadily out of the coastal plain, cuts through the Kadugannawa pass with its tunnels and rock cuttings, and opens onto terraced paddy and forest as it approaches the hills. Doing this stretch by train instead of by road changes the character of the day.
Your guide collects you from your Colombo hotel and takes you to Colombo Fort station for the morning departure. The journey runs roughly three hours. Sri Lankan trains are functional rather than luxurious, the windows open, and vendors work the carriages selling wade, tea and roasted gram.
In Kandy the main stop is the Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic, the shrine that housed the relic Sri Lankan kings needed in order to rule. It sits by the artificial lake built by the last king of Kandy in 1807. Your guide also takes you to smaller temples outside the main circuit, the kind of places that stay quiet even when the tooth temple is full, where the painting and woodwork are Kandyan rather than restored for visitors.
Lunch is eaten at a family home rather than a restaurant: rice with a spread of curries, sambol, papadam and whatever vegetables are in season, cooked and served by the household. It is the clearest look at everyday Sri Lankan food you will get on a day trip, and there is usually time to ask about how each dish is made.
The afternoon takes in a tea estate on the slopes outside town, with a walk through the plucking fields and the factory before the return to Colombo by road. Plan for a twelve-hour day from pickup to drop-off; the train handles the outbound leg but the drive back is still a few hours.
Tour Itinerary
The schedule below is a suggested plan and can be adjusted to suit your preferences.
Hotel pickup and transfer to Colombo Fort
Your guide meets you at your hotel and takes you to the station for the morning train.
Train to Kandy
Around three hours on the hill-country line, climbing through the Kadugannawa pass with the windows open and vendors working the carriages.
Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic
Visit the temple complex and walk the edge of Kandy Lake.
Lesser-known Kandyan temples
Two smaller temples away from the main route, with older painting and woodwork and far fewer people.
Home-cooked lunch
Rice and curry served at a family home, with time to talk through the dishes.
Tea estate and factory
Walk the plucking fields and follow the processing line, ending with a tasting.
Return to Colombo
Drive back down to your hotel in Colombo.
Detailed Itinerary
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Includes
- English-speaking guide for the day; train ticket from Colombo to Kandy; hotel pickup in Colombo and return transfer by air-conditioned vehicle; home-hosted Sri Lankan lunch; tea estate and factory visit; bottled water
Excludes
- Temple entrance fees; breakfast and dinner; drinks; tips; camera fees; personal expenses; travel insurance
Important information
Meeting point
Hotel pickup in Colombo and transfer to Colombo Fort railway station.
Know before you go
- Free cancellation available up to 24 hours before the activity starts