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View all Kandy toursKandy Full-Day Private Tour: Temple of the Tooth, Peradeniya and a Cultural Show
The complete Kandy day with a private guide: the Temple of the Tooth, the Bahirawakanda Buddha, the lake, the craft workshops, the Peradeniya botanic gardens and a Kandyan dance performance in the evening.
Highlights
- The Temple of the Tooth, timed for a puja where the schedule allows
- The 27-metre Bahirawakanda Buddha and the view over the city
- Batik, gem and woodcarving workshops in the craft district
- The Royal Botanic Gardens at Peradeniya
- A Kandyan dance and drumming performance in the evening
Kandy Full-Day Private Tour: Temple of the Tooth, Peradeniya and a Cultural Show: Key Facts
| Price | From $123.5 per person |
|---|---|
| Duration | 10 hours |
| Languages | English |
| Tour type | Guided Tour |
| Booking | Direct with the local operator — no OTA markup |
Full description
Kandy held out against the Portuguese and the Dutch and fell to the British only in 1815, and it still carries itself as a capital rather than a provincial town. A full day with a private guide is what it takes to see why.
The Temple of the Tooth is the centre of it. It holds a relic of the Buddha, it is the reason Kandy is a UNESCO World Heritage site, and the kingship of the island was historically tied to possession of it. Three pujas a day open the relic chamber to a moving queue, with drummers, and timing your visit for one is the difference between a temple and an event.
The rest of the day builds around it: the Bahirawakanda Buddha on the hill, 27 metres of white concrete with the best view over the town; the lake, dug by the last king in 1807; the batik, gem and woodcarving workshops the court once supplied itself from; and the Royal Botanic Gardens at Peradeniya, 60 hectares in a bend of the Mahaweli river.
The evening is a Kandyan dance performance — drumming, masked dance and a fire-walking finale. It is staged for visitors and honest about that; the drumming is the real thing and worth the ticket on its own.
Tour Itinerary
The schedule below is a suggested plan and can be adjusted to suit your preferences.
Pickup in Kandy
Collection from your hotel.
Bahirawakanda Buddha
The hilltop statue and the view.
Peradeniya botanic gardens
The palm avenue, orchid house and great fig.
Craft workshops
Batik, gem cutting and woodcarving.
Kandy lake and market
The lakeside and the town centre.
Cultural show
Kandyan dance and drumming.
Temple of the Tooth
The evening puja.
Drop-off
Return to your hotel.
Detailed Itinerary
[{"time": "08:00", "title": "Hotel pickup", "description": "The order is adjusted around the puja and show times."}, {"time": "10:00", "title": "Peradeniya", "description": "Around two hours. Entry paid at the gate."}, {"time": "13:00", "title": "Workshops", "description": "Working studios with shops attached; no obligation to buy."}, {"time": "17:00", "title": "Dance performance", "description": "About an hour, ending with the fire walk."}, {"time": "18:30", "title": "Sri Dalada Maligawa", "description": "The 6.30pm puja. Shoes off, shoulders and knees covered."}, {"time": "20:00", "title": "Kandy", "description": "Drop-off at your hotel."}]
Includes
- Private air-conditioned car with an English-speaking driver-guide, hotel pickup and drop-off in Kandy, all driving between sites, fuel and parking, guiding throughout the day.
Excludes
- Entrance fees at the Temple of the Tooth, the botanic gardens and the dance show, meals and drinks, gratuities, workshop purchases.
Important information
Meeting point
Hotel pickup in Kandy; the exact address and time are confirmed after booking.
Know before you go
- Free cancellation available up to 24 hours before the activity starts