Experiences

Sri Dalada Maligawa or the Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic is a Buddhist temple in the city of Kandy, Sri Lanka. It is located in the royal palace complex of the former Kingdom of Kandy, which houses the relic of the tooth of the Buddha. Since ancient times, the relic has played an important role in local politics because it is believed that whoever holds the relic holds the governance of the country. Kandy was the last capital of the Sri Lankan kings and today, it is a World Heritage Site, mainly due to the temple.

Kandy, a prominent city within the cultural triangle, provides you with the chance to witness a striking display of Kandyan dancing. An iconic art form of elaborate movements in flamboyant costumes to the vibrating sounds of drumming, the most famous dance is the ves dance. Originally, only males were allowed train as dancers, but now, there are several schools that train women the Kandyan dance. The males wear a fancy attire than the females, with a headdress and a decorative beaded net on the chest along with metallic anklets. You can see the dance at the Temple of the Tooth before the evening puja ceremony which takes place at around 6.30 p.m. The performance normally lasts for an hour until 6 pm.

Pinnawala Elephant Orphanage is an orphanage, nursery and captive breeding ground for wild Asian elephants located at Pinnawala village. Regarded as one of the popular tourist destination in Sri Lanka, it is situated within a vast expanse of greenery and mountains, to fascinate our eyes and mind. The elephants can be seen up close and personal, which provides an amazing experience to us. Various activities throughout out the day takes place, with the bathing time following the bottle feeding session which might give you the chance to feed adorable baby elephants. Check out the activities and plan your day before you go in, if there is anything, in particular, you want to see or do.

The Peradeniya Botanical Garden, a few kilometres to the west from the city of Kandy, is the largest of the botanical gardens of Sri Lanka. Attracting two million visitors annually, it is also the finest of its kind in Asia and renowned for its collection of orchids. The garden includes more than 4000 species of plants, including more than 300 varieties of orchids, spices, medicinal plants and palm trees, attached to its National Herbarium.
The origins of the Botanical Gardens date far back in the yesteryears. Luminaries as varied as Queen Elizabeth II, Marshal Tito and Yuri Gagarin have planted trees to mark their visits to the garden. One tree with a significant history is the Cannonball Tree planted by King George V of the United Kingdom and Queen Mary in 1901.

Sigiriya is an ancient palace and rock fortress located near the town of Dambulla. The name refers to a site of historical and archaeological significance. Dominated by a massive column of rock nearly 200 metres high, this site was selected by King Kasyapa for his new capital. He built his palace on the top of this rock and decorated its sides with colourful frescoes. On a small plateau about halfway up the side of this rock, he built a gateway in the form of an enormous lion. The capital and the royal palace was abandoned after the king's death. It was used as a Buddhist monastery until the 14th century.