Depart your Kandy hotel and set off on your city tour by private air-conditioned vehicle with a private driver-guide.
Stop first at Peradeniya Royal Botanical Gardens, a 147-acre (59-hectare) plant-filled park dating to the British colonial era. Head inside (own expense) to stroll the lawns and avenues, seeing highlights like towering coconut palms, giant bamboos, and the orchid house while expanding your botanical knowledge.
After three hours here, continue to the Sri Mahabodhi Vihara in Bahiravakanda, a hill monastery with a colossal Buddha statue. Climb to the top for bird’s-eye views over Kandy, and after lunch (own expense) at a restaurant of your choice back in town, visit the world-famous Temple of the Tooth.
Enter (own expense) this gold-roofed lakeside temple, a former royal complex of Kandy’s kings, and home to a relic of a tooth of Buddha. Spend an hour admiring the shrines, and after calling at a gem crafting and woodcarving workshop, take a seat for a Kandy Cultural Show.
Enjoy the displays of Kandyan song and dance by richly costumed artistes, and be swept up by highpoints such as the masked demon dances and fire acts.
Your tour then concludes with a hotel drop-off.
