Private Kandy & Ambuluwawa Tower Tuk-Tuk Day Tour

Ambuluwawa Tower

Ambuluwawa is a forested mountain near Gampola, about an hour's drive from Kandy, crowned by one of Sri Lanka's most unusual landmarks: a white spiral tower shaped like a stupa, around 48 metres high, standing on the summit at roughly a thousand metres above sea level. The site was developed as a biodiversity complex and a place of religious harmony, with a Buddhist stupa, a Hindu kovil, a mosque and a church sharing the mountain top.

The highlight of any Ambuluwawa Tower tour is the climb. A staircase winds around the outside of the spire and becomes narrower and steeper towards the top, so it is best for visitors comfortable with heights. The reward is a 360-degree view over the Kandy hills, tea estates, villages and on clear days distant peaks. Go early in the day for the clearest views; the entrance ticket is paid at the site.

Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic (optional)

The Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic, known in Sinhala as Sri Dalada Maligawa, is the most important Buddhist shrine in Sri Lanka. It was built within the royal palace complex of the Kandyan kings, the last independent kingdom on the island, and houses the relic of the Buddha's tooth, which for centuries has been a symbol of the right to rule. Together with the old palace buildings and the lake, it forms the Sacred City of Kandy, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

The visit is optional on this tour, with the entrance ticket paid at the door. Your guide can time your day so that you attend the evening ceremony at 18:30, when drums sound and pilgrims bring lotus flowers to the shrine. Cover your shoulders and knees and leave shoes at the entrance. Many travellers searching for Temple of the Tooth opening hours want this ceremony, so plan the evening around it.

Royal Botanic Gardens, Peradeniya (optional)

A few kilometres from the centre of Kandy, the Royal Botanic Gardens at Peradeniya spread over about 147 acres in a bend of the Mahaweli River. Once a royal garden of the Kandyan kings and laid out as a botanical garden in 1843, they now hold thousands of plant species. Favourite corners include the avenue of royal palms, the orchid house with its colourful blooms, the spice garden and the great Javan fig tree with branches reaching across a lawn.

On this private tour the gardens are an optional stop with a separate entrance ticket, and because you travel with your own guide you can stay as long as you like. An hour is enough for the main avenues, while plant lovers often spend longer. The gardens are flat and shaded, a gentle contrast to the climb at Ambuluwawa, and the riverside paths are pleasant in the heat of the day.

Bahirawakanda, Asgiri Maha Vihara and the Kandy viewpoint

Kandy is wrapped in hills, and the tour visits the best places to see it from above. Bahirawakanda Temple sits on a hilltop crowned by a giant white seated Buddha that watches over the city; the climb to the statue is optional with a small entrance fee and the view takes in the whole valley. Asgiri Maha Vihara, free to enter, is the seat of one of the two orders of monks that traditionally guard the Sacred Tooth Relic.

Your guide then takes you to the Kandy city viewpoint above the lake, the classic panorama of Kandy Lake, the Temple of the Tooth and the red roofs of the old town. Morning and late afternoon light are best for photos. With a private tuk-tuk you can stop wherever you like along the narrow hill roads, something group buses cannot do, and your guide explains the history of each place.

Tea factory, Mahaweli River and craft workshops

Sri Lanka's central hills are tea country, and a visit to a tea factory shows how fresh green leaves become black tea through withering, rolling, oxidising and drying. Entry is free, and you can enjoy a cup of Ceylon tea while looking over the slopes. The route also follows the Mahaweli River, the longest river in Sri Lanka, which flows from the highlands past Kandy towards the east coast.

Kandy is also a centre of traditional crafts, and the tour includes free visits to a wood-carving workshop with demonstrations, a batik and silk workshop where artists draw with hot wax and dye fabric by hand, and a gem museum and workshop where you learn how sapphires and other stones are mined and cut. These stops are short and you are never obliged to buy anything; your guide adapts them to your interests.

Kandyan cultural dance show (optional)

The Kandyan dance is the national dance of Sri Lanka, born in the hill country and once performed for the kings of Kandy and in temple processions. In the evening show, held daily from 17:00 to 18:00 at a cultural centre close to the lake, dancers in silver headdresses and beaded costumes perform to the beat of traditional drums, with acrobatic leaps, masked dances and, at the end, a fire-walking display.

The show is optional, with tickets bought on the spot, and it fits neatly before the 18:30 ceremony at the Temple of the Tooth, which is a short walk away. Together they make a memorable end to a private day in Kandy. When the evening is over, your guide drives you back to your hotel, so there is no need to look for transport late in the day.