Apple Vacations · Kandy and Peradeniya
A shared van leaves Colombo at 6 am for Kandy, the last royal capital, with the Peradeniya botanical gardens, the Temple of the Tooth and a tea factory. Choose it for the guide inside the temple, which the private trips charge extra for.
Apple Vacations, which also runs the shared Sigiriya trip, collects you from your Colombo hotel at 6:00 am in a shared van with up to 15 people. Kandy is about 115 km away on the A1, and guests report 2.5 to 3 hours each way. The listing says 10 to 12 hours; one guest timed 13.
The day covers the Royal Botanic Gardens at Peradeniya (an hour and a half), the Temple of the Tooth with a specialist guide, the Kandy viewpoint, the lake, free time in Kandy and the Geragama tea factory. Water, king coconut and Wi-Fi on request are included. Tickets are not: Peradeniya is LKR 3,540 for a foreign adult, the temple about LKR 2,500. Several guests also visited the Pinnawala elephants (USD 17.70).
The low reviews are about shopping and hours. One guest found it "a little 'sales' heavy" with a medicinal garden and tea factory and felt pressure to buy and tip. Another hated the traffic and said not to try Kandy in a day. At $70 per person for a full van, it costs about the same as the private Kandy and Pinnawala trip, so compare both prices for your date before you book.
Be in the lobby 10 minutes early. The operator confirms the time the day before.
Guests mention a good-value breakfast stop on the A1.
The royal palm avenue, the orchid house and the giant Java fig.
With a specialist guide. Shoulders and knees covered, shoes off.
Free time in town, the viewpoint, then Geragama tea factory on the way home.
★★★★★Kandy is a good 2 to 3 hours drive, and my driver took very good care of me at each location. My favorite part of Kandy was the Royal Botanical gardens.
★★★★★They were absolutely punctual and picked us up from our hotel, Taj Samudra Colombo so that we left at 6 am sharp. Lots to see on this tour [...]
★★★★★We even made it in time to see the elephants bathing which really made the day special. [...] Krish had everything arranged from the pick-up a local guide to walk around the temple of the tooth with.
★★★★★The driver was super friendly and didn’t make me feel uncomfortable. He let me pick places I did and didn’t want to go to and made sure I was looked after well especially while it was a very busy time with the festival.
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10 to 12 hours on the listing, about 13 for some guests. The drive is 2.5 to 3 hours each way. Our Kandy day trip guide covers staying over, and the Kandy train update says whether the railway is running.
The Temple of the Tooth (about LKR 2,000 to 2,500 for foreigners) and Peradeniya gardens (LKR 3,540 for a foreign adult, LKR 1,770 for a child 5 to 12). Pinnawala is USD 17.70 if your group adds it.
Yes, up to 15 travellers. Several guests had a small group or were the only ones booked that day, so the van is often far from full.
The shared van includes a temple guide; the private Kandy and Pinnawala trip gives you your own car and pace. Prices per person are close, so check both for your date.
Ready to book
A shared van to Kandy with a guide at the Temple of the Tooth, from a Colombo hotel and back.
Kandy & Pinnawala Private Day TripYour own driver to Kandy: the Temple of the Tooth, Pinnawala, a tea factory and a viewpoint. Temple and elephant tickets extra.★ 5.0 · 9 to 11 hours · from $71
Sigiriya & Dambulla Day Trip from ColomboThe lowest price to Lion Rock: a shared van, Dambulla's caves, then the climb. A 12 to 14-hour day, tickets extra.★ 4.5 · 12 to 14 hours · from $45
Galle Day Tour from Colombo, All IncludedThe fullest Galle day: stilt fishermen, a swim at Jungle Beach, the fort and Kosgoda turtles, lunch in the package.★ 4.8 · 12 hours · from $120