JK Travels Lanka · Pinnawala and Kandy
Your own car and driver take you up into the hills to the Pinnawala elephants, a tea factory and Kandy's Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic by the lake. It's the top-rated Kandy trip from Colombo, and the one to book if you want to set the pace yourself.
JK Travels Lanka sends a private air-conditioned car to your hotel. Kandy is about 115 km from Colombo on the A1, and there's no expressway yet, so guests talk of 2.5 to 3 hours each way on winding roads. The tour runs 9 to 11 hours.
The listing has five stops. Two hours at the Pinnawala Elephant Orphanage, 30 minutes in the Susantha spice and herbal garden, an hour at the Pilimathalawa tea factory, two hours at the Temple of the Tooth, and the Kandy viewpoint over the lake. The tea factory, spice garden and viewpoint are free. The temple (about LKR 2,500; the listing says USD 8) and Pinnawala (USD 17.70 a foreign adult) are paid on the day, and a temple guide costs another Rs 2,000 if you want one.
Two honest notes. Pinnawala is a government orphanage where elephants are chained part of the day, and its welfare is debated; one guest asked the driver for an ethical elephant rescue centre instead, and he agreed. And the spice garden sells oils and balms after the free tour. Every one of the 64 reviews gives five stars, mostly for the drivers, and the price per person drops as your group grows: $71 is the rate for a full car.
Your driver collects you from your hotel in Colombo or Negombo. Cruise guests have started at 6:30 am.
Two hours. The herd walks to the river for bathing from 9:15 to 11:45 am and 2:15 to 3:45 pm.
A free walk round the Susantha garden, with a sales talk at the end.
See the machines, taste the teas, and buy if you like.
Shoes off, shoulders and knees covered. Then the Kandy viewpoint before the drive home.
★★★★★The various sites that we visited were well selected and super interesting and fun!!!! There was a lot of driving but our driver Mr.Wasa was a wonderful driver. He obviously has done this many times.
★★★★★He let us customize our trip to include an ethical elephant rescue center, a tea factory, and some incredible vistas. He made several stops to let us try fresh coconuts, pineapple, guava, etc. Highly recommended.
★★★★★Personalized, move at your own pace, knowledgeable guide, with the opportunity to try local hidden delicacies [...] Lots of elephants and plenty of time to see them at the river.
★★★★★Since we had to be back on our cruise ship by 5pm, arrangements were made to meet our tour guide/ driver, Anas, at 6:30am for a private tour to go to several places that we wanted to see. [...] We made it back to the ship after about 10 hours from when we started.
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About 115 km on the A1, with no expressway in 2026. Guests report 2.5 to 3 hours each way; the whole tour takes 9 to 11 hours. Thinking of the train instead? Check our Kandy train update first.
About LKR 2,000 to 2,500 for foreign adults in 2026 (the listing says USD 8). A temple guide is an optional Rs 2,000 more. Neither is in the tour price.
It's debated. Pinnawala is run by the government's zoological department; critics point to chained elephants and crowded bathing. Your driver can drop it or swap it, as one guest did.
The car costs the same for one passenger or four. $71 per person is the rate for a full car, so a couple or a solo traveller pays more each. Check your exact price on the date page.
Ready to book
Your own car and driver to the Temple of the Tooth, with a tea factory and a spice garden on the way. Free cancellation up to 24 hours before.
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