Colombo to Kandy Day Trip: Temple of Tooth & City Tour Review

Planning a quick escape from Colombo? A day trip to Kandy, highlighting the sacred Temple of the Tooth and a breezy city tour, could be right up your street. I recently gave this excursion a whirl, and I thought I’d lay down my experience, giving you a realistic picture to help decide if it’s something you’d fancy. Let’s see, is this sprint through Kandy worthwhile?

Setting Off From Colombo: The Early Start

Alright, so the alarm clock decided to hate me that day, blaring at some ungodly hour to kick things off for this Kandy expedition. Getting an early start is just kind of vital because the drive from Colombo to Kandy, it seems, can be very long. I mean, the tour operators, they usually pitch a ride lasting around 3-4 hours, yet traffic has other plans, basically. My journey was slightly longer than this. Very nice. You have to expect something similar too, perhaps.

The upside? Witnessing Sri Lanka wake up. You’re driving, possibly, through streets that transition from totally asleep to sort of brimming with life; that’s a whole spectacle by itself. Watching vendors set up stalls and monks making their way for morning prayers, it is that sort of thing. Very beautiful, right? My advice? Pack a tasty snack and embrace the drive, and it’s just that this part is part of your day’s adventure.

The Temple of the Tooth: A Spiritual Centerpiece

Okay, let’s talk about the main event; the Temple of the Tooth (Sri Dalada Maligawa), or so it’s called. Honestly, it’s an awesome experience, stepping into a place considered holy ground, and also it’s packed with culture. I got there and found it bustling with devotees, all bearing flowers. It is so amazing; the air was thick with this, like, genuine sense of reverence and devotion. Amazing.

Okay, a heads-up: There is actually a dress code. You do have to cover up shoulders and knees, so bear this in mind while dressing in the morning. Now, I won’t bore you too stiff with the entire history lesson, although it’s long and rich. But basically the key is, it supposedly houses Buddha’s tooth, which makes the place incredibly important. I’m no history boffin, however you cannot help but just find the atmosphere special. Try to find a guide; in that case you actually find out more than you would wandering around on your own.

Kandy City Tour: A Whistle-Stop View

After the Temple of the Tooth, the city tour, this is what happened. Kandy is a good deal more than only just a temple, however a day trip perhaps barely scratches the surface. We buzzed round a few spots. The Kandy Lake, although? Nice for a very gentle walk, yet it does depend if your feet are still willing, to be fair. Afterwards, the viewpoint overlooking the city provided photo opportunities, like so, loads of them. A few botanical gardens were involved too. It’s pretty well done, though, I felt like I was being driven around, ticking off things on a list rather.

What’s the deal? If you actually expect a really great exploration, you are perhaps going to be a little disappointed. So then, think of this city tour as a sampler. You do get to glance at Kandy’s main sights, and, just maybe, this helps you select if it’s a city that calls you to visit a bit more thoroughly at some later stage.

Food for Thought: Lunch and Local Cuisine

You’re going to be needing to recharge during your day out, okay? It’s almost certain your tour has a stop factored in for lunch. More often than not, it is likely to involve a buffet targeted at tourists, and it is that kind of place. So that means a pretty decent range of Sri Lankan curries, rice aplenty, along with other things too. You will not starve, I’m telling you that. I managed to get a restaurant with lovely views, making dining more special. Should you be picky when it comes to your eating, just ask your driver if you can go somewhere a bit more local, maybe?

My advice is just be daring and give a go to at least a couple of different curries, or so that’s what I think. Sri Lankan cuisine gives you so many different tastes. Don’t just stick to what you think you might know.

Things to Consider: Potential Downsides

No matter how glossy the brochure reads, a day trip such as this has potential drawbacks, to be honest. The biggest one of those would be travel. Those roads might just try your patience. Secondly, you are seeing a very highlight reel type thing, so that the authentic feel could be curbed a tiny bit because you are hopping between places at quite the pace. So you might not actually scratch the surface in certain spots. So just watch out for lots of tourists also; the Temple of the Tooth could get seriously crowded.

Is this to suggest that you just forget the day trip? No way. Be savvy. Should you understand the shortcomings, you’ll be able to tweak the expectations. Weigh-up how much getting out of Colombo actually matters for you compared to deep exploration in just one spot. That, therefore, might shape the decision properly.

Is the Day Trip Worth It? My Verdict

Alright, the big question; Was flitting over to Kandy on a day trip good? Right, If you are definitely short of time and really wish to see Kandy even only a little, I’d suggest go ahead, or so I think. Just, I am thinking, factor in those really long drives and accept what you only just see very superficially. Yet experiencing the Temple of the Tooth, and its cultural value; yeah that is well worth it.

Maybe weigh that against how relaxed or less stressed out that you may feel sticking around Colombo and explore locally there more. Travel isn’t really always about cramming as many locations as humanly imaginable into only a limited number of days; also it includes what you cherish the most from such times. A little thought will just help you in picking a thing you would most enjoy.

Making the Most of Your Trip: Tips and Recommendations

So, thinking of giving the Colombo to Kandy day thing a try? I have a few recommendations, that’s right, to potentially make your adventure a bit smoother. Have comfy footwear, for instance. There can be an awful lot of walking, okay?

Dress respectfully for the temple; covering up those shoulders and knees will gain respect.
Just take a stash of little money for smaller shops.
Be daring when it comes to lunch; those Sri Lankan flavors, honestly they have such a delicious range.
Watch that journey duration and be ready to have some good music available.
Ultimately, be open. Accept you will merely graze over Kandy’s face; appreciate exactly what little bit that you can easily observe.

Alternatives to a Day Trip

If a fast-paced day tour feels a bit much, there are alternate choices that, actually, you might just wish to look into. Is it that you could actually book only just a more relaxed 2 day tour, in other words you aren’t trying to shove all this into one day? So you can see more and go slower too? An exciting way to see Kandy is by means of rail, and it is really breathtaking if, you travel slowly through scenery and hill country, right?. Basically you could spend a few days traveling and exploring within Kandy as you wish, right?

Don’t just suppose you can simply fly in for one day for anything at all, consider who you really are as the traveler. Think about whether or not the very concept of slowly experiencing something will really offer more of a positive impression and worth for you.

Anyway, whichever you opt for. Make plans to take your time and, be open for some real encounters along your adventure there. Safe Travels!