Best day trip from Kandy - what's actually worth the drive?
3 Answers from travellers
Top picks from Kandy: (1) Nuwara Eliya + Ramboda Falls (3 hour drive - tea estates, cool climate, lunch at Grand Hotel). (2) Sigiriya + Dambulla (2 hour drive - classic combo, full day). (3) Pinnawala Elephant Orphanage + spice garden - skip Pinnawala for ethical reasons but Millennium Elephant Foundation (Kegalle) is a decent alternative. (4) Peradeniya Botanical Gardens + Kandyan dance (half day). (5) Knuckles foothills + Meemure village (adventurous, full day).
Best combined day: leave Kandy 6am, Peradeniya Botanical Gardens 8-10am, spice garden 10:30-11:30am, lunch in Kegalle, back to Kandy for Temple of Tooth evening ceremony 6:30pm. Full but manageable. Sigiriya as day trip works but very long day.
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