Kandy day trips - what is actually worth doing within a day trip from the city?

I've been a guide in and around Kandy for 15 years. Here's what actually stands out beyond the obvious.

Peradeniya Botanical Gardens: easily 2-3 hours if you go slowly and you should. The orchid house, the giant java fig tree (one of the largest in Asia), and the bat colony at dusk are the three things worth specifically seeking out. Go in the morning or late afternoon for the light. The midday sun is harsh and the crowds are worse. Worth a solid half day.

Spice and gem gardens on the road to Colombo: these are mostly commercial operations attached to shops where they want to sell you things. The spice garden tour itself is interesting for 30 minutes - you see actual cinnamon, pepper, cardamom, and vanilla growing - but the pressure to buy at the end is strong. Visit one if you have curiosity about Sri Lankan spices, but know what you're walking into.

Viewpoints: the most underrated Kandy viewpoint is from the ridge above the Bahirawakanda (the large white Buddha statue). Take the steps up from the road near the temple - you get the whole city and the lake below you, facing west, perfect for late afternoon light. Almost no tourists bother climbing past the statue.

Knuckles mountain range: a genuine half-day or full-day trip from Kandy if you want to hike. About 45 minutes to the trailheads at Riverston or Meemure. The landscape is completely different from the main tourist trail - misty cloud forest, endemic wildlife, terraced rice paddies. Riverston viewpoint in the morning mist is one of my favourite photographs in all of Sri Lanka.

Hindu temple and ancient bo tree: the Embekke Devale (15th century woodwork carvings) and Lankatilake and Gadaladeniya temples are about 15km from Kandy and are rarely visited. Usually bundled as a 3-temple circuit by tuk-tuk (LKR 1,500-2,000 for the tuk-tuk for 3 hours). The woodwork at Embekke is extraordinary for a photographer.