Kandy is Sri Lanka’s second largest city after Colombo. This beautiful, laidback capital is only 72 miles (115 kilometres) inland yet boasts exceptional cultural and historical attractions, set amidst forested hills.
Kandy is known as a pilgrimage destination for the Temple of the Tooth relic (a sacred tooth of the Buddha) and is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, as a sacred city, due to the importance of this temple. It is also known for the Kandy Esala Perahera, an important 10-day religious festival each August.
Lying at an altitude of 1,640 feet (500 metres) above sea level and surrounded by the Knuckles and Hunnasgiriya Mountain Ranges, the temperatures around Kandy are slightly cooler and conditions more pleasant than in the lowlands.