The Best Hotels in Kandy for Experiencing the Real Sri Lanka

Encircled by mountains, rainforests, and tea plantations, Kandy is a vibrant city in the heart of Sri Lanka with colourful houses, colourful people, and where even the very best hotels in Kandy are a celebration of vibrancy and color too. Inevitably compared to its bigger brother Colombo, those choosing a stay in the best boutique hotels in Kandy will find Sri Lanka’s ‘hill capital’ is a gentler more traditional choice. Outside of the city are the cloud-shrouded forests offering plenty of opportunities for hiking and watching the abundance of wildlife that inhabits the hills. Sri Lanka has some world-class safari options, and those staying at the best hotels near Kandy can head north to Wilpattu National Park, Sri Lanka’s biggest wildlife reserve.

Boasting one of the largest populations of leopards on the planet, the park limits the number of visitors allowed in so those booking a safari from the best hotels to stay in Kandy can enjoy the incredible wildlife without the crowds. For guests looking to spot a leopard, wonderful wildlife experiences and luxury glamping hospitality await you at Leopard Safaris Yala, contact the Secret Retreats team to book the leopard safari experience of a lifetime. And to the east of Kandy lies the oldest and perhaps least visited national park, Gal Oya, home to the famed Gal Oya Elephants. Here, the delightful Gal Oya Lodge is perfectly placed to share the nature and beauty of Gal Oya with guests. As Gal Oya National Park is the least visited of Sri Lanka’s parks, the scenery is unspoilt and truly breathtaking, to see the best of Yala and Gal Oya’s wildlife the itinerary, Wildlife and Culture of Sri Lanka by Secret Retreats, is the perfect choice.

And those guests looking to get out into the animal, bird, and plant life on a more simple and personal level during their holiday in Kandy might like to ask the friendly staff at the best hotels to stay in Kandy about hiring a guide to take them into the Sinharaja Forest Reserve. This UNESCO World Heritage Site is usually shrouded in cloud, like its distant past when the mighty prehistoric Sri Lankan Lion roamed the former royal reserve. Located in another forest location, close to northern Yala, lies the Tree Tops Jungle Lodge and Tented Eco Camp, which is surrounded by unspoilt forest in rural Sri Lanka, and perfectly placed for safaris into northern Yala. By booking the best hotels in Kandy visitors are entering a mystical UNESCO-listed world of landscaped gardens, sacred landmarks, wonderful wildlife and stunning natural beauty, and cultural monuments. Kandy is also a city that serves up the very best in Sri Lankan cuisine, traditional dance, and religious relics all centered on a magnificent manmade lake where everything you could possibly need is no more than a short tuk-tuk ride away.

What to See from the Best Boutique Hotels in Kandy

Exploring all the city has to offer from the best boutique hotels in Kandy is made cheap and fun from the back of a tuk-tuk. A visit to the Bahirawakanda Vihara Buddha Statue is a great way to get one's bearings as the views from the top of the steps that lead up to the 88 ft giant white Buddha are panoramic and best seen in the early morning or as the sun sets over the peaks and tea plantations in the distance. Because it occupies a substantial portion of the city, a visit to Kandy Lake at some point during your stay is practically inevitable. The best times to go for a stroll along the lakeshore are first thing in the morning when you can join the locals for a spot of meditation, or a sunset stroll in the evening to avoid the traffic. The manmade lake was completed at the beginning of the 19th century and the island in the middle has served as everything from a hareem to an ammunition store. On the edge of the lake, and a short walk from the best area to stay in Kandy is the Temple of the Sacred Tooth. The golden-roofed shrine contains a tooth of the Buddha which is kept hidden away in a dagoba-shaped golden casket and heavily guarded and as it is the most treasured Buddhist relic in the country.

Visitors who fancy a gentle stroll in the footsteps of Sri Lankan royalty not too far from the best boutique hotels in Kandy should hail a tuk-tuk and head to the Peradeniya Botanic Gardens. Once reserved exclusively for royal use, the gardens are now open to the public and the highlights here include an impressive orchid collection, a cannonball fruit tree, and a gigantic Javan fig tree. Visitors staying at a Kandy heritage hotel outside of the city might also like to pay a visit to the 14th Century Lankatilake Temple, an impressive religious site that is half Hindu and half Buddhist. Kandy is a must visit, must stay destination for any traveller looking to experience a rich culture, delicious cuisine, deep history and wonderful wildlife.