Jungle Tide is a great place from which to explore central Sri Lanka beyond Kandy – both the hill country and northwards into the Cultural Triangle. Here are some of the trips you can do while staying with us. We can provide you with a packed or picnic lunch.
If you’re not planning to stay further north, then you may like to know it is perfectly possible to visit the famous attractions of Sigiriya (Lion Rock) and Dambulla Cave Temples in day trips from Kandy. Dambulla is on the way to Sigiriya but to squeeze them both into the same day trip means an early start, a late return and climbing Sigiriya in the heat of the day. The ‘alternative Sigiriya’ – Pidurangala – is also now popular for those on a budget. For a much lower price you get the same views as from the top of nearby Sigiriya but you don’t get the history and cultural aspects or the beautiful gardens.
If you’ve been to Sri Lanka before, or just want to get off the beaten track, here are some less well-known (and much less expensive!) historical and cultural attractions you can easily do in a day trip from Jungle Tide. You can easily combine them. The Three Temples, (Embekke, Lankatilleke and Gadaladeniya), an hour away, are a fascinating insight into how Buddhism in Sri Lanka developed. You may also want to visit the nearby Suriyakantha Cultural Centre, a low-key but beautifully curated museum where you can also take lunch (we can book this in advance for you).
Lankatilleke
Suriyakantha Cultural Centre
On the way to, and near to Dambulla are three less-well-known cultural attractions. The town of Matale has probably the best Hindu temple in central Sri Lanka. A little further on, and off the main road, is the lovely ancient Buddhist Aluvihare temple. Closer to Dambulla, and visited by very few foreigners are the graceful ruins of Menikdene, as well as the small ancient Nalanda Gedige temple near Naula which is geographically in the exact centre of the island.
Hindu temple, Matale
Menikdena
Loolecondera
Victoria Golf Course
A tea-themed day out is one of our specialities. It consists of a visit to the Ceylon Tea Museum – just fifteen minutes away – followed by a one hour drive to Loolecondera estate where a Scottish planter called James Taylor grew the first ever Ceylon tea – the original bush is still there, as are the ruins of his home and his lookout, with one of the best views in Sri Lanka and a great picnic spot. You can also visit the tea factory there, or if you prefer there are several other tea factories which you can visit en route to somewhere.
The British were famous not only for tea but for roads and railways, and if this interests you the National Railway Museum is located an hour away, at Kadagannawa. On the way, you will pass the tiny Road Transport Museum and nearby you will find Dawson’s Tower, erected to honour the engineer who built the dramatic road up Kadagannawa Pass. You can climb up the tower if you feel brave enough.
And of course the British brought with them cricket and other sports. Near Digana you will find both the Pallekelle international cricket stadium and the world class Victoria Golf Course, where you may be able to get a game – or just enjoy the bar and the splendid views.
Only the British were interested in the hill country, so we can’t offer you any Dutch or Portuguese colonial history. You have to be on the coast for that.
There are many spas, wellness centres, Ayurveda centres, yoga and meditation places in the area. If this is what you like, you’ll be spoilt for choice but we don’t want to recommend particular ones here as people like different things and have different budgets. But check out the reviews and find one that suits you to spend a couple of hours or more while you’re at Jungle Tide. Or we can get our excellent yoga teacher, Sanath, to come to Jungle Tide and give you a private lesson.
Ramboda Falls
In a longish day trip you can go white water rafting at Kitulgala or, in the opposite direction, zip-wiring at Sembuwatte Lake. In Kandy you can hire mountain bikes at www.cycletoursrilanka.com .
We don’t have any spectacular waterfalls within walking distance of Jungle Tide, though there are some pretty but smaller ones. However if you want to experience the drama of the mountains especially after rain there are a few options for a day trip. Hunas Falls is on Hunasgiriya mountain which is the peak visible from Jungle Tide. Ramboda Falls is on the road towards Nuwara Eliya. Both have nearby hotels where you can take a drink or lunch and watch the falls. There are seven or eight spectacular waterfalls in the Knuckles Mountain Range but many are only accessible on foot. You would see some of them in a guided trek, which we can arrange for you.
… if you want to experience Sri Lanka at its quirkiest we have a few suggestions. If you’re here at the end of the dry season (late March and April) a visit to Kotmale Reservoir is a memorable experience. When the reservoir was built a village was abandoned to the waters and the remains of a beautiful Buddhist temple rise above the water level at this time of the year. En route you can also have a look at the ‘upside down bridge’ – built to carry a railway line but the engineer held the architect’s plans upside down with the odd result you will see! On the way to Kotmale you can also visit the eccentric Ambuluwawa Tower near Gampola. Built on top of a small mountain it was created as a place to celebrate all religions and the environment. The views from the top are amazing.
Together with our trekking guide, naturalist and yoga teacher Sanath, Jerry and one of our guests walked Stage One of the Pekoe Trail recently. The trail starts at the Ceylon Tea Museum on the road from Kandy to Jungle Tide
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