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Photo: Bernard Gagnon, CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons
Although more an orphanage to make the owners money than a place caring for elephants, it has about seventy semi-tame elephants roaming "freely" around this wonderful sanctuary. Feeding and bathing times are especially enjoyable. You can either hire a taxi to take you there or, if travelling on a budget, get a bus to Kegalle (about an hour away) for about Rs 200, asking the driver to drop you off at the turn for Pinnewala which is 5 km or so before you reach the town, and catch another local bus for the last 6 km or so. Definitely worth the trip if you support such questionable practices.
Pinnawala Elephant Orphanage, is a captive breeding and conservation institute for wild Asian elephants located at Pinnawala village, 13 km (8.1 mi) northeast of Kegalle town in Sabaragamuwa Province of Sri Lanka. Pinnawala has the largest herd of captive elephants in the world. In 2023, there were 71 elephants, including 30 males and 41 females from 3 generations, living in Pinnawala.
© OpenStreetMap contributors
The best botanical garden in Sri Lanka and one of the best in the region. It dates back to the ancient kings of the country although the British changed the look of it. The British are said to have used the gardens to grow trees that could not be grown at south-west London Kew gardens. The large banyan tree, the orchid house, the suspension bridge, and the bats are some of the main attractions.
From bus terminal adjacent to Kandy's clock tower, take any bus headed to Peradeniya, including No 724, and expect a travel time of around half an hour.
A unique looking spiral tower that you can walk up. The tower is 48 m high and it is located on the top of a mountain, so it has good views of the surrounding hilly area, even when standing at viewpoints beside the tower. The stairs to the top progressively narrow to such an extent that people cannot pass each other going up and down except at certain wider points, creating significant congestion, especially, if you are trying to traveling within the top third of the tower. Given the congestion, most visitors do not travel all the way to the top. The tower is located within Ambuluwawa Biodiversity Complex and you must pay the entrance fee before going up the mountain to reach the tower.
The second university of Sri Lanka, established in 1942 in affiliation with former 'The University of Ceylon'. This has the largest university library in South Asia which is seven storyed. Tremendous beauty of this university has been appreciated over decades. Off the university bounds, Hanthana mountains can be hiked. On the opposite side, largest river of Sri Lanka, the River Mahaweli flows. The beauty of site can be markedly seen in March–April season.