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Photo: McKay Savage from Chennai, India, CC BY 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons
The forest was planned and maintained as the part of the Royal palace complex of the Sinhala Kings. A patch of tropical rain forest still survives and if you don't come across it, it is still a wonderful walk. You are guaranteed to come across plenty of monkeys and some tranquil ponds. Wear long trousers after rain, and take some salt as there are lots of leeches about.
Udawattakele Forest Reserve often spelled as Udawatta Kele, is a historic forest reserve on a hill-ridge in the city of Kandy. It is 104 hectares large. During the days of the Kandyan kingdom, Udawattakele was known as "Uda Wasala Watta" in Sinhalese meaning "the garden above the royal palace". The sanctuary is famous for its extensive avifauna. The reserve also contains a great variety of plant species, especially lianas, shrubs and small trees. There are several giant lianas. Many of small and medium size mammals that inhabit Sri Lanka can be seen here. Several kinds of snakes and other reptiles might be seen. Udawattakele was designated as a forest reserve in 1856, and it became a sanctuary in 1938.
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World's first International Buddhist Museum.
It now houses archeological museum.
Sri Dalada Maligawa
It houses a tooth relic of the Lord Buddha, and is consequently considered one of Sri Lanka's most holy shrines. Although you should expect that you will not be able to view the actual tooth itself, the casket within which it is said to be is displayed twice a day. The first is at 5:30AM and the second which could be the best time to view this ornate casket is around 6:30PM. Besides, Sri Dalada Maligawa museum can be found on its second and third floor.
Under reconstruction since early 2016
Houses an interesting collection of Sri Lankan relics. It is usually quiet and the museum workers are more than happy to provide a free tour.