This year's Kandy Perahera is over now. There was some confusion concerning the precise dates, as the date given on the tooth temple website differed one day from that on the private company's booking page the tooth temple website linked, too.

It often happened, that guests booking their Sri Lanka holidays many months in advance asked us for the respective August dates of the Kandy Perahera during their next holidays. Regrettably, the official dates are usually neither published before November or December - and even then can be confusing, see above.

So what to do, if you want to reserve your rooms for Kandy Perahera some more months in advance, which makes sense indeed, because Kandy hotels and guesthouses of course are usually fully booked several months before the great event takes place.

We highly recommend: Just don't insist to see the final night of the Kandy Perahera. Though it's indeed the climax of the Kandy festival fortnight, this very last evening parade is not larger than the pageants held on the four evenings earlier on. The processions of the five final nights are called Randoli Peraheras. If you see the first one of them, the number of dancers and elephants and the sequence of ceremonies will not differ much from the Perahera of the final night. The main difference is: There are much less visitors in the streets of Kandy on the evening of the first Randoli Perahera.

And here is why this information about 5 subsequent almost equally arranged Randoli Peraheras in Kandy matters for your decision concerning the date of your overnight stay in Kandy.

In general, the final night of the Kandy Perahera festival season is held on the full moon marking the end of the Sinhalese month Esala. This is the full moon night in August. But you should be aware: The date can differ one or even two days from that you find in your calendar. One reason is that according to different time zones the hour or minute of full moon in Sri Lanka can be after midnight, whereas the same second is still before midnight in Europe or America. In this case, the fullmoon day and accordingly the final Perahera in Kandy falls on a date one day earlier than that of full moon in Western countries. And there is one more problem concerning the exact date: What counts, is not the astronomical full moon mentioned in your calendar but the astrological full moon of Sri Lankan priests. And this also can differ one day from your calendar's full moon day.

So what to do, if you want to book early in advance without knowing the exact dates

Our advice is: Book the your overnight stays in Kandy for dates that are two days earlier than the August full moon in your calendar. Doing so you can be sure not to miss one of the five largest pageants, the said Randoli Peraheras. If the astrological full moon day in Sri Lanka is the same August day as in your calendar, you would see the 3rd Randoli Perahera in Kandy. If the astrological date is 2 days earlier than in your calendar, then you would see the last parade. If the official astrological date should turn out to be 2 days later than acoording to your calendar, you would not miss the Randoli Perahera, you would see the first one. And you can be quite sure: The difference between astrological festival full moon and the August full moon mentioned in your calendar will usually be only 1 day, sometimes 2 days, but not more. Hence, booking the day two days prior to your August full moon day will guarantee that you don't miss a Randoli Perahera - unless the Perahera dates would be not determined concerning the August full moon day. But during the last years, the final festival night in Kandy was always held on the astrological full moon day of August.

What does this advice of booking "the night 2 days earlier" mean in case of the Kandy Perahera 2019?

In short: Astronomical August full moon date of next year's Kandy festival fortnight is on Thursday, 15th August 2019, (the astronomical one, not necessarily the defining astrological one!). It's pretty certain: You will not miss a huge Randoli Perahera (one of the five most famous large pageants of the Kandy festival), if you reserve a room for the night from Tuesday, 13th August, to Wednesday, 14th August 2019. This is our tip. For more detailed information concerning events and dates please visit our Kandy Festival 2019 main page...

Be aware, that prices for overnight stays in Kandy during the main festival week can double or even triple. Here's another tip: If you accept to have a one-hour transfer after seeing the evening parade, booking a room in Matale (to the north of Kandy) or in Gampola (to the southwest) instead of staying that night in Kandy can reduce your costs drastically.

In Kandy, this year's Randoli Peraheras are getting started now. Randoli Peraheras are the processions of the last five nights of the annual Kandy festival fortnight. Though theprior five pageants called Kumbal Peraheras are pretty interesting, too, the Randoli Peraharas are the most spectacular pageants. For most visitors talking about the great processions held in Kandy in the month of August (end of Sinhala month Esala in Kuly and August), 'Kandy Perahera' and 'Esala Perahera' and 'Randoli Perahera' are synonymous. Actually, Esala Peraheras are held in other Sri Lankan towns, too, as this term only refers to the time period of the celebrations and not to the location. As said, Randoli Peraheras form only a third of the kandy Esala Perahera, but they are the climax. Most tourists think that the last night is the most spectacular one. Indeed, it's the most sacred event in Kandy and also the most visited one. However, the procedure of all five Randoli Peraheras is the same, the number of elephants and the sequence of groups of dancers and the route of the processinan and timetable of the Randoli pageants do not differ. Hence, if you are interested to see the famous Kandy pageants when the streets of Kandy are less crowded, the earlier of the five Randoli Peraheras are more recommendable than those of the last two nights. This is to say: If you are in Sri Lanka, visit the Esala Perahera in Kandy now. All five Randoli Peraheras are the most spectacular events on the island and an unforgettable experience.

The highest mountain of Sri Lanka was known as Mount Pedro to the British, they abbreviated the original Sinhala name Piduru to that of the Christian saint Pedro. "Piduru" means "straw", referring to the grasslands on the flattened summit. The entire local name of the mountain, Piduruthalagala, translates to "straw plateau rock", "thala" is a Sinhala word known from several toponyms sucg "Mihinthala" or "Haputhala", whereas "gala" for "rock" or "hill" is even more common in the names of Sri Lankan locations.

Piduruthalagala, located just 10 km northeast of Nuwara Eliya, reaches an altitude of 2,524m or 8,281ft. The summit is not open to the public, as it is home to a a communications array and radar of the Sri Lankan army.

Polonnaruwa is crowded with ruins of medieval structures. Nevertheless it’s quite easy to find one’s way through this archaeological site, becaue most of the attractions are aligned along a south-north axis, when entering the fenced park through the main gate. There is a historical reason for this groundplan: The monastery was to the north of the royal palace. That’s the reason why the ceremonial center for the national palladium, the Sacred Tooth relic, which was under the protection of the king but required religious supervision by the Buddhist order, is situated just halfway between palace and monastery.

For hasty tourists with only a very few hours time for their visit, the must-sees of Polonnaruwa correspond roughly to the three places just mentioned: The citadel just behind the entrance gate, to the right hand side, includes the ruins of the multi-storeyed building of the palace of Parkramabahu I, who was by far the most important ruler of the Polonnaruwa period.

The Sacred Tooth of Buddha was kept in the area now called Quadrangle in English, because it is an elevated platform with a rectangular groundplan. It’s an ensemble of several remarkable temples, the landmark circular temple called Vatadage being only one of them.

Further north is the second landmark of Polonnaruwa. It’s the group of rock-cut Buddhas called Gal Vihara. The Gal Vihara is only a few hundred meters north of Polonnaruwa’s medieval monastic centre, the Alahena Pirivena. Though the Alahana Pirivena is the most picturesque group of ruins in Polonnaruwa, the Gal Vihara group of giant Buddha statues is even more worth-seeing for those who have not enough time left to see more than three sites.

As mentioned, it’s highly recommendable to walk around the large area of the former main monastery of the medieval capital. Apart from a medium-sized stupa called Kiri Vehera, the Alahane Pirivena has two major attractions, namely the largest image house of ancient Sri Lanka. It’s called Lankatilaka. The venerated Buddha statue is still in situ, but it’s without head.

The monastic assembly hall is now known as Baddhasima Prasada, it’s the highest point of the entire ancient site. From here you have also a perfect view to Polonnaruwa’s largest surviving stupa, the Rankot Vehera, which of course is another major attraction.

Further north are two more major attractions of Polonnaruwa (see here...), namely the charming small bath known as Nelum Pokuna, which translates to lotus pond, and the large image house called Tivanka, which harbours a Buddha statue in the uncommon Tribhanga posture and has the best-preserved murals from Sri Lanka’s medieval period.

Outside the fenced area of the archaeological park are two more major attactions, viz. the palace of Nissanka Malla at the shores of the huge ancient reservoir known as Topa Wewa and, further south, the Potgul Vihara complex.

Situated in the Pothgul Vihara area is the rock-carved statue of a saint or king. It’s often called Parakramabahu statue, though it’s more likely that it depicts the sage Pulatthi, the patron of Polonnaruwa, which in the sacred Pali language was named after this sage: Pulatthinagara.      

Pidurangala is the less-known smaller sister or brother of Sigiriya. The steep monadnock of Pidurangala is located just 1.5 km north of the famous Lion Rock. Not many people know that the panoramic views from Pidurangala are even more amazing than from Sigiriya. Pidurangal, situated outside the city walls of Sigiriya, served as the Buddhist monastery of the famous Sigiriya-king Kassapa. Buddhist monks had formerly settled in the caves at the doot of the lion rock and had to be resettled when Kassapa founded his new capital here. He is said to have prayed to the sleeping Buddha of Pidurangala every day. This large statue near the top o the Pidurangala rock is another attraction rewarding the slightly strenuous climb of the stairways that starts at the modern monastery.

Kadugannawa is the name of a town and a railway station and, most significantly, of the major pass along the traditional main access road from Colombo to Kandy, which has become the A1 in the British colonial period. Learn more about the remarkable symbolism and the history and legend of the Kadugannawa Pass here... Nowadays, travellers use to stop at the incline to enjoy the beautiful scenery. They can also purchase fruits from the vendors along the road. 

Most Sri Lanka travellers who like hiking of course know Big World’s End and Mini World’s End. Both of them are spectacular escarpments at Horton Plains in the south of the central highlands. But there are more escarpments called „World’s End“ on the island. The most noteworthy of them is Mini World’s End in the Knuckles Range in the northeastern part of the highlands, which is locally better known by ist traditional Sinhala name Dumbara Kanduvetiya, which translates to „misty range“. It's near the hamlet of Deanston, located at the Dotalugala Mountain not far from Hunnasgiriya. Deanston is home of the Knuckles Conservation Centre, which is the starting point of a short and easy hiking trail to Mini World’s End. Despite ot’s nickname „mini“, the vantage point is quite spectacular, with a 270 degree panoramic view. The best time to visit it is the late afternoon. Mini World’s End is rarely visited by foreign tourists and still not crowded, although the entire region between Hunnasgiriya and Meemure is one of the most scenic parts of Sri Lanka.

The Dambulla Cave Temple, also known as the Golden Temple, is Sri Lanka‘s largest and most impressive monastic cave adorned with Buddhist statues and paintings. It’s situated in the southern outskirts of Dambulla town, which is located in the very centre of the area called Cultural Triangle, at the junction where the Anuradhapura-Kandy and Polonnaruwa-Kandy roads meet and not far from Sigiriya. Besides Anuradhapura, Polonnaruwa, Kandy and Sigiriya, Dambulla is another World Heritage Site in this area and a major attraction for sightseeing tours. The rock of the Dambulla Cave Temple towers 160 m over the plains of the Cultural Triangle. The five caves of the Golden Temple can be reached via a stairway to a natural terrace in an altitude of about 100 m.

Horton Plains is one of Sri Lanka’s best hiking areas, it’s the island nation‘s only national park which allows walking freely without ranger and also the only one situated in the highlands. Highlights for hikers are the montane cloud forest with interspersed open grassland areas and the vantage points at the edge of the plateau, which are known as „World’s End“. It’s also one of the best places for birdwatching in Sri Lanka’s central highlands. Our website proudly presents one of the most comprehensive descriptions of Horton Plains you will find anywhere online...

When you are travelling from Kandy to Nuwara Eliya or Ella, you will be crossing the highest tea region of Sri Lanka. Along the road you will see lots of waterfalls in a distance. However, there is one waterfall very close to the A5 roads you won’t see when not leaving your vehicle. Ramboda Falls is just below the main road. It can be best observed from the restaurant and garden area of the Ramboda Falls Hotel. The two cascades of Ramboda Falls measures 109 m in height altogether. They are situated in an altitude of about 1000 m above sea level. There is more to see in Ramboda...