Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
The elephant orphanage is a few kilometres north of the Colombo-Kandy road. From
Kandy take a bus to Kegalle. Get off before Kegalle at Karandunpona Junction (Rs 45).
From the junction, catch bus 661 (Rs 18) going from Kegalle to Rambukkana and get off
at Pinnewala. A three-wheeler from the junction to Pinnewala is around Rs 350. It's about
an hour from Kandy to the junction and 20 minutes from the junction to Pinnewala. Buses
also link Colombo and Kegalle.
Rambukkana station on the Colombo-Kandy railway is about 3km north of the orphan-
age and all trains travelling this route stop there. From Rambukkana get a bus (Rs 18) go-
ing towards Kegalle or a three-wheeler for around Rs 300.
Kandy
081 / Elevation 500m / Population 109,000
Some days Kandy's skies seem perpetually bruised, with stubborn mist clinging to the hills
surrounding the city's beautiful centrepiece lake. Delicate hill-country breezes impel the
mist to gently part, revealing colourful houses and hotels amid Kandy's improbable fores-
ted halo. In the centre of town, three-wheelers careen around slippery corners, raising a
soft spray that threatens the softer silk of the colourful saris worn by local women. Here's
a city that looks good even when it's raining.
And when the rain subsides - and it does with frequency and alacrity - Kandy's cobalt-
blue skies reveal it as this island's other real 'city' after the brighter coastal lights of Co-
lombo. Urban buzz is provided by busy spontaneous street markets and even busier bus
stations and restaurants. History and culture are on tap, and 115km from the capital and at
an altitude of 500m, Kandy offers a cooler and more relaxed climate.
Kandy served as the capital of the last Sinhalese kingdom, which fell to the British in
1815 after defying the Portuguese and Dutch for three centuries. It took the British another
16 tough years to finally build a road linking Kandy with Colombo. The locals still
proudly see themselves as a little different - and perhaps a tad superior - to Sri Lankans
from the island's lower reaches.
Kandy is renowned for the great Kandy Esala Perahera, held over 10 days leading up to
the Nikini
poya
(full moon) at the end of the month of Esala (July/August), but it has
enough attractions to justify a visit at any time of year. Some of the Hill Country's nicest
