Kandy Day Tour from the East Coast

It's almost non-stop action on this immersive tour of Sri Lanka's cultural hub. Not only is Kandy home to the magnificent Temple of the Tooth Relic, but it's also a city of tree-lined streets crammed with hawkers, tuk-tuks and vintage buses. You'll also visit a spice garden, a tea plantation and botanical gardens.You'll start the tour at the Royal Botanical Gardens in Peradeniya. It's home to more than 4,000 species of plants – including orchids and spices – and a hefty collection of trees, too. Stretch your legs and try to spot the garden's cheeky residents – toque macaques, a monkey species native to Sri Lanka. Then, it's time for a traditional lunch.Once you've appeased your appetite, you'll head into Kandy city for a guided tour and some free time for shopping. Among the sights you'll see is the Tooth Relic temple – a UNESCO World Heritage Site that's home to a relic of Buddha's tooth. And as we continue through the Central Highlands, we'll stop at a fragrant spice garden in Mawanella and a tea plantation and factory – for a proper cup of Ceylon tea – in Giragama.