Kandy Lake In Sri Lanka – A Manmade Wonder In The Great City!

The country of Sri Lanka is a tropical paradise with an island of natural treasures and significant monuments. The island country is one of the topmost countries in South East Asia when it comes to tourism as it has many different hidden gems to offer the explorers. There many places in Sri Lanka for travellers to visit. Some iconic places include the Yala National Park, Royal Palace in Kandy, Botanical Garden in Kandy and many more. In this article, we are going to see one such iconic place which is the Kandy lake of Sri Lanka! Read on to know more about this picturesque spot in Sri Lanka.

Kandy Lake

The Kandy Lake is a place of historical significance and it has an area of 6544 square metres with a circumference of almost 3 Kms. What makes Kandy Lake special is the fact that it is an artificial lake, a masterpiece of King Sri Wickrama Rajasinghe. Built in 1807, Kandy Lake is one of the oldest artificial lakes and there is a small island in the centre of the lake. With turquoise waters and greeneries, this place is a perfect serene experience you can have in Kandy. You can hire a boat to reach the centre of the lake and it costs around 1500-2000 Rupees. It is a 20 minutes boating experience around the lake. The lake is also beset by vendors who sell several vendors selling different types of products. There is also a wide range of wildlife present with the likes of lizards, fishes, and birds.

Also read: Things to do in Sri Lanka

How to Reach Kandy Lake

The city of Kandy is home to this amazing artificial Kandy Lake with natural serene locations and is one of the best places in Sri Lanka. There is no airport in the city and the nearest airport is Bandaranaike International Airport (CMB) in Colombo. It is a very long ride from the Colombo airport as it is 84 km away from the airport. You can take a taxi or a bus from the Bandaranaike International Airport. The bus will be a three and a half-hour ride and it will cost only around 70 Rupees.

If you want to reach the lake by train, then you will have to get to the Kandy Railway station. Travelling by train will be an economical and safer alternative to reach Kandy Lake. If you are looking for comfort and speed, then we suggest you hire a private car ride to Kandy Lake even though it might be more expensive.

Best Time to Visit Kandy Lake in Sri Lanka

The Kandy lake provides you with an awesome experience all around the year but however, the best time to visit comparatively is during the winter. The winter in Sri Lanka is between the months of December and April. It will be apt for sightseeing and trekking as winters in Sri Lanka are drier and more pleasant. A thing you might want to note is that the Kandy Lake will be full of the crowd during the month of April as Sri Lanka celebrates Sinhalese in that month. You might have to avoid that month if you don’t like a lot of people being there during your visit.

If you want to visit Kandy Lake when there are fewer people, then you can visit during the months of May to July and October to November. However, you will have to keep in mind that the climate will be humid and changing as it is the monsoon seasons of Sri Lanka.

Also Check : Sri Lanka honeymoon packages

Nearby Places to visit in Kandy Lake, Sri Lanka

Kandy Lake is surrounded by many popular places and thus making it the hub of flocking travellers. There are many things for you to do in and around Kandy Lake. Below are some of the best things to do near Kandy Lake in Sri Lanka.

Udawatta Kele Sanctuary

This sanctuary is a forest located over 2 km away from Kandy Lake spanning 257 acres. There is a diverse flora in the sanctuary with different types of native shrubs, herbs, aboriginal trees and much more. There are also trees like Red Sandalwood, the Ceylon breadfruit, white fig and many other exotic species. It also has its fair share of wildlife to offer ranging from 80 species of birds to many nocturnal mammals.

Royal Botanical Gardens

Being 5 km away from Kandy Lake, Royal Botanical Gardens is one of the major attractions in Sri Lanka in itself. It is home to various types of orchids, medicinal plants, coniferous trees and 4000 more species. The garden is existing since 1843 and has many plants and trees seeded by prominent personalities. Some of them are the Cannonball Tree planted by King George and Queen Mary in the year 1901, an Amherstia planted by Belgium’s prince Albert and a camphor tree planted by the first Women Prime Minister of Sri Lanka, Mrs Sirimavo Bandarunaike in the year 1972.

National Museum of Kandy

This museum is just 1 km away from Kandy Lake and it is also called “Palle Vahala”. It used to be the part of the Royal Palace built by King Wickrama Rajasinghe. It was used by the Women in the Palace as their place to stay. However, during the early part of the 20th Century, the building was used to store historical artefacts created by the Kandy Art association and the craftsmen of Matale. The museum became accessible to the public in 1942 and it is now sheltering over 5000 different artefacts including jewellery, weapons and tools.

Things to Know

Address: Kandy City, Sri Lanka
Entry Price: Free of charge.
Timings: All days between 6:00 a.m. and 8:00 p.m.

Overall, Kandy Lake is one of the must-visit places in Sri Lanka. It gives travellers a harmonious experience blending with nature and the man-made wonder of the lake. Don’t forget to visit the place during your next trip to Sri Lanka. Start planning your trip by choosing from the various Sri Lanka trip packages from India available with Pickyourtrail. You can also customise your very own itinerary to Sri Lanka with Kandy Lake as part of it.

Unwrap Sri Lanka with Pickyourtrail!