How to get around Kandy using local transport

Kandy is synonymous with Sri Lanka as the tooth relic of the Buddha lies in a magnificent temple in this city in the hills. Though the city is at a high elevation, Kandy is not much cooler than Colombo during the day. However, the climes of the outskirts are cooler and more refreshing than Kandy and draw a steady line of tourists throughout the year. Therefore, knowing how to get about within the region can be useful.

Image credit-Pixabay,amanjahemal,CC0

A Ride Along the Rail

The jaunt to Kandy itself can be done by train; it is a beautiful journey uphill with vistas unfolding every second. Yet, once you alight at the platform in Kandy there aren’t a dozen connections to take, the most frequent train would carry you back to Colombo. The much spoken of ride from Kandy to Ella runs only a couple of times a day with an extra train being allocated during school holidays and there are a few trains to the areas of Matale and Hatton. The Peradeniya Train Station which is located close by connects travellers to Nuwara Eliya through Nanu Oya; always try to take this train during the day as the nights can be a bit cruel when one alights in Nanu Oya.

Aboard a Bus

There are multiple buses which ply in different directions from the Clock Tower junction in Kandy. This is a short walk from the train station and is an economical mode of transport. The buses do get crowded and conductors encourage people to board the bus until they are quite full. If you would like to be seated throughout the journey, you would need to queue up early. Since the roads are winding and narrow, the buses do go slowly, but the upside to this is that you get to enjoy the scenery, the lush greenery and the sights of some of the most majestic hotels in Sri Lanka on your trail.

Take a Guided Tour

Since there are thousands of both local and foreign travellers to the city of Kandy on a daily basis, there are plenty of companies from which you can hire a vehicle with a guide for a day to explore the towns nearby. If you are booked into Aitken Spence hotels, they may even offer these services through their guest services desk. These guides know the popular eating places, shopping areas and most important sights that tourists should be taken to. This reduces the efforts that you have to take researching about places, ensures that you don’t miss out any important locations and they also help you overcome the language barrier, which becomes more evident as you move away from chief cities.

Hail a Tuk Tuk

The colourful three-wheeled vehicles that crazily veer across streets and look dangerous are actually quite handy to have around. Especially on narrow roads you would see why they are useful to transport you and a couple of others a short distance. They also have the habit of appearing in the most unexpected way to help you trek the last few miles when your legs are giving up or when you need to quickly reach a destination without breaking the bank. Make sure the drivers of these tuk-tuks switch on the metre as soon as you get in. The tuk-tuk comes with a small engine and can find it difficult to raise up steep hills, so bear with the driver if you are on a steep incline.

Use a Cab

Cabs are slightly more expensive than tuk-tuks, but that is because they are more comfortable. It is a good idea to use a small cab as they can manoeuvre around the curbs and winding pathways to get you around in the villages which lie outside of Kandy. These always use the metre and can be booked over the phone. The waiting charges are generally high; release and rebook if your stop is going to take more than a few minutes.