The 11 Best Pinnawala Day Trips from Colombo

1.Kandy Temples and Pinnawala Full-Day Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.6 · 144 reviews · 1 day · from $54Our pick

Travel in a small group of up to 10 with an English-speaking guide such as Aadhil, Dilip, or Susantha. See elephants at the Maha Oya River, visit Kandy’s Tooth Relic Temple and hilltop Buddha, and tour tea, spice, wood-carving, and jewelry workshops.

“The tour was amazing. Aadhil very professional guide also very good driver. I could Interact with the elephants, see the temple in Kandy and drink very nice tea in the tea Factory. Ponctuality to go and also on return to colombo everything on time. I relly enjoyed and recommend.”

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2.Kandy, Pinnawala and Tea Factory Full-Day Trip

★★★★★★★★★★4.4 · 99 reviews · 12 hours · from $55

Travel from Colombo or Negombo to Pinnawala and Kandy with an English-speaking guide such as Malintha, Tuan, or Priyantha. Feed elephants, visit the Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic, sample Ceylon tea, and tour spice, craft, batik, and gem stops.

“OUR driver was Katie was very friendly and easy communication with deaf people. he used gestured and write down. he took us to the beautiful Kandy and rode & fed elephant, tea factory and the most beautiful white temple. we recommend to use Kani again in the future.”

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3.Private Day trip Kandy & pinnawala with your selected attractions

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 53 reviews · from $65Top rated

Travel from Colombo to Kandy in a private air-conditioned vehicle with an English-speaking driver-guide. Choose key stops such as the Temple of the Tooth, spice garden, tea factory, Kandy viewpoint, city center, and Pinnawala Ape Gama. Lunch and listed entrance fees are included.

“The tour guide was friendly & flexible on start time since this was a private tour & we arrived late previous night in Colombo. We went to Elephant Orphanage, Kandy & Tooth Relic Temple. The tour guide also took us to Spice Market which was a waste of our time since it sRead more”

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4.Pinnawala Elephant Orphanage & Ambuluwawa Tower

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 37 reviews · 8 hours · from $20Best value

Travel from Kandy by private tuk-tuk or air-conditioned minivan with an English-speaking driver. Visit Pinnawala Elephant Orphanage, climb Ambuluwawa Tower, and add temples, viewpoints, tea, spices, gems, crafts, and cultural sights to a full eight-hour day.

“Loved the activities, Masi our guide was outstanding, he curated the activities to perfection. Would definitely recommend this for anyone in Kandy, ask for Masi when you’re here!”

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5.Kandy and Pinnawala Private Day Tour from Colombo/Negombo

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 27 reviews · from $65

Travel by private vehicle from Colombo or Negombo to Pinnawala and Kandy with a driver such as Anas. Visit an elephant attraction, tea factory, spice garden, Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic, and Kandy viewpoint. The 9 to 11-hour trip can be adjusted to your interests.

“Great customized tour with excellent communication with the operator. Since we had to be back on our cruise ship by 5pm, arrangements were made to meet our tour guide/ driver, Anas, at 6:30am for a private tour to go to several places tRead more”

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6.Day Tour to Elephant Orphanage / spice garden

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 20 reviews · 6 hours · from $59

Travel from Colombo to Pinnawala with a guide such as Pradeep or Ruwan, watch elephants walk to the river, bathe, feed, and play, then pause for local snacks. The $59 price includes transport, pickup, drop-off, and entry. Confirm whether your departure includes the spice garden.

“The main experience at the elephant sanctuary was incredible but I'll caveat my experience with a few notes. Pick up bang on time and an excellent driver. I shared my trip with 2 others who were staying out the way; I found out that the paid much more than I did which is what it is but did mean the trip from Colombo was done on back roads and my travel time was extended to over 6 hours. We didn't visit the spice garden nor was it offered. Felt like we had to get back due to the extra travel time. As expected with these places the guards will charge/ask…”

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7.Kandy and Pinnawala Orphanage Short Excursions

★★★★★★★★★★4.0 · 18 reviews · 14 days · from $75

Travel from Colombo in a private air-conditioned vehicle to Kandy and Pinnawala. Visit the Temple of the Tooth, see elephants by the river, taste Ceylon tea, tour a spice garden, and stop at Kandy View Point. Dhanuka has been praised by name, though guide quality can vary.

“La guida non ha spiegato nulla, nemmeno una minima cosa.. lasciandomi in hotel molto prima del previsto saltando tappe dell escursione, chiedendo spiegazioni la sua risposta è stata, puoi andarci da solo a piedi”

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8.Pinnawala & Kandy Day Tour from Negombo

★★★★★★★★★★4.7 · 13 reviews · from $60

Travel from Negombo in a small group of up to five with an air-conditioned vehicle, bottled water, and a chauffeur guide. Visit Pinnawala, Kandy’s Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic, the Royal Botanic Gardens, a tea factory, spice garden, Gem Museum, and Kandy viewpoint.

“Wonderful experience. Went to pinnawala, Kandy temple, gem museum, tea factory and many more places just as the tour states. It was fantastic and our driver Rukshan was wonderful. He showed us all the places and took us around all the places and drove very well. We definitely recommend 5 stars!”

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9.Private all inclusive Day tour Kandy, Pinnawala, & your own selected attractions

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 13 reviews · from $97

Leave Negombo at 6:30 am for a private, full-day drive to Kandy and the Central Highlands. Your English-speaking chauffeur-guide handles transport and entry fees, while you visit a tea factory, spice garden, Temple of the Tooth, Pinnawala Ape Gama, and Peradeniya Botanical Gardens.

“Good day out with comfortable vehicle and very friendly, personable driver. Spice Garden was very interesting as was tea factory. Temple visit was good, but have seen much more ornate & interesting temples, and the temple guide’s English was difficult to understaRead more”

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10.Udawalawa Safari & Elephant Transit Home Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.4 · 11 reviews · 12 hours · from $128

Travel by private air-conditioned vehicle from Colombo to Udawalawe, then take a jeep safari for elephants, crocodiles, buffalo, birds, and more. Visit the Elephant Transit Home, stop for local lunch, and return the same day. Guides may include Koshala or Pathum.

“A wonderful activity in the beautiful Udawalawe park. Pathum is very friendly and professional.”

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11.Pinnawala & Tea factory with Kandy Hotel Drop

★★★★★★★★★★4.3 · 4 reviews · from $60

Travel from Colombo to Kandy with driver-guide support, stopping at Pinnawala Elephant Orphanage, an Ayurvedic spice garden, Giragama Tea Factory, and Kadugannawa View. Gajan and Champike have earned special praise for helpful service and photography. Entrance fees and meals cost extra.

“It was amazing! Great experience and service. Champike was amazing, really helpful and giving me a lot of tips for Sri Lanka and helping me take pictures. Thanks for the amazing service”

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