Certainly one should always consider a circle tour to Kandy, rather than going two times a long and strenuous back and forth journey.
One may either travel to Kandy by adding one night and half a day in Colombo or travel the other way round over Matara and stop for a night at the beautiful Haputale Tea Mountains, before proceeding to the Golden Temple and the Sigiriya Rock in order to arrive for the first night in Kandy.
Both circles are superb when having a private driver and a van, but also using those affordable trains and buses can be good fun in Sri Lanka.
With the agoda reservation system it is easy to secure some good guesthouse or hotel for the night. In fact all types of budget are well covered, from superb luxury to very affordable rooms at bargain rates.
The second largest city in Sri Lanka has a lot to offer and certainy the long journey by bus, taxi or train is worth the efforts. See the photos and videos from Kandy.
Once up in Kandy it is not that far to the amazing Golden Temple and the Sigiriya Rock.
See the photos
In August Unawatuna visitors have the chance to visit the impressive Perehara Festival in Kandy, in which sometimes over 100 elephants are participating.