Private Kandy Day Tour from Colombo

<p>This was one of the best tour experiences I've ever had and there were a number of reasons for that. Number one, the driver, Buddika, basically allowed me to dictate how the tour was going to go. So, instead of taking me to all of the normal tourist haunts that are part of tours like this i.e. gem stores, tea plantations, etc.. he gave me options that were more to my liking. I essentially told him that I didn't want to go to any place that tries to sell you anything and we went from there. With that in mind we started at the Elephant Orphanage in Pinnawala not in the original tour packet and an additional 16 charge but definitely money well spent, at least for me. From there we went to the incredibly beautiful Royal Botanical Gardens in Peradeniya. Yes, I know what you're thinking, ho-hum, another garden but wait...this garden is special and HUGE!!! I easily spent 90 minutes there wandering around and could have easily spent 90 more. After that, we drove to Kandy to visit the famous Temple of the Tooth, which was very interesting. Upon arrival Buddika hooked me up with a local guide who for a nominal charge of 1000 rupees about 6 gave me a guided tour of the temple and its surroundings. After that, we went up the hills overlooking Kandy where I took a number of photos and then finished up at a great restaurant for a late lunch. Being completely frank, I chose this tour company because it had by far the cheapest price for a tour to Kandy. So, it was a very pleasant surprise that things turned out so well for me. A large part of that was Buddika, who's a pleasant, mature, educated person and totally knows what he's doing. I highly recommend him and this company for anyone pondering a tour to Kandy and its environs.</p>