4th March - Sigiriya then transfer to Kandy
We did some early birding around the hotel before breakfast and added Sri Lanka Grey Hornbill [endemic], Sri Lanka Green Pigeon [aka Pompadour Pigeon] [endemic], White-rumped Shama, Orange-headed Thrush, Dark-fronted Babbler, Green Imperial Pigeon, Sri Lanka Swallow [endemic], and Thick-billed Flowerpecker amongst others.
After breakfast we headed for the old colonial hill town of Kandy, now more a sizeable city. On the way we stopped off at a craft workshop where men and women were creating very intricate painted wood carvings. We arrived in time for lunch in a nice restaurant overlooking a small lake and the famed Buddhist Temple of the Tooth, a world heritage site. At lunch we noted a Black Eagle soaring over the hillside and an Oriental Honey-buzzard also passed over. Once we were settled in our very comfortable hotel, the Hotel Suisse, comprising an elegant old colonial building, we then headed down into the town and Nandana gave us an informative guided tour of the Temple of the Tooth. This is located in the palace complex of the former Kingdom of Kandy and nestles alongside a smaller Hindu temple and a Christian church, which presumably dates from the British colonial days. After the fascinating tour round the temple and its lavish decorations we then attended a show of traditional Kandyan dancing, accompanied by drummers, which ended with a finale of fire walking. The small lake gave us Black-crowned Night-heron. After an excellent dinner at the hotel we had a relatively early night in preparation for a transfer day in the morning.
After breakfast we headed for the old colonial hill town of Kandy, now more a sizeable city. On the way we stopped off at a craft workshop where men and women were creating very intricate painted wood carvings. We arrived in time for lunch in a nice restaurant overlooking a small lake and the famed Buddhist Temple of the Tooth, a world heritage site. At lunch we noted a Black Eagle soaring over the hillside and an Oriental Honey-buzzard also passed over. Once we were settled in our very comfortable hotel, the Hotel Suisse, comprising an elegant old colonial building, we then headed down into the town and Nandana gave us an informative guided tour of the Temple of the Tooth. This is located in the palace complex of the former Kingdom of Kandy and nestles alongside a smaller Hindu temple and a Christian church, which presumably dates from the British colonial days. After the fascinating tour round the temple and its lavish decorations we then attended a show of traditional Kandyan dancing, accompanied by drummers, which ended with a finale of fire walking. The small lake gave us Black-crowned Night-heron. After an excellent dinner at the hotel we had a relatively early night in preparation for a transfer day in the morning.