Dry Zone
Heritance Kandalama
Situated by Kandalama Tank (an ancient reservoir resembling a huge lake) in the Cultural Triangle of central Sri Lanka, the unique Heritance Kandalama hotel was designed by Sri Lanka’s most celebrated architect, the late Geoffrey Bawa, to blend effortlessly into its surroundings. The five-star hotel is artfully set into a hillside by the lake and, although a staggering one kilometre from end to end and rising up seven storeys, it is not highly visible. The main structure is largely covered by natural vegetation and built on huge pillars to enable water and wildlife to flow freely beneath it, causing minimal environmental impact.
The service is excellent and the spacious, well-appointed rooms are decorated in a modern style and come in a variety of sizes. Heritance Kandalama is a valued source of local employment and income and has also put in electricity and clean water supplies for over 600 nearby families, and sources many of the ingredients for the delicious buffets from local farmers.
Although Heritance Kandalama is not currently included in our sample tailor-made itineraries, if you wish it can easily be added to your actual tour, so please ask when contacting us.
Facilities
Three restaurants, three swimming pools, two bars, spa, gym, lounge, free WiFi.
Local Wildlife
One might see giant squirrel, macaque, elephant and many different bird species. Elephants can be observed bathing in the lake, and often the smaller wildlife comes right up to your balcony, which might well be festooned with plant life.
Optional Activities
Visit Dambulla Cave Temple, Polonnaruwa and Sigiriya, all fantastic UNESCO World Heritage Sites within Sri Lanka’s famous Cultural Triangle. In season, enjoy a safari in Minneriya National Park to see the gathering of the elephants.
Alan Godwin
Area Specialist
If you have any mobility issues, please request a room close to the main areas, as some of the rooms are quite far away and can involve a long walk.
If you have any questions regarding our Sri Lanka tours, please feel free to contact me on +44 (0)1803 866965
This place was fantastic. The rooms were comfortable, the design was amazing. We even had five choices of pillow! The restaurant was excellent, as was the service. We had a private patio that looked out into the jungle, and even had birds and monkeys visit. Elephant rides were available which we took advantage of, and had a blast. It was definitely a highlight of the trip.