Kadugannawa

The Dawson tower was constructed and erected in the memory of William Francis Dawson. He had ordered the construction of the first modern highway on the Colombo Candy road. However, he died before the project could be completed and hence, the tower was built in his remembrance. The road that leads up to the Dawson tower is a magical ride, with many turns and hairpin bends, giving the driver some thrill and amusement while driving. This is a great sightseeing attraction in Kadugannawa.

Owned by the Sri Lanka railways, the museum has been recently opened up in the year 2014. It commemorates the 150th anniversary of the operations of rail services in Sri Lanka. This is perhaps one of the best places to see in Kadugannawa. One can spot a number of locomotives, rail cars, trolleys and carriages on the museum on display. The museum opens every day at 9. So, make sure that you do visit the museum when you are on a holiday in Kadugannawa. Take note that you must reach the museum early in the morning so as to avoid the huge chaos which is seen in the later part of the day.

Locate at a short distance from the main city, the gardens attract a large number of tourists all year. The large collection of orchids in the gardens are the main tourist attraction of this place. There are a large variety of herbs, medicinal plants and palm trees in the gardens.

Agreed that a banyan tree can be spotted in any major park but something like this? Watch out this banyan tree, with branches and leaves spreading as far and densely, almost forming a mountain like picture from a distance. 

Situated at a small distance away from the main city, these botanic gardens are spread across an area of 60 hectares. They feature a fine collection of beautiful orchids and royal palm trees. A Javan fig tree is the star attraction of this garden. Visiting this botanic garden is definitely a great thing to do here.

This temple is dedicated to the Hindu deity Mahasen. Finely carved wooden pillars depict animals and men around the temple. There is a special drummers hall within the temple, which contains the best carvings.

This temple is practically mounted on a rock and is dedicated to both, Buddhist deity and Hindu deities. The speciality of this temple lies in the intricately carved paintings, rock fare inscriptions, elephant figures carved from stone and the likes. A special occasion, ‘perahera’ takes places in the month of August. 

This temple is primarily a Buddhist shrine. Lord Buddha is depicted in a seated form within this temple. Reaching this temple is an adventure for tourists as it takes climbing several stone cut stairs to reach the top of the temple. You can reach this temple quite easily through a bus. 

In and around the town, you will find a number of gardens and preserved spots where you can relax and easily take in the scenic views to your heart’s content. Make sure you catch a glimpse of the at least few of the many waterfalls situated in Sri Lanka.