Pettigala Kandy

Pettigala Kandy is a hiking area located in the Pethiyagala Teldeniya District near Kandy, Sir Lanka. Read this complete guide to the Pettigala hike for epic views in the Sri Lankan Central Highlands, as well as a stop at the incredible Bambaragala Buddhist Temple.

After cruising down the idyllic surf-coast of Sri Lanka’s West Coast, it was time to head up into the highlands. If you read some of my other travel guides and adventure blogs, then you already know that I prefer to hit the hills and the trails than hang out on the beach. So, as soon as we arrived in Kandy, we set out in search of any hiking opportunities.

The Pettigala hike near Kandy for me was a much-needed, refreshment that offered views that well and truly exceeded my expectations! In this quick guide, I’ll run through how to get to the Pettigala trailhead, as well as a bit of information on and photos of the Bambaragala Buddhist Temple at the start of the hike.

HOW TO GET TO PETTIGALA FROM KANDY

The Pettigala hike is located approximately 20 kilometers from Kandy in the Pethiyagala Teldeniya District. However, since most people tend to stay in Kandy, I’ll provide directions from here.

By far, the best and most convenient option to get to the Pettigala hike from Kandy is to take the public bus. I suggest walking to the central Kandy Market Bus Stop, where there are dozens of buses departing on different routes. Ask for a bus to “Digana.” There should be a bus departing every 30 minutes or so.

This bus route travels east along the Mahaweli Ganga and stops at several small villages en-route to Wegala. Overall, expect a 45-minute bus ride from Kandy to Digana.

Once you arrive, you can pay a rickshaw driver to take you the remaining 5 kilometers to the Bambaragala Purana Rajamaha Viharaya Buddhist Temple (the start of the Pettigala hike). However, instead of getting a rickshaw, we decided to walk from Digana, which only took us about 45 minutes. We followed the length of Victoria Gold Club Road before arriving at the stone steps of the Buddhist Temple.