Spices, Temples & the Road to Kandy
Matale is a market town 23 km north of Kandy, set in a fertile valley between jungle-covered ridges. It is best known to visitors as the heartland of Sri Lanka's spice industry — cinnamon, cardamom, pepper, cloves, nutmeg, and vanilla all grow here, and a visit to a working spice garden is one of the most sensory experiences in the country. Guides walk visitors through plantations explaining the history and use of each spice while demonstrating how cinnamon bark is rolled, pepper is harvested, and vanilla pods are hand-pollinated.
The Aluvihara Rock Temple, carved into a cliff face just north of Matale town, is a lesser-known but remarkable site: it was here, in the 1st century BC, that 500 monks gathered to transcribe the entire Pali Canon — the Buddhist scriptures — onto palm leaves for the first time, preserving them in written form for future generations. The painted caves and rock carvings are excellent and the site sees far fewer visitors than the more famous cave temples at Dambulla.
Spice Garden Tour
Walk through working plantations of cinnamon, pepper, cardamom, and nutmeg — with tastings and demonstrations included.
Aluvihara Rock Temple
The cave temple where Buddhist scriptures were first written down in the 1st century BC — painted caves and rock carvings in a peaceful forest setting.
Sri Muthumariamman Kovil
A richly decorated Hindu temple in the centre of Matale town — an impressive example of Dravidian architecture in the hill country.
Knuckles Mountain Range
The UNESCO-listed Knuckles range east of Matale offers excellent trekking, waterfalls, and endemic wildlife for those with extra time.
Best Time to Visit
Year-round. Most visitors stop in Matale for half a day on the drive between Sigiriya and Kandy.
Getting There
On the main Kandy—Dambulla road, 23 km north of Kandy. Approximately 30 minutes from Kandy by road.
