Sri Lanka | Mawanella – A Side Trip From Kandy You Can Live Without

Our fourth day in Sri Lanka was out of ordinary. Instead of sticking to the mainstream travel destinations in Sri Lanka, we made a one day one night trip to Mawanella, a town about one and a half hour bus away from Kandy. Mawanella is a fairly unpopular choice among travellers and the reason is quite obvious – they really isn’t many things to do in and see in Mawanella. 

But why did we even go there if that’s the case?  

It all started with Fung, my travel buddy who contacted a couch-surfer (sorry, I don’t remember his name!) whom he has been in contact with, and we were invited to stay at his place. Since MJ and I have not experienced couch-surfing before, we decided to go and see this small little town. 

For other places of attractions in Sri Lanka, read my travel guide with sample itinerary and cost breakdown ➢ 12 Days Sri Lanka In Less Than RM2.2K - Visa Application, Sample Itinerary & Cost Breakdown

Getting To Mawanella 

The easiest way to get to Mawanella is through Kandy. As we were travelling from Dambulla, we took a bus to Kandy, before changing bus to Mawanella. Once we arrive in Mawanella, our host is there to pick us up where we were brought to his place. He hosted us for a night and the next day provided us transport around Mawanella for a half a day before we made our way back to Kandy. It is likely that if you are visiting Mawanella on your own, you will need to either hire a scooter or a tuk tuk to go around the town.  

Bus from Kandy to Mawanella: 1 hour 30 mins, LKR 50 per person 

Recommended time in Mawanella: Half a day  

What we did in Mawanella 

My first couch-surfing experience 

I have never been couch-surfing before due to obvious reason – I’m worried about my safety as a female traveller, I am shy with strangers, and I find it rude to crash on someone’s house but not being able to host anyone in return (I stayed in a rented a room in Singapore and no guest is allowed per the house rule).  

Since Fung is a couch-surfer himself and an opportunity came for me to experience it, I was eager to see how things turned out.  

We were expecting some quality time with our host where we can exchange cultural knowledge and make friends, but unfortunately our host doesn’t seem to be interest at all. After picking us up from a Cargill Supermarket where we alighted from our bus from Kandy, he drove us straight to his place and left to a gathering with his friends. We were left to make our own dinner in his kitchen. The morning, he left his driver with us to bring us around instead of bringing us around.  

Overall, I have only met him for a couple of hours that night and have never seen him the entire next day. At all.  

I understand this is not how all hosts work, but I did felt a little disappoint. Perhaps he was busy? But if so, he could have just not hosted us at all.  

Learning About the Tea Making Process 

The first place that we visited while in Mawanella is a tea factory. The driver brought us to this small little tea factory where the friendly and knowledgeable staffs showed us around the factory and sharing with us the whole process of tea making, from plucking, drying, rolling, crushing, fermented, frying to finally packing. Although the factory is small, I had fun going around the place and seeing each stage of the process that goes into making the cup of Sri Lankan black tea that I love drinking.

First, the tea garden

Drying process

Rolling process

Withering process

Fermentation process

Humidifying process

Drying process

Showing us dried tea leaves

 

Frying process

Using firewood

Old antic machine

Colour separator

Different types of tea leaves

At the end of the tour, we were given a free pot of black tea just like any other tea factory in Sri Lanka. Of course, the catch is their hope that the visitors would buy some tea home either as souvenir or for own consumption.

Complimentary free tea

We were serve orange pekoe

Tea for sale

 

Wanted to buy this just for the packaging but it's quite expensive so i gave it a miss

As with any other tea factory, my advice is to buy the tea from these factory if you like what you tasted as you are unlikely to get the same quality from the supermarket in Sri Lanka. I bought some from a tea factory in Nuwara Eliya and some from a supermarket in Kandy and Galle and the difference in taste is noticeable although there is also notable price difference. In conclusion, you get what you pay for.  

Kadugannawa Tea Factory & Sales Center

Address: Kadugannawa, Sri Lanka 

Opening hours: 8.30am to 7.00pm, daily 

Admission fee: Free 

Visit a Spice Garden 

After our visit to the tea factory, our next stop is an ayurvedic spice garden (sorry I don’t remember which one). The staffs at the spice garden brought us their garden, showing us all the plants, herbs and spices. At the end of our tour, we were also given massage, although tip was expected. Before we left, we were led to their store and I did ended up buying something.  

One thing to highlight is that pricing in a spice garden is generally on a higher side as I realised later. They usually charge you at a premium for something you could probably get for a cheaper price elsewhere. Some travellers see them as a rip-off and tourist traps and it’s not too far from the truth. The item I bought was sold at half the price in airport as I later found out. However, it’s really up to each individual perspective and some may find paying higher price is reasonable basing on the service they receive, so the choice is yours.  

Take a look at the Bat Tree 

Before we leave Mawanella, the driver drove us to a bridge of the main road of Mawanella where we saw some giant bats hanging on trees by the river. Standing there, were were at tree canopy height of the trees growing by the river and can see hundreds of those enormous bats. It’s a unique sight.

Tree bats

a closer look

Mawanella New Bridge

Address: Mawanella By Pass Rd, Mawanella, Sri Lanka 

  

Getting out of Mawanella 

Getting out Mawanella is not as simple as getting out of Polonnaruwa or Dambulla where there is a bus station. We dropped us in the middle of a main road where buses will pass by and there, we have to keep an eye on whichever bus is heading towards Kandy. It can get kind of confusing as some of the buses may not specifically state that they are heading to Kandy and the final destination is often what is stated. Therefore, my advice is to ask the bus drivers or the friendly locals around you. We boarded the right bus with no issue.  

Bus from Mawanella to Kandy: 1 hour 30 mins, LKR 50 per person 

Final Words 

Is Mawanella worth a side trip from Kandy? I bet for me, it’s an obvious no, as there are plenty of other interesting towns and cities in Sri Lanka to explore. Unless you are spending over a month here and looking to fill your time, focusing on Kandy or move on to other parts of Sri Lanka is the wiser choice to make. Nonetheless, I did enjoy the time spent in the tea factory, though you would get a similar experience in Nuwara Eliya or Haputale (or even Kandy) anyway.

For other places of attractions in Sri Lanka, read my travel guide with sample itinerary and cost breakdown ➢ 12 Days Sri Lanka In Less Than RM2.2K - Visa Application, Sample Itinerary & Cost Breakdown