Kandy to Colomboby shared taxi
About 3h 27min by road (144 km)
AlsoGoing is where travellers already crossing Sri Lanka post a trip, or find one to join. Free, always.
2 trips open right now across Sri Lanka
The platform
How it works
Three taps from here to a seatHow AlsoGoing works
Find someone going your way
Search a route and see who has already booked a car, van or tuk-tuk with room to spare.
Agree in the chat
Message them, settle where and when to meet. Nobody commits before they have spoken.
Split what it costs
The same journey, divided between you. Nobody pays for empty seats.
The route
Why this route
Colombo is where almost every visitor arrives, by air or by sea. Kandy is Sri Lanka's hill capital, built around a lake and home to the Temple of the Tooth, one of the most important sites in Buddhism. It's usually the first stop out of the capital, and the one route almost every itinerary includes.
Your options
Getting there
The railway between Colombo and Kandy has been cut since Cyclone Ditwah in November 2025. As of late September 2026, trains from Colombo stop at Rambukkana, short of the hills, and Sri Lanka Railways expects the line to Kandy to reopen in October. Until it does, the road is the way. Most people who ask around for a ride on this route are coming straight off a flight anyway, when the airport is well outside the city.
By taxi it's about 3h 27min (144 km). A taxi is paid for the car, not the seat, so shared between four travellers each pays a quarter. How sharing a taxi works
There's no fixed fare on AlsoGoing. What you share, if anything, is agreed between you in chat before you travel.
On the day
Where to meet
In Kandy
Kandy railway station is the simplest landmark to name. Otherwise agree a spot next to where one of you is staying.
In Colombo
Colombo Fort railway station is a landmark everybody can name. If either of you is coming off a flight, the airport at Katunayake is a separate meeting point well outside the city, so say which you mean.
Before you go
Common questions
Can I share a taxi from Kandy to Colombo?
Yes. Travellers post the trips they are taking, often in a taxi they have booked with seats left, and you ask for a seat. You agree the split between you and settle it in person. Nothing is paid through AlsoGoing.
Is the Colombo to Kandy train running?
Not all the way, as of late September 2026. Since Cyclone Ditwah in November 2025, trains from Colombo stop at Rambukkana, and the line to Kandy is expected to reopen in October 2026. Check with Sri Lanka Railways before planning around it.
How long does it take to drive from Kandy to Colombo?
About 3h 27min by road (144 km).
Other routes
The other way
Colombo → Kandy
Heading back from Colombo? The same road, the other way.
Kandy ⇄ Ella
From Kandy the road climbs into tea country.
Ella ⇄ Arugam Bay
Arugam Bay is one of Sri Lanka's best-known surf towns, on the east coast.
Ella ⇄ Mirissa
Mirissa is one of the south coast's main beach towns, known for whale watching and its curve of sand.
Colombo Airport ⇄ Kandy
Almost every visitor lands at Colombo Airport (CMB), at Katunayake north of the city, and many skip Colombo and head straight inland.
Colombo Airport ⇄ Sigiriya
Sigiriya's rock fortress, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is at the heart of what's called the Cultural Triangle, with Dambulla's cave temples and the ancient cities of Polonnaruwa and Anuradhapura within reach.
Going somewhere soon?
Post the trip and let people find you, or answer someone already on the road.