Nuwara Eliya & Ella

Sri Lanka's high-altitude tea country: "Little England" Nuwara Eliya and the backpacker town of Ella, with a hill country train through tea estates, Nine Arches Bridge and the World's End cliff.

Nuwara Eliya and Ella lie in the Central Highlands of south-central Sri Lanka, the heartland of Ceylon tea. Nuwara Eliya, at about 1,900 m, was founded by the British in the 19th century as a hill-station retreat and is known as "Little England." It has Gregory Lake, Victoria Park, a Tudor-style post office and afternoon tea at old hotels, surrounded by tea plantations, tea factories and waterfalls; in the early morning you can also go to Horton Plains National Park and walk to the World's End cliff. Ella, at about 1,000 m, is a mountain town popular with backpackers. Nine Arches Bridge, Little Adam's Peak, Ella Rock and Ravana Falls are all within walking or tuk-tuk distance. To the south, the Haputale area has Lipton's Seat, the Dambatenne tea factory and Diyaluma Falls. The hill country train between the two towns, passing through tea hills and clouds, is the most classic travel experience on the island. Climate: the highlands are cool all year, and Nuwara Eliya often drops to 10°C at night, so bring a jacket. Dec–Apr is clear and dry, and best; around Sinhala and Tamil New Year in April, Nuwara Eliya is crowded and rooms are expensive. May–Sep, the southwest monsoon season, brings mist and rain to the hills, but the waterfalls are at their fullest. Getting there: take the train from Kandy or Colombo to Nanu Oya station (for Nuwara Eliya) or Ella; book train tickets and observation-car seats about 30 days in advance, or hire a car. We suggest 3–5 days: 1–2 days in Nuwara Eliya (including Horton Plains), then the train to Ella, and 2–3 days in Ella and Haputale. The sacred mountain Adam's Peak is climbed overnight from Dalhousie, on the Hatton side, and is usually arranged separately with its own accommodation.

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