Nuwara Eliya: Tea Country in the Cool Highlands
At 1,900 metres, Nuwara Eliya is cool enough for a jacket in the evening, which is why the British built it as a hill retreat. The tea that made Ceylon famous grows on the slopes all around, and estates welcome visitors for tours and tastings.
Tea estates
A tea factory tour walks you from fresh leaf to the graded, tasted product, ending with a cup looking over the plantation. Estates near town make an easy half day, and the drive out is half the reward.
Gregory Lake and the town
Gregory Lake has pedal boats, a lakeside path, and food stalls, busy with local families on weekends. The town keeps its old post office, racecourse, and half-timbered guesthouses.
Horton Plains and World's End
A short drive away, Horton Plains has a nine-kilometre loop to World's End, a sheer cliff with a huge drop and, on clear mornings, a view to the coast. Start at dawn before the cloud rolls in.
When to go
April is the season, when the town fills for the new year holidays. Bring warm clothes any time of year; nights are genuinely cold.
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