Nuwara Eliya | Sri Lanka

Nuwara Eliya is the place to visit some tea plantations and to visit the Horton Plains in Sri Lanka! It is also a stop on one of the most beautiful train rides in the world! Here are my must do’s when in Nuwara Eliya.

1) Trainstation Nanu Oya

When you take the train in Ella to Kandy, you’ll pass Nanu Oya (Nuwara Eliya). We decided to only do the train ride from Ella to Nuwara Eliya. When we stepped out at the train station (Nanu Oya) we immediately felt the colder climate. Rumor has it that, that is the reason why the British liked this town so much. It resembled the climate in England. Nuwara Eliya is also called Little England because of the climate and because of the many tea plantations.

Read more about the train ride from Ella to Nuwara Eliya in this special blog post!
» Train ride Ella – Nuwara Eliya | Sri Lanka

2) Lake Gregory

When driving in Nuwara Eliya, you’ll always have a view on Lake Gregory. Lake Gregory was made by the governor Sir William Gregory in 1874. If you want, you can take a boat ride on it or walk around the lake (10km).

3) Racecourse

The racecourse is located next to the lake. You can see some horses and every year in April there are still races.

4) Seetha Amman Temple

We also visited the Seetha Amman Temple, a hindu temple. It is said that this was the place where Sita was held captive by King Ravana. Near the temple is a rock where you can see the footprints of Lord Hanuman.

5) Grand Hotel

This hotel is built in colonial style (1989). Make sure to visit it when you have the time. The interior reminded me of the Titanic. Due to the offseason, we got a deluxe tour where we got to see the lounge, billiard room, and the suite. Don’t forget to take a stroll in the garden too!

6) Victoria Park

Victoria Park is located near the Grand Hotel. The park has flowers that resemble the ones we see in Europe. We skipped this one because we were tired.

7) Post office

Right next to Victoria Park is the Post Office of Nuwara Eliya that is also built in colonial style. We posted some of our postcards here and we even had to use the old way of taping the stamp on the postcard!

8) Horton Plains

Horton Plains is a 1-hour drive away from Nuwara Eliya. If you want to have the best view (without the mist and clouds), make sure to start your walk at 7 AM. Horton Plains is an 8 km hike that can be done in 2.5 hours. The hike is known for its amazing view: World’s End! This viewpoint is reached in a 1-hour walk and it was indeed a breathtaking view! The cliffs at World’s End are around 900 meters high, so don’t try to take a selfie on the edge!

Walk another 45-minutes and you’ll reach Baker’s Falls. The stairs are steep, but this is the last real effort you have to make on this hike!

Sad Fact: Horton Plains used to be roamed by Elephants, Leopards, and other animals. When the British came, some officers like Rogers, Forbes, and Davy hunted the elephants down as a sport. Thanks to them, Horton Plains has no elephants anymore. Great job, you guys. But karma is a bitch: Rogers was killed by lightning and even his grave has been struck by lightning twice now.

Entrance fee: $25

9) Blue Field Tea Gardens Factory

We rested after our hike in the Horton Plains and afterward, we ate at the Blue Field Tea Gardens Factory where we also visited the tea factory itself. Our guide told us how we could see the difference between white, green and black tea. The bright green leaf can be used to make green and black tea. The darker green leaf can be used to make white tea. When walking between the tea bushes, I found it very beautiful but the tea plantation I visited in Thailand was more beautiful. The one in Thailand was symmetrical. While the one in Nuwara Eliya had no order and made it look messy. Nonetheless, it was breathtaking because everywhere you looked, you saw tea bushes!

We entered the factory and got a private tour. The tea leaves are brought to the attic, grinded, sifted and are left to dry again. After that, the leaves are being cut, and then packed. We ended our tour at the shop and with a tea tasting. We tasted black tea that was delicious!

10) Ramboda Waterfall

When leaving Nuwara Eliya behind us, we passed a viewpoint from where we could see the Ramboda Waterfall. We then headed to Kandy.

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