Nuwara Eliya
is mist swirling through the hills
is splashes of colour amongst the tea plantations
Welcome to Nuwara Eliya
Often referred to as ‘Little England’, this genteel highland community does have a rose-tinted, vaguely British-country-village feel to it, with its colonial-era bungalows, Tudor-style hotels, well-tended hedgerows and pretty gardens. Indeed, Nuwara Eliya was once was the favoured cool-climate escape for the hard-working and hard-drinking English and Scottish pioneers of Sri Lanka’s tea industry.
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Nuwara Eliya activities
6-Day Sri Lanka Heritage Private Tour
Day 1 : ARRIVE / SIGIRIYA You will be picked up at the Bandaranaike International Colombo Airport and warmly greeted by your personal chauffeur guide and transferred to Sigiriya (Approx. 4 hours drive). Spend Overnight in Sigiriya. Accommodation is a three star hotel or similar grade on bed & breakfast basis. DAY 2: SIGIRIYA / POLONNARUWA / SIGIRIYA Morning : Visit The Ancient City of Polonnaruwa (UNESCO world heritage site) with approx. 2 hours drive Afternoon: Climb the famous Sigiriya rock fortress and visit rocky abode and water gardens, an UNESCO world heritage and one of the Wonders of the World). Spend Overnight in Sigiriya. Accommodation is a three star hotel or similar grade on bed & breakfast basis. DAY 3: SIGIRIYA / DAMBULLA / KANDY Morning: Visit the Cave temple of Dambulla (UNESCO world heritage site), a batik factory and a spice garden where you can see the best spices in Sri Lanka. Afternoon: You will do the city tour of Kandy including a visit to the temple of the sacred tooth relic, upper lake drive, market square, gem lapidary and more Spend Overnight in Kandy. Accommodation is a three star hotel or similar grade on bed & breakfast basis. Day 4 : KANDY/ NUWARA ELIYA Morning: Visit Peradeniya Botanical Garden, one of the best botanical gardens in Asia On completion of the botanical garden visit, you will be driven to Nuwara Eliya. En route visit a tea plantation and tea factory where the best tea in the world is produced. Spend Overnight in Nuwara Eliya. Accommodation is in a three star hotel or similar grade on bed & breakfast basis. Day 5 : NUWARA ELIYA / COLOMBO Drive to Colombo. En route visit Devon & St. Claire's waterfalls. Arrive Colombo in the evening and spend overnight in Colombo. Accommodation is in a three star hotel or similar grade on bed & breakfast basis. Day 6 : COLOMBO We will take you to the airport based on your flight schedule.
4-Day Rail Tour: Sri Lanka Countryside
Day 1 : COLOMBO / KANDY (TRAIN + TUKTUK)08:45 hours: You will be picked up from your hotel and driven to the Fort Railway Station in Colombo by TukTuk. TukTuk is a tranditional Asian vehicle with three wheels. 09:15 hours: Arrive in Fort Railway Station and board the Expo rail or Rajadhani Express leaving for Kandy. 09:45 hours: This train journey is a scenic delight. Morning snack with tea and coffee will be served on-board 12:31 hours: Arrive at Peradeniya Railway Station where you will meet your driver. You will be taken to your hotel in Kandy by TukTuk. Evening: You will be able to enjoy a city tour of Kandy including Kandy Temple and Cultural show. Spend Overnight in Kandy. Accommodation is a three star hotel or similar grade on bed & breakfast basis.Day 2 : KANDY / NUWARA ELIYA (TRAIN + A/C VAN) Morning: You will be driven to Peradeniya by TukTuk to visit Peradeniya Botanical Garden, one of the best botanical gardens in Asia.12:00 hours: We will take you to Peradeniya Railway Station and you will take the train to Nanuoya Railway Station on Expo rail. This train journey is the most scenic ride in Sri Lanka. Train leaves Peradeniya at 12:31 hrs and reaches NanuOya at 15:55hrs. Lunch will be provided on-board. 15:55 hours: Arrive at Nanuoya Railway Station where you will meet your driver who will take you to your hotel in Nuwara Eliya by an air conditioned Van. Spend Overnight in Nuwara Eliya. Accommodation is a three star hotel or similar grade on bed & breakfast basis.Day 3 : NUWARA ELIYA / HORTON PLAINS / NUWARA ELIYA (A/C VAN)Morning: Make an early start to Horton Plains National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. You will take a guided walk along the nature trails to a viewpoint known as World’s End (approx. 1 hour & 30 minutes drive).Afternoon: Visit a tea plantation and factory where the best tea in the world is being produced. Spend Overnight in Nuwara Eliya. Accommodation is a three star hotel or similar grade on bed & breakfast basis.Day 4 : NUWARA ELIYA / COLOMBO (TRAIN + A/C VAN + TUKTUK) Morning: Start your day with a city tour of Nuwara Eliya. Surrounded by hills and tea plantations, the town of Nuwara Eliya enjoys spring-like weather throughout the year. 12:50 hours: You will proceed to Nanuoya Railway Station and take the train back to Colombo. Train Leaves Nanuoya Railway Station at 13:50 pm. 21:00 hours : Arrive at the Fort Railway Station in Colombo where your driver awaits to transfer you back to your hotel in Colombo by TukTuk. Lunch, Dinner, Tea and Coffee will be provided on-board.
3 Day Tour to Kandy Nuwara Eliya & Sigiriya from Colombo
DAY 01: COLOMBO - PINNAWALA ELEPHANT ORPHANAGE - KANDY 1st Leg of Your tour will Be Pinnawala Elephant Orphanage. After your tour will be Kandy.Kandy – the hill capital is another “World Heritage Sites”. It was the last stronghold of the Sinhalese Kings during the Portuguese, Dutch and British rule and finally ceded to the British in 1815 after an agreement. To the Buddhist of Sri Lanka and the World, Kandy is one of the most sacred sites as it is the home of the “Dalada Maligawa” - Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic of Lord Buddha. Close by are the remains of the Royal Palace (Maha Wasala), Palle Wasala- where the Queens stayed-now used for the National Museum, Lunch at recommended Restaurant (Own Expense) Your Driver will Transfer to hotel in Kandy Check-in To Accommodation Overnight Stay in Kandy. DAY 02: KANDY-NUWARA ELIYA 2nd Day Your 1st Destination is After breakfast proceed to Nuwara Eliya, emroute visit a Tea Plantation & Factory. Tea Plantation - Tea was first planted in Sri Lanka in 1824 at the Botanical Gardens at Peradeniya, when a few plants were brought from China. More were introduced from Assam in 1839.In 1867, a Scottish Planter named James Taylor planted tea seedlings in an 8 hectares of forest land, in the Loolkondura Estate.On arrival in Nuwara Eliya commence a city tour of Nuwara Eliya including the Victoria Park. Nuwara Eliya - The ‘Little England’ of Sri Lanka, is set against beautiful backdrops of Mountains, Valleys, Waterfalls and Tea Plantations. It is supposed to be one of the coolest places in the Island, but it is really just like an English spring day, although the temperature does drop at night. All around Nuwara Eliya you will see evidence of the British influence, houses like country cottages or Queen Ann style mansions.After your tour Return back to Kandy and overnight stay Accommodation in Kandy. DAY 03: KANDY-SIGIRIYAAfter breakfast proceed to Sigiriya the UNESCO Historical Place. Sigiriya – is a “World Heritage Site” and the 5th Century “Fortress in the Sky” which is perhaps the most fantastic single wonder of the Island. It is also known as Lion Rock because of the huge lion that used to stand at the entrance to the Palace on the summit of the 600-foot high rock. On one of the stairways the only known ancient work of Sinhala secular painting survived in the form of Frescoes of 21 life sized damsels in all the freshness and delicacy of their original colour.The Water Gardens, Fountain Garden, summerhouse, Boulder Gardens and the Caves with the enclosed are should not be missed. After your tour you will return back to Colombo Hotel.
5-Day Sri Lanka Central Highlands Tour
Day 1 : COLOMBOWe will pick you up at the Bandaranaike International Colombo Airport, you will be warmly greeted by your very own chauffeur guide and transferred to your hotel in Colombo (Approx. 1 hour drive). Spend Overnight in Colombo. Accommodation is in a three star hotel on bed & breakfast basis.Day 2 : COLOMBO / NUWARA ELIYA Drive to Nuwara Eliya (approx. 5 hours drive). En route visit Devon & St. Claire's waterfalls. Afternoon: You will have a city tour of Nuwara Eliya. Surrounded by hills and tea plantations, the town of Nuwara Eliya is blessed with spring-like weather throughout the year. A favorite retreat of the British during colonial times, the town is dotted with English country style houses and half-timbered bungalows.Spend Overnight in Nuwara Eliya. Accommodation is in a three star hotel on bed & breakfast basis.Day 3 : NUWARA ELIYA / HORTON PLAINS / NUWARA ELIYA Morning: Start your day early to Horton Plains National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage, and take a guided walk along the nature trails to a viewpoint known as World’s End (approx. 1 hour & 30 minutes drive).Afternoon: Visit a tea plantation and tea factory where the best tea in the world is produced. Today more than 200,000 hectares in highlands and other areas are under Tea and around 300 million Kilograms, with a 25% of world tea exports are done by Sri Lanka as the World’s largest tea exporter.Spend Overnight in Nuwara Eliya. Accommodation is in a three star hotel on bed & breakfast basis.Day 4 : NUWARA ELIYA / KANDY Today after breakfast, you will be driven to Kandy (approx. 3 hours drive). Afternoon: You will do the city tour of Kandy including a visit to the temple of the sacred tooth relic, upper lake drive, market square, gem lapidary and more.Spend Overnight in Kandy. Accommodation is in a three star hotel on bed & breakfast basis.Day 5 : KANDY / AIRPORT Drive from Kandy back to Colombo and take you straight to Bandaranaike International Colombo Airport (approx. 3 hours drive) to catch your flight.
Private Tea Plucking and Tea factory tour from Nuwara Eliya
08:15: You will be picked up from your hotel and driven to Pedro tea plantation. 08:45: Arrive at Tea plantation and get ready with the tea workers to go on the field to pluck tea with the necessary tools.09:00-09:30: Learn and enjoy tea plucking with the estate workers. This will be an unforgettable experience during your tour in Sri Lanka. 10:00-10:45: You will be taken on a guided tour to witness the tea making process in the Tea Factory. On completion of the factory visit, you will have a chance of tasting a pure cup of Ceylon Tea. 11:00: Leave the Tea Factory and proceed to your hotel. 11:45: You will be dropped off at your hotel.
9-Night Grand Tour in Sri Lanka
Day 1: Colombo/Dambulla Pickup from the Bandaranaike International Airport in Colombo and transfer to Dambulla. En-route, stop by the Spice Garden where all sort of spices and herbs are described. Overnight in Dambulla. Day 2: Dambulla/Sigiriya/Dambulla After breakfast, visit Dambulla Cave Temple which is a UNESCO World Heritage site. Afterwards, climb the famous Sigiriya rock, which was also assigned a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1982. In evening do the Sigiriya Village tour in an Ox- cart, where you can also have a traditional Sri Lankan lunch in a tree house. Stay overnight in Dambulla. Day 3: Dambulla/Kandy After breakfast, drive to Kandy and visit the Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic. It is a Buddhist temple in the city of Kandy and is located in the royal palace complex of the former Kingdom of Kandy. In the evening at 5pm, watch a cultural show in Kandy, where all the traditional dances are shown on stage. Check in to a hotel in Kandy. Day 4: Kandy/Kitulgala/Nuwara Eliya After breakfast, visit the Botanical Garden followed by a Kandy city tour. Later on, drive to Kitulgala and have fun with water rafting that takes you along the water for 5 km. En route to Nuwara Eliya, visit a tea factory. On the way you can observe tea plantations and waterfalls. Stay overnight in Nuwara Eliya. Day 5: Nuwaraeliya - Ella In the morning you take a train trip from Nuwara Eliya to Ella, approximately 3 hours. During the ride, enjoy the beauty of Sri Lanka while passing through the middle of the tea plantations and vegetable gardens. Visit Little Adam's Peak in Ella; it offers splendid views and a not-too-hard trek. Stay overnight in Ella. Day 6: Ella/Tissamaharama Drive to Tissamaharama in the morning, and after check-in at the hotel, visit the Yala Safari at 1:30pm. After spending 3-4 hours in Yala National Park, transfer back to the hotel and you can explore for the rest of the day. Day 7: Tissamaharama/Mirissa Drive to Mirissa and have fun with scuba diving, whale watching (depending on the season). Stay overnight in a Mirissa hotel. Day 8: Mirissa/Galle/Hikkaduwa/Kosgoda/Bentota Visit the Hummanaya Blow Hole which is the second largest blow hole in the world, followed by the famous Galle Fort. Also, explore the moonstone mine in Hikkaduwa, and the Kosgoda turtle farm. Stay overnight in Bentota. Day 9: Bentota Enjoy a leisure day exploring the beautiful city of Bentota and take it easy at your hotel. Day 10: Bentota/Colombo There is no itinerary planned for the day. You will be transferred to the airport in Colombo according to your flight departure time.