Where to base for Kandy, Ella & tea country?

I'll be in SL in February, with around 6 days for exploring Kandy, Ella and tea country and a side trip to Horton Plains. Is it easiest to stay in one town and take day trips, or should I spend a couple days each in Kandy, Ella and Nuwara Eliya?

Thanks.

Personally, I think it is easier and more comfortable to spend a couple of days in each town, doing day trips in or around each. The travel times between the towns really makes day trips from one to the other not practical. Plus, each of Kandy, Ella & Nuwara Eliya have their own charms that deserve a proper look.

I totally agree with the above.

Travel is slow in SL, even in a private car. It is even slower in the hill country.

Make the travel part of the holiday. There is much to see along the way. The train trip from Kandy to Ella is one of the most talked about things on this forum.

spend around 3 days in Ella and Nuwara Eliya & then you can visit udawalawa or pinnawala ( if you are in to safari i suggest you yaala or udawalawa) & spend your last days in mirissa beach :)

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Hi Kelster86,

I suggest stay one or two days in Kandy (but beside of the temple of the tooth, Kandy has little to offer).
Take train (3 rd class to enjoy local people) to Haputhale. Local town with some good tourist infrastructure. From there it's only 1 hour to Ella (very tourist town), 1.5 hour to Worlds' End...
In the neighbourhood: lot's of tea factories and fields. Try Lipton Seat (with tuktuk): even better than Worlds' End.

Jan

Thanks. Lipton's Seat sounds interesting.

On another note, I'll need to go from Ella to Katagarama to Uda Walle to Sinharaja to Galle. Two questions:

1. Is a private driver the best way to make these stops? I prefer not to take a bus.
2. What's the best way for someone traveling solo to get into Uda Walawe given the cost of guides/Jeeps?

About Lipton Seat: the spot (especially in the morning) is perfect but also trip itself to Lipton seat through marvelous tea plantations.

1. We took private driver from Kataragama to Ella, paid 75 USD.
2. Maybe daytrip or from Ella, or from Kataragama and joining group. In the guesthouse we stayed, they arranged group tour to Yala. So to Uda must also be possible

Enjoy

Good trip

If you don't want to take buses then private driver is pretty much the only other option. I can't see you finding a tour that will cover those destinations.

As for Uda Walawe, jeep safari with a guide is the only option. You won't get into the park any other way. Your accommodation there should be able to organise a safari for you. To keep the cost down, you might be able to organise a group to go together. There will be lots of jeeps at or near the park gates if you prefer to negotiate your own deal. The park is well worth it whichever option you go for.

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