Nuwara Eliya - Sri Lanka

Please note you will need to telephone us and speak to a member of the team to reserve accommodation in Nuwara Eliya

Geographically, Nuwara Eliya (city of light) is centrally located in a valley 1890 meters above sea level at the heart of the Sri Lanka hill country.

Surrounded by spectacular scenery of steep rolling slopes of carpeted velvety green tea bushes, interspersed with rushing streams and cascading water falls the air is rarefied and evenings can be cool - during April locals flock from the coast to escape the searing heat.

Established as a little corner of England in a foreign land, nowadays many of the fenced gardens in front of the typical cottages have been turned over to more practical vegetable patches, replacing the more formal flower displays.

Indication of the towns Colonial past that still remain, include the pretty pink brick Post Office and of course hotels with such splendid names as The Grand, Hill Club and St Andrews, one has only to pass through the entrances of these hotels to realise what life must have been like for these ‘masters of all they surveyed’.

Part of the charm of Nuwara Eliya remains its inaccessibility – a road had been established for over one hundred years, it remains narrow and peppered with pot holes and winds incessantly. However, plans are afoot to improve the existing highway, which will enable the town to be accessed more speedily and developed more rapidly.

One of the best ways to access Nuwara Eliya is to make the journey leisurely by the railway, which winds is way up from Kandy to the closest station at Nanu Oya passing through some of the islands most dramatic and beautiful scenery: if you are booked on one of our tours why not mention that you would like to take this option?

Additional Nuwara Eliya information

• A brief history
• Elephants never forget
• Tea
• Horton Plains
• Nuwara Eliya to Colombo or Kandy by train