4 Days Sri Lanka Tour: Yala Safari, Nuwara Eliya & Kandy
Four days that climb from Yala's leopard country up through Ella to the cool tea hills of Nuwara Eliya, and finish in temple-city Kandy.
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Nuwara Eliya, Sri Lanka
A hill-country town sitting at around 1,868 metres, nicknamed "Little England" for its colonial-era architecture and noticeably cooler climate. Nuwara Eliya is surrounded by tea plantations, and is a common base for visiting Horton Plains National Park and its World’s End viewpoint.
What to expect
- Tea plantation and factory visits, with tastings
- Cooler weather than the rest of the island — worth packing a layer
- A base for Horton Plains National Park, if it fits your itinerary
Tours that include Nuwara Eliya
Every tour is private and can be adjusted to spend more or less time here.
5 Days Sri Lanka Tour: Kandy, Nuwara Eliya & Ella Hills
Five days in the cool central hills: Pinnawala and Kandy, a tea-country drive, two nights in Nuwara Eliya, then Ella and its famous railway viaduct.
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5 Days Sri Lanka Tour: Kandy, Nuwara Eliya, Waskaduwa
Five days from elephants and temples in Kandy, up through tea country to Nuwara Eliya, then waterfalls, a Madu River cruise and a night by the sea.
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6 Days Sri Lanka Tour: Kandy, Tea Country, Ella & Yala
A compact loop from Kandy through the tea hills of Nuwara Eliya to Ella, then down to Yala for a leopard safari and on to the Bentota coast, with a private driver-guide.
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Hill Country & Heritage Trail
Elephants, cave temples, a rock fortress, a hill capital, tea slopes and the Ella viaduct in six days, with a private vehicle and an English-speaking driver-guide.
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7 Days Sri Lanka Tour: Dambulla, Kandy, Tea Hills & Wadduwa
Begin with an easy night in Negombo, then spend two nights around Dambulla for Sigiriya, a village outing and elephants, before Kandy, tea hills and a Wadduwa beach finish.
View TourTea country at1,868 metres
Nuwara Eliya tour: tea country at 1,868 metres
Nuwara Eliya sits high in the central hills, and the first thing visitors notice is the air. Mornings are cool, sometimes misty, and a light jacket is useful at night. A Nuwara Eliya tour usually starts with a tea estate, where you watch leaves being withered, rolled and dried before you taste a cup. After that, walk around Gregory Lake, look at the half-timbered colonial houses that earned the town the nickname Little England, and stop at a strawberry stall.
A tea estate visit
Watch leaves withered, rolled and dried, then taste a cup.
World's End at sunrise
Horton Plains is a short drive away. Go before cloud covers the edge.
March to May is busy
The local holiday season brings busier roads.
Horton Plains, trains and the best months
Horton Plains National Park is a short drive away and is the place for the World's End viewpoint. Go at sunrise, before cloud covers the edge. The town also connects to Ella by one of the most photographed train rides in the country, which we can build into your route. The weather is mild all year, but March to May brings the local holiday season and busier roads. Tell us when you travel and we will plan around it.
Hotels range from colonial-style bungalows with fireplaces to modern rooms with tea views. Most guests spend one or two nights, long enough for a sunrise at Horton Plains and a slow afternoon in the town.
Nearby and easy to combine
Planning a visit to Nuwara Eliya?
Tell us your dates and interests and we'll build a private itinerary around it.