Nuwara Eliya

Picturesquely situated among hills, tea plantations and roaring waterfalls, the popular holiday resort of Nuwara Eliya lies at an altitude of almost 1900 m above sea level and is the highest located city in Sri Lanka. It was founded by the British and due to its unique character it is still called "Little England". Due to the mountain climate, the colonizers sought refuge there from the summer heat prevailing in the rest of the island.

Nuwara Eliya is a great base for trekking in the surrounding hills and walking in tea plantations. Lush green bushes growing on the slopes and majestic waterfalls make the surrounding landscapes incredibly charming. You can also watch tea leaves being picked and watch their further processing in factories open to tourists.

Visiting Nuwara Eliya in Sri Lanka – what is worth seeing?

In addition to the tea plantations that Sri Lanka, and especially the Nuwara Eliya area, is famous for, while in town it is worth visiting Victoria Park – located in the city centre, one of the most beautiful and best preserved city parks in South Asia. Walking around it is a real pleasure, especially since it is home to many species of birds, which you can admire while wandering around the green area. The park also houses the Victoria Museum, with a collection of old photos from the colonial era. British influences can be seen throughout the area – especially the houses resemble those you know from England. They were built by Samuel Baker, a British traveller, the discoverer of Lake Albert. It is also worth visiting Gregory Lake, an artificial reservoir located at the southern end of the city, built during the colonial era, where horse riding and boat cruises are organised. You can also visit Hagkala Gardens, extensive gardens located on hills, among tea plantations, about 6 km east of Nuwara Eliya. They were founded in 1861 as an experimental plantation of cinchona trees, whose bark produces quinine, formerly used to produce a malaria medicine. Today, the garden is proud of its roses and ferns.

Tea plantation in Sri Lanka

The town is the main centre of tea production on the island – the first seedlings came to Sri Lanka only in the 3,5th century, when the British brought them from Assam, after a plague destroyed the coffee grown on the island. Since then, tea has been the basis of the Ceylon economy, being the main export product. Numerous plantations create a landscape typical of this part of Sri Lanka. You can go to Perdo Tea Estate, a plantation located 1885 km east of Nuwara Eliya, which – established in XNUMX – is still operating today. Here you can observe the various processes of creating the drink – from picking fresh leaves, withering, rolling, fermentation, to drying, sorting, tasting and storage.

When to visit Nuwara Eliya

Nuwara Eliya is situated at a very high altitude, so it has a very specific microclimate, very different from the rest of Sri Lanka. The air temperature, humidity and cloud cover, which are very different from what the islanders are used to, are said to reflect the climate of a spring day in England. Throughout the year, the temperature usually ranges from 10°C to 20°C. The warmest month, April, has an average maximum temperature of 22,9°C, while the coldest, January, has an average maximum temperature of 18,4°C. The best time of year to visit Nuwara Eliya is from late February to early June, with the really ideal conditions occurring in late March. The sky is covered with clouds for most of the year, so if you want to visit the plantations in the sun, go in February or March, when it is dry and the number of hours of sunshine averages 198. The cloudier period starts around May and lasts for about 7 months; the cloudiest month is July, and the wettest month is October.