Mountains
Mountains
Nuwara Eliya
Nuwara Eliya is the most popular tourist destination in the country, apart from Kandy in the terms of guests visiting the province. Keeping the century old Colonial traditions intact, the city attracts almost 80% of the tourist arrival to the country and hundreds of Sri Lankan holiday makers throughout the year.
The name Nuwara Eliy has the meaning “City of Light”. Throughout the island’s history, “Nuwara”is having a meaning of a Royal Township. Meaning of Ëliya”is not very clear but cloud have been Patana areas that is found among the highland’s thick forests, that gets full sun shine, thus getting ample “light” or “Eliya”. Popularly known as ‘Little England’. Nuwara Eliya is a mountain station at 6,800ft of altitude. The city was founded by Samuel Baker in 19th Century, the discoverer of lake Albert and the explorer of the Nile in 1846. It was the favorite hill station of the British who tried to create the resort into a typical England village. The old brick post office, country house like Hill Club, with its hunting pictures, mounted hunting trophies and fish, and it’s strict formal dinner attire, the 18 hole golf course, race course, etc., evoke nostalgia of Colonial British Ceylon. Bless with salubrious climate, breathtaking views of valleys, meadows, mountains and greenery; it’s hard to imagine that Nuwara Eliya is only 180km from the hot and humid Colombo. Temperature are 10 – 20 centigrade during January to April, while it goes up to 160C – 250C during May / August and 120C to 180C in September to December period. Sri Lanka’s highest mountain Pidurutalagala with a height of 2,527m (8,292ft) is very close to town. Today the mountain area is a high security zone since the summit is made used for state communication and TV transmission towers. Nuwara Eliya district is famous for Tea Plantation and the cool and most climate are factors for the quality Tea leaves to thrive on. Saveral Tea factories around Nuwara Eliya offer guided tours and the opportunity to sample or purchase their products. One of the distinctive features of Nuwara Eliya’s countryside is the widespread growing of vegetables, fruit and flowers usually associated with temperate Europe. This is covered with terraces growing potatoes, carrots, leeks, and roses, interspersed with tea bushes on the steeper slopes. Famous waterfalls such as Devon and St. Clair falls are situated close to Nuwara Eliya and the Lake Gregory in the heart of the city is a much sought out tourist attraction. Apart from above, the top attractions of the city includes Victoria Park, Race Course, Lovers Leap, Moon Plains, Hakgala Botanical Garden, Horton Plains, New Zealnd Farm and Seetha Amman Hindu Kovil to name few.
Ella
Ella is not a popular tourist destination or a well-known place since the turn of the Century. It was a small sleepy village positioned high in the mountains, on the South-Eastern edge of Sri Lanka’s central hills. It was popularly known for old Ella Rest House and the historic Railway station with a mysterious looking Ella Gap. It is situated in the middle of beautiful countryside, with small vegetable plots in the valleys, tea plantations on the hill slopes and forests on the tops. But suddenly this sleepy giant has woken up with a shake and now is one of the most popular and busiest town in the Central Province. It is approximately 200 kilometres (120 mi) east of Colombo and is situated at an elevation of 1,041 metres (3,415 ft) above sea level. Ella, un the Uva Province of Sri Lanka, is now bustling and electrifying full of life with foreign tourist. Now known as ‘Hikka of the Hills’, Ella attracts all walking of life to its misty warmth. Even if anyone is willing to pass through out of town, they can find plenty of things to do to keep them occupied. Firstly, Ella has been blessed with one of the best climates in the world. That is probably a very subjective statement but let’s face it, the weather is great. You can enjoy mild temperatures throughout the year and the level of humidity is very pleasant. The weather condition throughout most of the year is typical of the Scottish Hill Country, with a hot sun by noontide, but a sensible air temperature. It will often rain in the afternoon, but only for an hour or so. A sweatshirt, or light jacket is considered necessary at night. In December it can rain a lot and fairly cold. It’s basically a nicely relaxing base for exploring the surrounding country. In the recent years, the popularity of Ella has soared and seemingly, every month yet another new guesthouses or hotels open.
The area has a rich bio-diversity, dense with numerous varieties of flora and fauna. Ella is surrounded by hills covered with cloud forests and tea plantations. The town has a cooler climate than surrounding lowlands, due to its elevation. Some of the places you could visit and see in Ella are the Ella Gap, Nine Arch Bridge, Ravana Ella Falls, Little Adam’s Pak, Ella Rock, Ravana Cave, Dhowa Cave Temple and Zip line adventures and etc.
Haputhale / City in the Clouds
Happuthale is the highest elevated town in Budulla District. However, comparatively is the smallest town in the district. Elevated over 4600ft (1495m) above the sea level, Haputhale, with a bird’s eye view over the Southern stretch of Sri Lanka, is popularly branded as the ‘City in the Clouds’. Perch at the Southern edge of the hill country, Haputhale clings to a long, narrow mountain tip with the land falling any steeply on both sides. The southern terrain from Wellawaya, Udawalawe Reservoir, Hambantota lighthouse to the south coast can be seen from Haputhale town on a clear day. Other days, swaths of mist cling magnetically to the hillsides, painting a perfect picture of a cloud city. Either way, it’s a spectacular and special part of the country. This mysterious land has a rich bio-diversity dense with numerous varieties of flora and fauna. Haputhale is surrounded by hills covered with cloud forests and tea plantations. Small-scale businesses and traffic ridden narrow dusty roads are typical picture of the old Haputhale town. But take a short walk for five minutes and you’ll be rewarded with extraordinary views. The railway embraces one side of the narrow city center, while south drop open up the beautiful bird’s eye view.
Since lately Haputhale has emerged as a popular tourist destination with the influence of the legacy of the British tea planters, who occupied the area for over centuries. Tea estates blanket the hillsides, scattered by elegant planters’bungalows, all enveloped in a moist and heavy climate that must have made the British settlers feel right at home. Some of the places you could exploring such as Lipton’s Seat, Dambatenna Tea Factory, Addisham Bungalow, Diyaluma water falls etc. Bandarawela is another tourist attract town close the Haputhale.
