Southern Hill Country / Places to visit

1. Beaches
2. Wildlife safaris
3. Polonnaruwa
4. Anuradhapura
5. Sigiriya
6. Dambulla cave temples
7. Galle
8. Sacred city of Kandy
9. Southern Hill Country
10. Colombo

Nuwara Eliya – ‘Little England’

The southern hill country of Sri Lanka, where Nuwara Eliya is situated, is the wildest, highest, and possibly the most beautiful part of Sri Lanka. You will immediately appreciate the area’s attractions: a curious mixture of beautiful rugged scenery and olde-worlde colonial architecture, with steep green mountainsides, rushing waterfalls and tea plantations up in the clouds. Detail is provided by quaint British left-overs: clanking railways, half-timbered guest houses, gothic churches and English vegetables, with colourful Hindu temples and the saris of the tea pickers almost taking one by surprise. Nuwara Eliya became known as ‘Little England’ due to its lush greenery and temperate climate.

Ella

A spectacular four hour train ride from Nuwara Eliya brings you to the sleepy village of Ella, one of the islands most beguiling destinations. Ella has one of the most stunning views in Sri Lanka, straight through Ella Gap, a valley between the hills that opens up to the southern plains of Sri Lanka.

Ella is a perfect place for walking and one of the best ways to spend a morning in Ella is to tackle the beautiful short walk up to the top of Little Adam’s Peak. Count on two hours return and go as early as you can before the clouds set in.

If you fancy a more taxing hike, Ella Rock itself makes a good spot to aim for. There are various routes up, though they can become impassable during bad weather, so ask for directions and advice from your guesthouse before setting out.

One of the most notable attractions is Rawana Ella Falls (also known as the Bambargama Falls), which tumble for ninety odd meters over the valley wall. It’s an impressive sight and you can clamber from some way up the rocks to one side of the falls.

Horton Plains

Sri Lanka’s last remaining mountain forest is Horton Plains - over 3,000 hectares on a high plateau at a height of more than 2,000 metres.

An enormous stretch of grassland dissected by little streams and rugged trees forms the centre of the plateau providing a pleasant walk of about 5km leading to an awesome edge known as ‘World's End’. It drops sheer for over 800 metres, sloping away beyond, over misty treetops, to the distant sea - probably the most breathtaking sight in Sri Lanka.