Colombo Trip Overview
Often referred to as ‘Little England’, this genteel highland community does have a rose-tinted, vaguely British-country-village feel to it, with its colonial-era bungalows, Tudor-style hotels, well-tended hedgerows and pretty gardens. Indeed, Nuwara Eliya was once was the favoured cool-climate escape for the hard-working and hard-drinking English and Scottish pioneers of Sri Lanka’s tea industry.Nuwara Eliya is a charming city, located amidst the rolling mountains of the Hill Country of Sri Lanka. This misty city is often fondly called ‘Little England’, for very good reasons! Here in the city you will discover a number of quaint buildings and bungalows complete with charming picket fences, dating all the way back to colonial times.
• Enjoy personalized attention on a private tour
• Hassle-free hotel pickup and drop-offs
• Travel comfortably in an air-conditioned vehicle with a travel guide driver
Additional Info
Duration: 2 days
Starts: Colombo, Sri Lanka
Trip Category: Cultural & Theme Tours >> Cultural Tours
Explore Colombo Promoted Experiences
What to Expect When Visiting Colombo, Western Province, Sri Lanka
Often referred to as ‘Little England’, this genteel highland community does have a rose-tinted, vaguely British-country-village feel to it, with its colonial-era bungalows, Tudor-style hotels, well-tended hedgerows and pretty gardens. Indeed, Nuwara Eliya was once was the favoured cool-climate escape for the hard-working and hard-drinking English and Scottish pioneers of Sri Lanka’s tea industry.Nuwara Eliya is a charming city, located amidst the rolling mountains of the Hill Country of Sri Lanka. This misty city is often fondly called ‘Little England’, for very good reasons! Here in the city you will discover a number of quaint buildings and bungalows complete with charming picket fences, dating all the way back to colonial times.
• Enjoy personalized attention on a private tour
• Hassle-free hotel pickup and drop-offs
• Travel comfortably in an air-conditioned vehicle with a travel guide driver
Itinerary
Day 1: Negombo/Colombo – Nuwara Eliya
Stop At: Pedro Tea Factory, Nuwara Eliya Sri Lanka
Nestled amongst the scenic beauty of Sri Lanka’s hill country and situated in the shadows of the country’s highest mountain, Pidurutalagala, you will find the Pedro Tea Estate.Pedro Tea Estate is just a few minutes’ drive from the center of Nuwara Eliya, and is well worth a look if you have a free morning or afternoon, especially if you’re a big tea lover like we are! Sri Lanka is famous for it’s tea production, and you can’t really come here without visiting one of their many tea plantation factories. Pedro Tea Estate is quieter than some of the more popular plantations such as the one at Lipton’s Seat, so it has a more intimate feel and we loved the opportunity to escape the crowds for a while. They will let you have a go at picking some for yourself, and will show you how it is done correctly
Duration: 1 hour
Stop At: Hakgala Botanical Gardens, Peradeniya-Badulla-Chenkaladi Hwy, Hakgala, Sri Lanka
Hakgala Botanical Garden is one of the three botanical gardens in Sri Lana. The garden is contiguous to Hakgala Strict Nature Reserve in Nuwara Eliya. The gardens is believed to be the highest set botanical gardens in the world. There are over 10,000 species of flora planted here and during the Nuwara Eliya spring season thousands of visitors come to see the blooms here. Number of annual visitors is around 500,000. Hakgala gardens is famous for number of species of Orchids and Roses planted there. The main sections of the garden are the rock garden, water garden, fern garden, Japanese garden and the seed room. Hakgala is a temperate hill-country garden, where the lovely low-country lotus and water lily mingles in their serene simplicity with sophisticated English roses, pre-historic looking ferns, and endemic orchids.
Duration: 1 hour
Stop At: Lover’s Leap Falls, Hawa Eliya, Nuwara Eliya 22200 Sri Lanka
Underneath the Lover’s Leap Waterfall you can relax, enjoy the cool spray from the gushing water or even take a dip. Be careful when scrambling over the rocks as they are pretty slippy. Although the waterfall obviously attracts visitors, it was very quiet compared to lots of spots in Sri Lanka and was really nice to have somewhere a little less well known to relax in. Lover’s Leap Waterfall gets its name from old legend. Once upon a time a royal prince went hunting in the jungle. On his way there he met a beautiful girl from the local village and they fell head over heels in love. The Eliya king and queen opposed the marriage and refused to allow it. In their despair at being forced apart they jumped from the top of the waterfall to their watery deaths below, where in death they could be united forever.
Duration: 1 hour
Meals included:
• Lunch
• Dinner
Accommodation included: Overnight stay at 3 star Hotel in Nuwara Eliya
Day 2: Nuwara Eliya – Negombo/Colombo
Stop At: Gregory Lake, Nuwara Eliya Sri Lanka
Set in the middle of the Nuwara Eliya town, Gregory Lake was built by Governor William Gregory between 1872 and 1877. The green around the Gregory Lake is famous for sunbathing, picnicking and generally relaxing with families. This area becomes crowded during the spring festival in April with carnivals and various other family friendly activities. The Gregory Lake area has been converted into a sort of Lake Park with many recreational activities after the complete face-lift by the government recently. The ancient British era tradition of relaxing picnics on the shore of the lake, or more modern activities such as boat rides, swan shaped paddled boat rides, pony rides along the shore, and water walking balls, water sports such as jet skis, windsurfing and many more activities can be experienced. Gregory Lake is a fun filled family friendly location, attracting many tourists who visit Sri Lanka with these many attractions.
Duration: 1 hour
Stop At: Victoria Park of Nuwara Eliya, A5, Nuwara Eliya 22200 Sri Lanka
Victoria Park, with its beautiful flowers and gardens is a must-visit when in Nuwara Eliya. Even if you aren’t particularly interested in flowers, it’s still a great place to go for a walk and relax. Victoria Park is old, as in extremely old. It was initially the research field for the Hakgala Botanical Garden, but was renamed after Queen Victoria in 1897. It covers a pretty large area spanning over 25 acres. Most of the pathways inside the park are paved, but you can also find natural pathways which walk you right through the trees.
Duration: 1 hour
Stop At: Post Office Nuwara Eliya, Queen Elizabeth Drive, Nuwara Eliya 22200 Sri Lanka
Located at the center of the town this 100 year old building is one of the most popular colonial constructions of “Little England’. The red brick exterior is hard to be missed while one is on the streets of Nuwara Eliya. Built in Tudor style, the post office has a distinctive edge and stands as a remnant of the old world Ceylon. A clock tower spirals from one side of the building. This legendary building was depicted on a stamp issued by Sri Lanka Post in the year 1990 too.
Duration: 1 hour
Stop At: Seetha Amman Kovil, WRM6+76R, Seetha Eliya, Sri Lanka
The Sita Amman Temple dedicated to Sita, the wife of Lord Rama, situated in the hills of Nuwara Eliya, is treated with enduring devotion by Hindus as it is considered to be the only such temple in the world. It is located five kilometers along the road from Nuwara Eliya to Kandy. History has it that this is the place where King Ravana held sits imprisoned. About a century ago images of three idols were discovered in the stream, one of which was that of Sita. It is believed that the idols have been worshipped at this spot for centuries. Visitors eagerly throng to this place where Sita had supposedly bathed, the stone she sat on, and where she spent time in prayer. Devotees are convinced that this episode of the epic Ramayana historically took place here, and the place is increasingly becoming important as a tourist location.
Duration: 1 hour
Meals included:
• Breakfast
• Lunch
No accommodation included on this day.
