Sri Lanka
The hill country
Cool green highlands of tea estates, waterfalls and cloud forest, with Kandy at their foot and one of the most beautiful railway journeys in the world through the middle.
The British planted tea across these hills in the 19th century, and the estates, bungalows and factories are still there. The air is cool, the roads wind, and the views stretch to the coast on clear days.
Most journeys go from Kandy up to Nuwara Eliya or a tea bungalow, then take the train down to Ella.
Written by the TravelZeg team in New Delhi.
In short
- Best for
- Tea, walking, the train, a cool break from the coast
- Less suited to
- Guaranteed sunshine; mist and rain are part of the hills
- Best time
- January to April. Kandy's Esala Perahera is in July or August.
- Ideal length
- 3 to 5 nights.
Where to go
Where to go in the hill country
- Kandy
- The last royal capital, around its lake, with the Temple of the Tooth and the Peradeniya botanical gardens.
- The tea estates
- A night or two in a planter's bungalow around Hatton or Nuwara Eliya, with a factory visit and walks through the gardens.
- The train to Ella
- From Nanu Oya, the station for Nuwara Eliya, three to four hours of tea gardens, tunnels and waterfalls; we book reserved seats. The line from Kandy was damaged by a cyclone in late 2025 and is being repaired.
- Ella
- A small town with walks to Little Adam's Peak and the Nine Arch Bridge.
- Horton Plains
- A high plateau of cloud forest and grassland, ending at the cliff of World's End; go early, before the mist.
- The Pekoe Trail
- A walking route of about 300 kilometres through the tea country, opened in 2024; we plan day sections with a guide.
Our view
What we rate, and what we would skip
What we rate
A tea bungalow
Old planters' houses with gardens and log fires.
The train, in reserved seats
And a seat on the left when travelling towards Ella.
A walk on the Pekoe Trail
Through villages and estates few visitors see.
What we would skip
Second-class seats in high season
Unreserved carriages are very crowded.
Horton Plains late in the day
The views close in by mid-morning.
Too short a stay
The hills deserve three or four nights.
Practical
Getting there and around
- Getting there
- About three hours by road from Colombo to Kandy; two hours from the Cultural Triangle.
- Combine with
- The Cultural Triangle; the south coast; Yala.
Plan my journey
Tell us roughly what you have in mind
A specialist for that country replies within 24 hours, with a first idea of route and price. There is no charge and no obligation.