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.
A recent construction boom has blighted the scene to a degree, and the dusty and bustling centre is a thoroughly Sri Lankan urban tangle, but Nuwara Eliya still makes a fine base for a few days' relaxation. The verdant surrounding countryside of tea plantations, carefully tended vegetable plots and craggy hills is highly scenic. Treat yourself to a night in one of Nuwara Eliya’s colonial hotels, play a round of golf or a few frames of billiards, and soak up the town’s unique bygone heritage.
Nuwara Eliya is considered as one of the most important tea plantation sites in the island country of Sri Lanka. Connected very efficiently to the city of Colombo, reaching Nuwara Eliya is a fairly easy task. The best way to reach Nuwara Eliya is by taking a flight to Colombo and then catching a cab from there to this highland paradise.
By Air
Nuwara Eliya does not have an airport and the closest airport to the place is located in Colombo, about 180 kilometres away. Visitors can land in Bandaranaike International Airport, Colombo and take either road routes or the railway to reach Nuwara Eliya. Colombo itself is connected to all major cities in the world either directly or by a series of connection flights that stop usually at some or the other International Airports. Sri Lankan Airways is one of the major air carriers available to travellers.
By Rail
While Nuwara Eliya does not have a railway station, visitors can take the train to Nanu Oya which is located about 10 km from the place. Nanu Oya is connected to Colombo through the Main Line that connects Colombo to Badulla. Considered as one the most picturesque journeys in the country, the route is full of mesmerizing sights ranging from lush green tea gardens to tall mountains. The journey from Colombo to Nanu Oya usually takes up to 7 odd hours unless there is a delay due to bad weather. There are taxis available at Nanu Oya that will take you to Nuwara Eliya and while taxis usually charge around 200-250LKR, buses that ply on the same route charge about 25LKR. There are also three-wheeled tuk-tuks that will take you to Nuwara Eliya.
By Road
Nuwara Eliya is connected to Colombo by two routes, one via Kandy and one via Hatton. Drive to Nuwara Eliya can be truly rewarding. Nuwara Eliya is located about 175 km away from Colombo. Visitors can also use the bus services, either via Hatton or Kandy. There are several intercity buses plying from Colombo to Hatton and Kandy almost every hour and there are buses from Hatton and Kandy that will take you to Nuwara Eliya. The bus journeys are much faster than the train journeys but the bus rides to Nuwara Eliya can be a bit bumpy. The rate and timings differ based on the type of service but the prices are quite nominal. Tourists can also take taxis from Colombo and the prices differ on the type of service.
Our world is filled with man-made things. But have you ever heard of the world that is man-made? A city far away from England was manually designed in such a manner that it resembled an English village. Welcome to Nuwara Eliya, the ‘Little England’ in Sri Lanka! Ceylon was ruled by the British until 1948. The military officers discovered a retreat in the hills that resembled their homeland. With its breath-taking beauty and favourable climate that promise relief from the prevalent weather in Colombo, the hot and humid capital city of Ceylon. Where there was earlier an eyesore of a swamp, they created an artificial lake by diverting water from a stream flowing down from Piduruthalgala Mountain. Christened Lake Gregory, it even generates electricity for the town. There are numerous places to visit in Nuwara Eliya, like the Hakgala Botanical Gardens, the Laxapana Falls, the Lover’s Leap Waterfall, the Devon Falls, the Oliphant Estate, the Ceylon Breweries, the Tea plantation and the amazing factory that wow tourists and the locals alike.