Nuwara Eliya නුවරඑළිය, Sri Lanka

Nuwara Eliya, Sri Lanka (2 September 2005)

Nuwara Eliya (Sinhala: නුවරඑළිය; Tamil: நுவரேலியா), which means the City of Lights, is a major tea-planting town in the highlands in central Sri Lanka. Nuwara Eliya is located close to Pidurutalagala, the highest peak in Sri Lanka. I visited Nuwara Eliya, together with a small group of AsiaExplorers members, when we explored the sights in Sri Lanka.

I love the cool weather, even though it was rainy and windy when we visited. The road to Nuwara Eliya is winding - it reminds me of Cameron Highlands in Malaysia, but on a much bigger scale.

Hill road through the tea plantations at Nuwara Eliya (1 September 2005)

Like Cameron Highlands, Nuwara Eliya is a major tea producer. The hills as Nuwara Eliya are carved into undulating hillocks carperted by a thick blanket of tea shrubs. In Nuwara Eliya, we stayed at the Tea Factory, a former tea factory that has been restored and turned into a 5-star hotel. It won a prize from Unesco for heritage conservation.

Nuwara Eliya was founded by English explorer Sir Samuel White Baker, as a hill retreat during the British colonial era. some of the best and most luxurious hotels in Nuwara Eliya dates from the colonial era - they are a watering hole for those with fat wallets who want to indulge in a spot of nostalgia.

Zubara Fort, now a museum in Qatar

Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Hotel_Glendower.jpg
Author: Bernard Gagnon
photo licensing

While in Nuwara Eliya, my group and I visited an actual tea plantation to learn how tea was processed. We also relaxed to an English tea, to the roar of the many waterfalls in Nuwara Eliya. Our stay here is far too short and I look forward to coming back. It is truly a most relaxing destination.

But what I like best about Nuwara Eliya was the hotel that we stayed in. It is called Heritance Tea Factory Hotel, and it was indeed a former tea factory.

Inside the Tea Factory Hotel, Nuwara Eliya (1 September 2005)

Visiting Nuwara Eliya

You can reach Nuwara Eliya by road or by train from Colombo and Kandy. Either way, you are in for a scenic ride taking you past sweeping vistas of tea plantations. If you wish, you can also take the bus from Colombo or Kandy. Due to the poor condition of roads, you may expect the journey to take over half a day.