Sun Hill Hotel

tea plantations

by yumyum

Usually the area is covered in mist which is needed for the growth of good quality black tea. However, when we travelled up there we had a clear blue sunny sky. I guess the moderate temperature compared to the lowlands.

Lover's Leap

by akikonomu

East of Nuwara Eliya, it's on the way if you visit Pedro Tea Estate.

I don't know if there's public transport there, but even if there is, be prepared to hike. The van had to go up a rather steep slope (probably not possible by tuk tuk) before stopping near a tea plantation.

From there, hike 1 km vertically to get to the foot of the waterfalls. It isn't particularly spectacular but it's a quiet, secluded, unspoilt spot without the hustle bustle of tourist buses and groups. You can also catch a glimpse of birds washing themselves at the falls.

You should be relatively fit to hike up as some parts of the hike is steep.

Tea Factory

by stevezero

In the Nuwara Eliya area you can visit one of the tea factories, where the picked tea leaves are dried and processed into the form that we all know (but not in the bags!)
A lot of the machinery used is still very old and is still labour intensive,

Rubber Collection!

by freya_heaven

Here you can see the sap being collected in a coconut shell at the bottom of a rubber tree.

I was amazed to see this is how rubber is harvested, I had no idea it was this basic! Rubber along with rice, tea, coconut, and spices are major export products for Sri lanka. The rubber plantations were first planted and harvested in the late 19th century

Nuwara Eliya

by siaki68

"The little England"

Visiting Nuwara Eliya was not in my plans. I left Kandy the day after a heavy rain with the intention to go to Haputale by train. I bought my ticket and got on board. Three hours later we were still on the way; the train was moving slowly and from my window I could see workers removing mud and rocks from the rail. When the train reached Nanu Oya six hours after having left Kandy a man came in the coach: “Finish” he said. “Finish?!!” “Finish. Rails slip. Rails closed.” I decided to go by bus so I took a taxi and went to Nuwara Eliya. But going to Haputale wasn’t meant to be; the roads were also closed. I didn’t have any other option than to stay in Nuwara Eliya and this is what I did for the next two days until the road was again open. Nuwara Eliya is Sri Lanka’s main hill resort and also the capital of tea industry. The town itself is of no interest and a favourable place for package tourism, it is nevertheless a good place to visit tea plantations and factories and for activities such as golfing or horse riding.