Nuwara Eliya Warnings and Dangers

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The weather here is perfect for growing tea, but not always for sightseeing. The few days I spent here followed a similar pattern. I awoke to beautiful blue skies & sunshine which remained all morning. During the afternoon the clouds and mist began to envelop the hills. Then the rain and often thunderstorms started, these lasting well into the evening.

My pictures show the Tea Factory Hotel grounds at early morning and the same view mid afternoon. The last one shows that despite the rain the tea picking continued.

There were numerous accounts of Land Slides that totally devastate the roads to NuwaraEliya. However these happen during the rainy seasons only. So, be watchful when traveling up hill during rainy weather. The roads ahead might just suddenly disappear. I have not encountered it. But keep and eye on the Local TV News to be safe.

If your driving up hill, slow down to 30Kmph. Be careful when driving! The entire journey might take 7 hours. But rather end up in NuwaraEliya in 7 hours, than @ nearby hospital in 4 hours!

Also, don't get distracted by the passengers shouting "Woww look @ that, Woww thats gorgeous!, Look Look Look, Your missing a great view"... Stop the vehicle first and then look!

We stayed at the Grand Hotel in Nuwara Eliya and it was full of colonial elegance and spleandour. The staff were very attentive and polite. The hotel turns over your bedsheets and places flowers and wishes bidding you a good night.
However, beware !! We found that the room boy had dipped his fingers into our luggage and stolen $560 from our "secret" store. Despite the apologies of the Hotel Manager we did not get our money back.
Ensure you keep all valuables safe with you at all times - irrespective of how grand the venue is or how polite the staff are.

Over Sinhalese New Year (usually over the April full moon), sleepy little Nuwara Eliya becomes the ultimate place to be. The rich and fashionable of Colombo set out for the hills and party the week away in Sri Lanka's highest town. Parties and concerts are common and the town is packed. All well and good, except that getting accomodation at this time of year is nigh on impossible unless you book well in advance. And if you do, expect to pay at least triple the usual prices. That goes for everything in town too, from transport to food and drink.