The Sri Lankan hill station of Nuwara Eliya is not a large city. The shopping centre is very small with only a four main shopping streets of about 200m in length near the bus station and post office. Behind the main streets you will find markets.

Town centre of Nuwara Eliya in the Highlands of Sri Lanka

One sells counterfeit outdoor mountaineering clothing including cold weather gear which is really strange in a country that is very near the equator. It does get cold in Nuwara Eliya so I suppose they also sell these items of clothing to locals as well as tourists. You can get good deals on fleeces and hoodies. What is delightful is every now and again being able to glimpse evidence of it's colonial past.

The post office is an example of what I am talking about. It has been built to resemble an English town hall complete with clock tower built in a mock-Tudor architectural style. The pink bricks are wrong but they get 7 out of 10 for trying. If you walk south down the road that runs alongside the race course and look up the hill side you will see lots of big houses that have been built in the English architectural style. Because you are very high the climate is sub-tropical and cool. These two facts help reinforce Nuwara Eliya's nickname of 'Little England'.

As with the real England it can rain. Always carry an umbrella or a light rain coat. The temperature can be cool. Pack a light jumper or cardigan. It is not fleece weather. If you forget, the market behind the main street in Nuwara Eliya is packed with clothing market stalls.

English style post office clock tower in Nuwara Eliya in the Highlands of Sri Lanka

The Horton Plains National Park

This is a misty grassland plateau at an elevation of more than 2,000m (6,500 ft), located about 20 km from Nuwara Eliya. It consists of grassland interspersed with patches of forest and some unusual vegetation that grows only at high altitudes. From this plateau rises Sri Lanka's second and third highest mountains. The plains afford some excellent walks. The silence of the plains is strange and mysterious.

The most amazing feature of Horton Plains is World's End where the southern part of the plains comes to a sudden end and drops almost straight down for 700m. Dawn is the ideal time to view this site when the mountains are free of mist and the sun is just rising. The dense forests are home to deer, jackal, the shaggy bear-monkey, sambur and the occasional leopard. The plains are also popular with birdwatchers. Travelling time from the hotel is 1.5 hours (45km).

The Hakgala Natural Reserve

This is a misty grassland plateau at an elevation of more than 2,000m (6,500 ft), located about 20 km from Nuwara Eliya. It consists of grassland interspersed with patches of forest and some unusual vegetation that grows only at high altitudes. From this plateau rises Sri Lanka's second and third highest mountains. The plains afford some excellent walks. The silence of the plains is strange and mysterious. The most amazing feature of Horton Plains is World's End where the southern part of the plains comes to a sudden end and drops almost straight down for 700m

Dawn is the ideal time to view this site when the mountains are free of mist and the sun is just rising. The dense forests are home to deer, jackal, the shaggy bear-monkey, sambur and the occasional leopard. The plains are also popular with birdwatchers. Travelling time from the hotel is 1.5 hours (45km).

Classic Morris car in Nuwara Eliya in the Highlands of Sri Lanka

Randenigala Dam and Wildlife Sanctuary

Randenigala is a modern hydropower and irrigation scheme in Sri Lanka, part of the massive Mahaweli Accelerated Development Programme. It is also the reservoir with the largest storage capacity having a gross storage of 860 million cubic metres (697,000 acre ft.) at full supply level. The project is expected to generate about 525 GWh of electrical energy. The reservoir itself offers a picturesque scene. The wildlife sanctuary is ideal for viewing wild elephants. Travelling time from the hotel is 2 hours (56km).

Sripada (Adam's Peak)

Sripada (sacred footprint) or Samanalakande (butterfly mountain) has been the object of worship and pilgrimage for centuries for persons of all major religions. The British referred to this mountain as Adam's Peak. Watching the dawn from Sripada is a rare experience. On clear days you can see the shadow of the peak cast on the surrounding forest canopy as the sun rises. The 'pilgrim season' begins on the poya (full moon monthly Buddhist holiday) day in December, and runs until the start of the April monsoon. Travelling time from the hotel is 2.5 hours (100km).

Mahakudugala Peak

The peak offers a breathtaking view of the surrounding valleys. Travelling time from the hotel is 45 minutes (14km).

Kurundu Oya Falls

The picturesque Kurundu Oya falls, the third tallest in Sri Lanka with a drop of 189m, is a one and a half hour drive from the hotel (25km).

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