Nuwara Eliya - Sri Lanka's Little England

Our latest Sri Lanka travel blog is about Sri Lanka's own Little England. Nuwara Eliya is a small town in the highlands of Sri Lanka that, because of its moderate climate, was a getaway from Colombo for the colonials.  Indeed: we were there in the summer and it was cold and I certainly didn’t have the gear with me to stay warm. The short time we spent there was the most uncomfortable in Sri Lanka. For us the town was a bit of a bust. The two main attractions are the tea museum and Land’s End. We didn’t get to do either. However, we did have a lovely walk through the town, Queenie managed to get her broken shoes fixed and we did enjoy the lovely Victoria Park in the middle of the town.

Tuk Tuk in Little England

Bus Ride to Nuwara Eliya, Sri Lanka, 2012

Our latest Sri Lanka travel blog covers the incredibly beautiful bus journey from Kandy to Nuwara Eliya. Nuwara Eliya is also called Little England because it used to be a small place that the colonials built in the likeness of home and, do to the temperate climate, was a popular destination for the colonial administrators to retreat to to stay warm. Nuwara Eliya is important for the tea industry in Sri Lanka and lies at an elevation of 1,800 meters, 1,300 meters higher than Kandy. As you can expect, we drove through some of the most beautiful hill country covered in super green tea plantations. It was one of the more stunning bus rides we have been on. The videos and pictures below, we are sure, show you the beauty.

Beautiful View (by Queenie)

Sri Lanka 2012

In 2012 we had an amazing two weeks in Sri Lanka. It was a great trip and we had a tremendous time. We spent a day in Colombo and then traveled to Kandy, Nuwareliya, Ella, Yala and along the south coast all the way to Galle. We had a fantastic time wandering the streets in the cities, drinking tea in the highlands, hanging out near Kandy lake and of course, meeting all the awesome people. The posts below are some of the things we did and saw in that wonderful country.

Train to Ella, Sri Lanka

Our latest Sri Lanka travel blog is about our longer than expected journey to Ella from Nuwara Eliya. We started the morning with a good breakfast in the King Fern Cottage guest house and ended the day on the train station platform in Ella. In between we went on a beautiful train ride in the hill country of Sri Lanka and enjoyed the spectacular views of the terraced tea fields. The ride was long, but beautiful and when we reviewed the pictures and video, we were filled with the nostalgic desire to return. Queenie mentioned we should go back to Sri Lanka and spend more time in the Hill Country. Not a bad idea!

Queenie on her way

Scenes from Kandy, Sri Lanka, 2012

After Colombo our first stop was Kandy, a small town in the middle of Sri Lanka with a long and storied history. We got to Kandy after a long (four hour) train ride from Colombo. We landed up staying in Kandy for three nights before moving on to Nuwara Eliya. Kandy itself has a number of tourist attractions including Kandy Lake, the Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic, Kandyan Dancing and the world famous botanical gardens. Day trips from Kandy to the elephant orphanage and places to ride elephants are also available as are trips to Srigiya and other places. We both felt that Kandy was beautiful but we were disappointed with the food and thought it has really become overrun with tourists. The guest house we stayed at in Kandy was the best one of the whole trip and our hosts were amazing. We had fun in Kandy but felt the best part of it was visiting the elephants and the lake.

Kandy Lake