NUWARA ELIYA – TEA COUNTRY DREAMS 🍃☁️

Tired of the heat? Did you know you could experience 10-20C temperatures in Sri Lanka? Nuwara Eliya is THE PLACE to be if you love scenic drives, tea and the cool temperature.

This drive from Sigiriya was LONG but insanely scenic. If we had more time I would buffer one day to stop over at Kandy, so the drive is split over two days.

We passed:

• Ramboda Falls (literally by the roadside)

• Rothschild Tea Plantation

• Labookellie Tea Centre

If I could redo it: I’d buffer more time to properly explore these spots.

Tea experience:

Visited Pedro Tea Estate

• 1,000 LKR factory tour

• 1,000 LKR tea plucking

Came with tea tasting but the factory tour was quite brief. Heard Labookellie is better.

Other stops:

• Lover’s Leap Waterfall – short 10 min drive from Pedro

• Gregory Lake - in the middle of town, nothing super special

• High tea at The Grand Hotel Nuwara Eliya – giving Raffles colonial vibes

Stays:

• The Cheriz Boutique Hotel – super beautiful boutique hotel with retro vibes, with a panoramic view of the tea plantation. Very comfortable stay, and the heated blankets were a nice touch.

• The Chapter House – stunning loft-style apartment with a large balcony overlooking the views, and upstairs level with beanbags and a smart tv for movie nights.

Nuwara Eliya feels like you left tropical Sri Lanka and entered cold colonial countryside. Would definitely recommend staying a night here if you’re passing by and otw to Ella.