Sri Lanka holiday: Day 10-12, tea plantation, Horton plains and Ella gap

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Driving through the tea plantations in Nuwara Eliya is something I won’t forget in a long time from my holiday to Sri Lanka. The roads wind along the gentle hills which are completely carpeted with lush tea plantations for as far as the eye can see. Spotted throughout the plantations is the occasional waterfall and you can see the occasional tea picker out in the fields going about their work.



On Day 10 we arrived at a tea factory where we learnt about the tea making process and the history of the tea production on the island (first started by us Brits). We then went on to tour Nuwara Eliya which you can definitely see the British influence in the various buildings that used to house the colonials. I also distinctly remember the temperature here was much more moderate compared to the other places we had visited – being high above sea level.



The next day was busy and a great calf workout! We visited Horton plains which is a pleasant expanse of conservation land (actually a World Heritage Site) with grasslands and water systems. We walked through the plains to reach ‘World End’ which is quite aptly named – the plateau comes to an abrupt end and drops a kilometre to the plains below providing a stunning view. We were brought here quite early in the morning and it became clear why. As the morning goes on the drop is shrouded in a mist which disrupt the clear views we got to experience first thing in the morning so this is something to keep in mind if you visit.



After the long walk we got to sit down on a scenic train ride that took us through the windy hills with their stunning waterfalls. While the scenery is lovely and the sit down was welcome, the train doe become busy so isn’t as comfortable as it could be.



Lastly we climbed Little Adams Peak which was a fairly easy hike (about one and half hours as far as I remember) with stunning views from the top!

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