Planning a trip to Nuwara Eliya? In this guide, you’ll find the information needed to plan your stay in Nuwara Eliya.
You will find more information on this cute little town as well as what to do and where to stay.
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Where Is Nuwara Eliya?
Nuwara Eliya is located in the tea country, also knows as the hill country. Surrounded by tea plantations, Nuwara Eliya is a beautiful town.
Located between Kandy and Ella (kind of), it’s a smart stop between the two.
How Long Do You need In Nuwara Eliya?
We stayed one night in Nuwara Eliya and it was enough for us. It felt like we had seen everything we could possibly see in and around the town without going too far.
Depending on your arrival time, you may want to stay an extra night, although, if your time in Sri Lanka is limited, you may want to keep some days for the rest of your travels.
I’d recommend spending more time in Ella for example.
Is Nuwara Eliya Worth Visiting?
Nuwara Eliya is a cute town surrounded by tea plantations.
That said, the scenery was breathtaking! If you’ve never seen tea plantations before or if it’s your first time in Sri Lanka, you may want to add this stop to your Sri Lanka itinerary.
It’s also a great spot to get started with adventures that are located a bit further such as the Norton Plains National Park or Adam’s Peak.
If you’re planning on getting outside the town during your stay, then, you should book more than one night!
Although, if your time in Sri Lanka is limited, you may want to spend more time around Ella since the city has more to offer and there are great day trips to do from there too.
The honest short answer: Nuwara Eliya is nice, but it wasn’t our favorite city in Sri Lanka. We are glad we visited, but we don’t think we would visit a second time.
Best Places To Visit In Nuwara Eliya
Let’s talk about what to do in Nuwara Eliya! Since we’re talking about a pretty small town, this is not a huge list, but you will find all the important things to do here.
Walk Around Victoria Park
Victoria Park is a large park located right in Nuwara Eliya. To enter, you must pay a fee (LKR 350 or about USD 2 per person) and is open between 7 AM and 7 PM.
Basically, Victoria Park is a quiet park with beautiful gardens. It’s ideal if you want to walk around and relax a bit. Although, since it isn’t free, you may be hesitant.
Since we thought it was quite cheap, it made sense to us to walk there while we were in Nuwara Eliya, but you can’t expect anything out of this world (so, manage your expectations please).
Visit a Tea Plantation / Factory
We visited a tea plantation during our stay in Nuwara Eliya. We opted for the guided tour at Damro Tea Factory so we can see and understand the tea making process.
Visiting the factory was very interesting. We never realized how much works go behind a cup of tea, ha! After the tour, we had a cup of tea while enjoying the views on the balcony.
Then, we walked around the tea plantations to take photos. After all, the views were gorgeous!
Go to Lover’s Leap Waterfall
After our visit to the tea factory, we headed to the Lover’s Leap Waterfall.
Our tuk-tuk driver drove us to a certain point where we could start walking towards the waterfall. On our way, we could admire the views and then we reached the waterfall.
Visit Lake Gregory
Our last stop was at Lake Gregory. Our tuk-tuk driver drove us there so we can walk around the lake.
The park is opened from 8 AM to 6 PM and you must pay an entrance fee to enter the park (LKR 200 or about USD 1 per person). We decided to walk around the park, but you can also do different activities there.
- Bicycle
- Pedal boat
- Horse riding
- Seadoo
Organizing a Trip with Seek Sophie
We organized a tour with Seek Sophie. Our tour was regrouping the visit at the tea plantation, the waterfall as well as the Lake Gregory.
Basically, a tuk-tuk driver picked us up in the morning at 8h30 AM and brought us back at the end of the tour around 12 PM.
Organizing this trip in advance was a great way for us to make the most of Nuwara Eliya, but also to not have to worry about finding a tuk-tuk driver ourselves.
Our driver was professional, friendly and had excellent English which made the experience fun and easy!
Where to Stay in Nuwara Eliya
Here are some recommendations on where to stay in Nuwara Eliya.
Budget: Backpackers Nest / Leisure Nest Hostel / Haven Backpackers
Mid-Range: Tealeaf / The Ramp / Huddle / Oatlands by Jetwing
Luxury: Hilldale Retreat / Heritance Tea Factory / The Grand Hotel
Our pick: Huddle
Huddle is a mid-range accommodation. It’s nothing fancy, but comfortable enough to get some rest.
