Nuwara Eliya
Nuwara Eliya is the heart of Sri Lanka' tea country. The highest town in all of Sri Lanka at 6,187 feet (1,886 meters) above sea level, Nuwara Eliya is nicknamed "Little England" and was planned from scratch by the British in the 1840s as a hill station, or holiday town, after they discovered this small basin, surrounded by mountains, with a cool climate afforded by its high elevation. The driving force in its founding was Samuel Baker, a British explorer who also discovered the source of Africa's Nile River.
Experiences
A handpicked selection of experiences endorsed by our experts. If you can’t see what you’re looking for, let us know, as our extensive network of local contacts can open many doors.
Billiards Lesson
Have a private billiards lesson on one of the Grand Hotel's three enormous tables with the property's resident marker (of 21 years) and an expert with the pool cue.
Hill Club
Have dinner at the members-only Hill Club, which is like stepping back in time into a 19th-century exclusive British country club. Before dinner, enjoy cocktails and a game of billiards, or perhaps learn the rules of Rangoon Snicker posted on the recreation room wall.
Horton Plains National Park
Take a day trip to Horton Plains National Park and spend the day trekking in the nearly 20-square mile preserve. The most beautiful nature park in all of Sri Lanka, Horton Plains offers breathtaking landscapes and is home to a host of indigenous Sri Lankan wildlife: leopards, the hulking Sambar deer – the male of which can weigh nearly 600 pounds – the purple-faced Langur monkey, wild boar, and many endemic species of Sri Lankan highland birds. Must-see sights in Horton Plains include “World’s End,” a sheer precipice that drops more than 3,000 feet, and the scenic Baker's Falls.
Nuwara Eliya Golf Club
Play golf on one of Asia’s most picturesque courses. Founded in 1889, the Nuwara Eliya Golf Club, adjacent to the Grand Hotel, offers a challenging 18 holes with narrow fairways that demand one’s best driving.
Seetha Amman Temple
Take a day trip to the outskirts of Nuwara Eliya and visit the Seetha Amman Temple, an important temple connected with the Hindu epic Ramayana. Have a private blessing for long life and prosperity with the temple’s chief priest, a ceremony that lasts approximately one hour, and is accompanied by traditional Hindu music typically played in temples, at weddings, and during other cultural events.
Tea Plantation Tour
Visit one of Sri Lanka’s foremost tea estates, which was founded in 1841 and features 1,200 acres of high-grown tea cultivated at nearly 5,000 feet above sea level. Have a private tour of the tea fields and processing factory, meeting pickers and chatting with them about their lives and work.
Sri Lanka Regions
Explore in-depth information, experiences and highlights by navigating to specific regions using the links below on the right.
Central
Southern
Eastern
Western
Multi-Country Specialists
Sri Lanka Goes Well With
Why Remote Lands?
Exclusively Asia
With Remote Lands you'll travel with people who have made Asia the solitary focus of their own lifelong adventure. As our guest, you'll discover Asia on a journey that is completely, authentically your own, adapted from our own remarkable experiences and adventures over the years.
With Remote Lands you'll travel with people who have made Asia the solitary focus of their own lifelong adventure. As our guest, in the continent that our north American founders Catherine and Jay have adored and explored for decades, you'll discover Asia on a journey that is completely, authentically your own, adapted from our own remarkable experiences and adventures over the years.
Travelogues
An Asia-focused magazine brought to you by Remote Lands - a platform for adventure, luxury, and authenticity from experts and explorers around the continent.
Chasing Waterfalls in the Central Highlands of Sri Lanka
- Author
- Zinara Rathnayake
There’s a lot to see in Sri Lanka, from Sigiriya to leopards, but there’s something to be said for a long hike to a waterfall. Central Sri Lanka’s unique topography gives it some very interesting cascades.
Teatime in Sri Lanka
- Author
- Jay Tindall
The rolling tea plantations of Sri Lanka, formerly known as Ceylon, offer a stunning glimpse at the bounty of this immensely picturesque country.
Mid-August Picks from #TakeMeToRemoteLands
- Author
- Travelogues
Temples in Thailand, palaces in Beijing, and landscapes in Nuwara Eliya – we choose our favorite shots from our readers’ Instagram feeds.
What Others Say
Here is a small selection of the kind words our clients have said about us recently.
Marge & Julie, London
We had a wonderful time on our trip to Sri Lanka....we definitely had numerous experiences that would not have occurred had we just used one of the bigger travel agencies.
A family from California
Our experience with Remote Lands was most positive - from the planning to the trip itself.
