Exploring Sri Lanka’s central hills is a must for first-time visitors to the island on their vacation. With a cooler climate, incredible scenery and an alluring laidback atmosphere, this is the perfect place to relax, seek out breathtaking viewpoints, and discover the island’s tea heritage – a British legacy.
Tea Experiences for Your Vacation
The British converted the Hill Country into a tapestry of tea fields over a century. Travellers visiting today can still tour traditional tea factories with their original equipment and watch tea pluckers harvesting leaves by hand as they have done for over 150 years.
Enthusiasts of this universally beloved brew will enjoy tea-tasting sessions with experts, like the one at Amba Estate, which pairs speciality blends with various local and international dishes on their vacation.
Sensational Hikes for an Unforgettable Vacation
There’s no shortage of sensational hikes in Sri Lanka’s Hill Country. Pick up a portion of the internationally-acclaimed Pekoe Trail which was named one of the best experiences in the world for 2024 by National Geographic. This painstakingly planned trail traverses the tea country from corner to corner, highlighting the most extraordinary vistas.
The best day hikes in Sri Lanka, perfect for your vacation, include Little Adam’s Peak, which overlooks the Ella Gap, climbing up to the forests of the Knuckles Mountain Range, and the trail to the favourite viewpoint of British tea planter Sir Thomas Lipton.
Stay in a Tea Bungalow on Your Vacation
Walking is not your thing? Experience the majesty of this magnificent and magical landscape from the comfort of a colonial tea planter’s bungalow. Revamped with the very best facilities and furnishings, these properties offer a luxurious stay in sensational settings.
Browse the Red Dot-recommended Hill Country hotels and look out for the authentic planters’ bungalows. Ceylon Tea Trails, perfect for your vacation, are some of Sri Lanka’s most sought-after properties with a vintage feel, while Camellia Hills offers a contemporary take and a glorious outlook over Castlereagh Lake.
Horton Plains: A Must-Visit on Your Vacation
No visit to Sri Lanka’s hills is complete without walking around Horton Plains National Park. Poised at one of the country’s highest points, there’s an abundance of picturesque panoramas.
Further on is a series of waterfalls known as Baker’s Falls which will lead you back to the start point. As you walk, look out for stately sambar roaming the vast grass plains during your vacation.
Ride the Railway During Your Vacation Adventure
One of the best ways to uncover the heritage of Sri Lanka’s tea hills is to ride the railway. The trains still run along the original tracks laid down by the British during the 19th century, crowned by the spectacular Nine Arch Bridge at Demodara. Beginning from Kandy, the Gateway to the Hill Country, wind up through the mountains and watch as the landscape falls away around you. Tea fields glitter as far as the eye can see, interspersed with small villages, rushing rivers and waterfalls, and alien alpine forests on your vacation.