Nuwara Eliya, also known as Little England in Sri Lanka, is situated 171 km away from Colombo. To visit there, you can take a taxi or bus. The journey takes 5 to 6 Hours (the time duration can depend on traffic). You can take a train from Colombo to Nanu Oya. Because there are no direct trains from Colombo to Nuwara Eliya, from Nanu Oya to Nuwara Eliya, you can take a tuck, taxi, or bus, which can take 30 minutes. 

Nuwara Eliya is famous for its cool climate, English colonial-style architecture, recreation activities, and natural and manufactured beauty. February to May is the best time to visit Nuwara Eliya Because it is getting better with sunny and warm. 

Most people like to visit in April because of local school holidays and Sinhala and Tamil New Year, which are held in April. April is the busiest season in Nuwara Eliya. Because of that, many activities are held during that season, including hours of races, carnivals, musical shows, moto races, and more. 

If you want to visit April Nuwara Eliya, You better arrange your accommodation and purchase the tickets for other activities very early because of the season, which could be difficult to organize at the last minute. Also, prices can skyrocket, especially during the season. 

However, if you prefer to avoid the busiest time and visit Nuwara Eliya, the best time for that can be February or May. You can visit in July or August, that would also be nice. 

Hakgala Botanical Garden

Throughout your holiday, you can visit many places in Nuwara Eliya. Hakgala Botanical Garden is one of the best places if you are a garden lover. 1861, during the British colonial era, this Garden was established to promote Cinchona and Tea cultivation. 

You can see gardening techniques, flowers, trees, and many other things there. Most tourist’s favorites places are:

• A central pond and bulb garden.
• A lower flower garden.
• A rose garden.
• A glasshouse.
• An upper flower garden.
• A fernery.
• A greenhouse. 

You need to take entrance tickets to enter the Haggala Botanical Garden. The Garden is open to visit every Morning from 7.30 a.m. – 6.00 p.m.

Lake Gregory

You can also visit Lake Gregory, which is situated near Nuwara Eliya City, and it is open 8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. every day. Most people like to walk around the lake, ride horses, picnic, or go boat riding. The weekend will be more crowded, and you must purchase an entrance ticket. In front of the lake are souvenir shops and clothes shops where people can buy something. Sir William Gregory 1873 made this lake in the British colonial era.

Tea Factory tour.

Most visitors like to do the tea factory tour when they visit Nuwara Eliya because this is where people believe the heart of tea cultivation in Sri Lanka. Different tea factories are close to Nuwara Eliya city, and some have an entrance fee.

If you do the tea factory tour, you can learn about tea trees, planting, plucking the tea leaves, dying the tea, and the tea production process. You can also visit or join a tea plantation tour to see the growing tea plants and verities. At the End of the tour, you can taste the different tea varieties and buy some tea that matches your favorite. Buying the tea from the factory is cheaper than buying it outside shops.

Horton Plains

Horton Plains is a UNESCO World Heritage Site approximately 25 km from Nuwara Eliy. To visit, you can take a taxi, tuck-tuck, or a bus, and the journey can take one hour. Horton Plains is 3,169 hectares and is 2,100 meters above sea level. Due to less rainfall, January to March is the best time to visit Horton Plains. 

This national park is a bird paradise; you can see different kinds of birds, such as dull-blue flycatchers, Sri Lanka white-eye, Sri Lanka wood pigeons, Sri Lanka blue magpies, Sri Lanka spurfowl, Sri Lanka junglefowl, yellow-fronted barbet, orange-billed babbler, Sri Lanka bush warbler, and Sri Lanka whistling-thrush (Wikipedia).

Also, there are some animals you can see, such as Sambar Deer, Strip-necked Mongoose, Long-tailed Giant Squirrel, Wild Boar, Bear, Toque Monkey, Fishing cat, and Otter. You can see exciting trees like Binara (Exacum Macranthum), Dwarf Bamboo, Different kinds of Grasslands, and Mesua Ferrea.

Tourists can see the second highest mountain in Sri Lanka, Kirigalpoththahtha Mountain, which is 2388 meters high. Also, Baker’s Falls World’s End is a highlighter for any traveler. World’s End is a sheer cliff with a drop of about 4,000 feet (1,200 m). To visit World’s End, you must walk approximately 3 to 4 hours. If the weather is good, you can see the precipice deep down.

Seetha Amman Hindu Temple.

Most Indian and Sri Lankan tourists visit this iconic temple, which is situated in Seetha Eliya village, 5 Km away from Nuwara Eliya City. The temple is open daily in the Morning from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. and in the evening from 2 p.m. to 6.30 p.m. Visitors can participate in the Puja. Also, to enter the temple, they must have an entrance ticket. Architecture, colors, and statues with stories are shown and give life to the epic story of Ramayan. Most pilgrims believe Prince Sitha (According to Ramayana), who stayed in this area.

Queen Victoria Park Nuwara Eliya

Queen Victoria Park is close to Nuwara Eliya town, and the journey can be reached by car or tuk-tuk in 10 to 15 minutes. This 27-acre park was established after Queen Victoria’s 60th jubilee coronation.

It has water fountains, ponds, herbal gardens, a Glass room (Plants planted in a glass room), Flowers, and different varieties of trees and butterfly arias. You must take entrance tickets, as weekends and seasons (April ) are more crowded. The special kids’ area is excellent for kids and picnics or walks for people who like to visit this park.