Five days in Sri Lanka's cool hill country takes you from the sacred Temple of the Tooth and the Royal Botanical Gardens of Kandy through the emerald tea plantations of the central highlands on one of Asia's most scenic train journeys, to the colonial hill station of Nuwara Eliya and the extraordinary Nine Arch Bridge at Ella. This is the quieter, greener, and more contemplative side of Sri Lanka.
Five days in Sri Lanka's cool hill country takes you from the sacred Temple of the Tooth and the Royal Botanical Gardens of Kandy through the emerald tea plantations of the central highlands on one of Asia's most scenic train journeys, to the colonial hill station of Nuwara Eliya and the extraordinary Nine Arch Bridge at Ella. This is the quieter, greener, and more contemplative side of Sri Lanka.
Arrive at Colombo Airport and drive 3 hours through the hill country to Kandy. Check in and walk around Kandy Lake in the late afternoon light. Evening puja ceremony at the Temple of the Tooth Relic at 6:30 PM, Sri Lanka's most sacred Buddhist site - drummers, incense, and monks carrying the golden casket. Overnight Kandy.
Morning visit to the Temple of the Tooth at the 9:30 AM puja when the inner chamber opens briefly. Walk through the Peradeniya Royal Botanical Gardens, 60 hectares with a remarkable avenue of royal palms, spice garden, and the famous double coconut palm from the Seychelles. Evening traditional Kandyan cultural show with fire dancers, elephant procession, and percussionists in the ancient style. Overnight Kandy.
Board the famous hill country train from Kandy for the 3-hour journey through misty tea plantations to Nuwara Eliya at 1868 metres, the coolest town in Sri Lanka. Check in to a colonial-era plantation hotel. Afternoon guided tour of a working tea estate and factory - see the withering, rolling, fermenting, and drying of Ceylon tea leaves and taste the different grades. Walk around Gregory Lake at dusk. Overnight Nuwara Eliya.
Early morning drive to Horton Plains National Park for the World's End viewpoint, a sheer cliff dropping 870 metres with views to the southern coast on clear mornings - go before 9 AM before clouds close in. Drive to the charming village of Ella for lunch. Walk to the Nine Arch Bridge, the colonial viaduct in the jungle where tea trains cross above the forest canopy. Sunset hike up Little Adam's Peak for panoramic Ella Gap views. Overnight Ella.
Morning visit to Ravana Falls below Ella, one of Sri Lanka's widest waterfalls. Drive 4 hours back to Colombo. If time allows, stop at the Pinnawala Elephant Orphanage on the way for the twice-daily bathing of 90 rescued elephants in the river. Transfer to Bandaranaike International Airport. End of tour.
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