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| The Hill Country |
Sri Lanka is blessed with a varied geography giving it a very interesting landscape. Just a few hours inland from the coast and you come to the hill country, with it's cool climate, vast mountain ranges and cascading waterfalls.
The climate is much cooler here and a welcome break from the heat of the low lands. The area also provides great hiking and walking trails for those who are interested in these activities.
A train journey through the hill country is regarded as one of the finest train journey's in the world.
The capital of the hill country is Kandy, the last seat of the kings of Sri Lanka, before being colonized by the British. This is only about 100 kilometres from Colombo and traveling is very easy.
Traveling through kandy, the main stops include Hatton, which is convenient for climbing Adam's Peak, Nuwaraeliya, Ella, Bandarawela and Badulla. These towns are must stops for any visitor traveling the hill country.
Visit Nuwaraeliya, the highest town in Sri Lanka and enjoy the rustic atmosphere of the plantation era. This is one of the biggest attractions in the hill country. The town has built itself around tourism and affordable accommodation can be found very easily.
South of Nuwaraeliy is the beautifully bleak plateau of Horton Plains, misty grasslands more than 6,500ft above sea level, overlooked by the mountains of Pattipola and Totapola. This is good trekking country - or you can hire a jeep to travel further afield. It is best visited in early morning before the clouds roll in.
One of the biggest attractions in the hill country are the waterfalls. A huge body of water continuously falling over a precipice is a truly magnificent site.
Adam's Peak, Sri Lanka's holy mountain. This is traditionally climbed by pilgrims from December to April. The climb takes on average around three hours, with the prospect of one of the finest sunrises in Asia at its end.
As an alternative base for the highlands and an increasingly attractive one, the tiny settlement of Ella escapes the grime that can afflict any Asian town, and revels in an unscarred, mountainous landscape. From the west or south coast beach resorts, it can be reached between 3-6 hours.
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