 With a name meaning ‘City of Light’, Nuwara Eliya is an incredibly picturesque destination in the Hill Country of Sri Lanka. With a location around 2,000m above sea level, Nuwara Eliya enjoys a cool and damp climate that has afforded it the nickname ‘Little England’. Surrounded by tea plantations, the city is at the heart of Sri Lanka’s tea producing industry and a popular tourist destination with both domestic and overseas visitors.
Nuwara Eliya is officially a city; however, in terms of size and population it’s more akin to a town. The intimacy of the place and its sleepy ambience are integral parts of its appeal, with friendly locals and a town centre that can easily be explored on foot being among the many characteristics contributing to its British village-like atmosphere.
 Nuwara Eliya is a destination that was developed at the whim of the British Empire, who wanted a scenic setting in which to enjoy holidays and play sporting activities. To this day, the city still offers some of Sri Lanka’s finest panoramic scenery as well as opportunities to participate in leisure activities such as golf, boating, horseback riding, trekking and bird watching.
 The beautiful natural environment in and around the city can be appreciated in many ways. The Horton Plains National Park is the most famous nature reserve in the area, and few visitors pass up the chance of coming here. A number of pretty waterfalls around the town are worth checking out while a trek up the Pidurutalagala Mountain is guaranteed to provide some aesthetically pleasing sights.
During the month of April, Nuwara Eliya is literally overrun with visitors as the city hosts a huge selection of events to coincide with the Sri Lankan New Year celebrations. This is an exciting time to be in the city with everybody in jovial moods and a vibrant atmosphere presiding for the duration of the period. Accommodation can be hard to secure at this time of year unless you book early.
Nuwara Eliya is well geared to receiving visitors, with a good selection of facilities and services aimed at visitors from both domestic and overseas destinations. Accommodation choices are plentiful and there is no shortage of good places at which to dine. The city is small enough not to need a comprehensive public transportation system, and anybody needing to reach a destination located beyond walking distance can do so by three-wheeler, or autorickshaw.
Nuwara Eliya can be reached by both bus and train from the Sri Lankan capital of Colombo, with both modes of transportation travelling via the city of Kandy. Colombo is home to the island’s only international airport, a facility which maintains connections with European destinations such as England, Austria, Germany, Italy, Switzerland and the Netherlands as well as a variety of Asian destinations.
History
Although archaeological evidence exists to suggest the presence of pre-historic settlers in the area, Nuwara Eliya has a relatively short history as a civilised destination, having been established when the British Empire took control of Sri Lanka in the 19th century.
The British explorer Sir Samuel White Baker (1821 to 1893) was responsible for founding the city, which he intended to serve as a mountainous retreat for British citizens stationed in the region during colonial times. Typically, the city was used as a place of relaxation and somewhere to pursue pastimes such as polo, cricket and fox hunting.
Today the city still has a distinctly colonial feel about it with some traditional structures left behind from the British period as well as other newer buildings constructed and furnished in colonial style. Buildings such as the Hill Club are among the most famous period buildings; however, there are also plenty of private residences that have hardly changed since their 19th century construction.
Weather
As Sri Lanka’s highest city, Nuwara Eliya experiences a much cooler climate than the country’s popular beach destinations in the lowland areas. The city’s average temperature is 16°C, and the mercury can drop well below that late at night and early in the morning during the winter season. Midday temperatures are comfortably warm, if not hot, especially in the summer season.
Rain is also more common in Nuwara Eliya than elsewhere on the island, with the inter-monsoon season (September to November) and the monsoon season (May to August) receiving up to 240mm and 210mm of rainfall respectively. The dry season, lasting from December to April, is the best time to visit the city, with volumes of rainfall considerably lower at around 92mm and temperature highs of around 21°C.
Be sure to pack appropriate clothing for the time of year you plan to visit Nuwara Eliya. A raincoat and sturdy waterproof footwear are essentials if you hope to get the best out of the beautiful nature on offer in the city’s surroundings.
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