| * |
Take a night-time
climb of Adam’s Peak
|
| * |
Play golf at Nuwara Eliya
|
| * |
Explore excellent walking
country
|
| * |
Go whitewater rafting or
canoeing at Kitulgala
|
| * |
Discover ancient caves
|
| * |
See some of Sri Lanka’s finest waterfalls |
| * |
Visit botanical gardens and monasteries |
| * |
Take a jeep ride around Horton Plains national
park |
|
* |
Take one of the most scenic train
journeys in the world |
|
* |
Visit tea estates and factories |
The Sri Lankan highlands enhance the country's richly-varied
landscape. Only a few hours from the coast, here is a
land of rushing waterfalls, plunging ravines and tea estates
clinging precariously to steep hillsides.
The highlands offer excellent walking country and a natural
setting for activity holidays. It is much cooler here
-- which can be a welcome contrast to the heat of Colombo
and the coast -- and a lightweight sweater or raincoat
is essential, especially at night.
Lovers of train travel will also be enchanted by the Sri
Lankan highlands. This is deservedly regarded as one of
the finest train journeys in the world. You can wind slowly
through some spectacular hilly scenery on what is regarded
as one of the finest train journeys in the world.
The main line from Kandy, capital of the hill country,
includes stops at Hatton (convenient for climbing Adam’s
Peak), Nanu Oya (the nearest station to Nuwara Eliya),
Ella (for waterfalls, hiking and activity holidays), the
lesser-known old British hill station of Bandarawela and,
finally, the sleepy agricultural town of Badulla. First-class
travel can be over-subscribed; Red Dot will queue for
tickets on your behalf.
Nuwara Eliya, the highest town in Sri Lanka, remains the
biggest draw for the average holidaymaker. It lies about
three hours above Kandy and has been prominent ever since
the 19th century British explorer, Samuel Baker, imported
Herefordshire cattle, strawberries, leeks and sporting
firearms, and transported them all up the Ramboda pass
by elephants and bullock carts.
Today, a characterful 18-hole golf course dominates the
town centre, a somewhat derelict race course offers pony
rides and there are sporadic flower shows, all keeping
alive the sepia-tinged memories of this old colonial hill
station. There is trout fishing in the lakes and streams,
and the town is studded with small hotels in the style
of Scottish mansion houses, most with impeccable striped
lawns and well-tended gardens. Victoria Park also provides
relief from the bustle of this small town.
Accommodation in Nuwara Eliya can be very scarce –
and expensive -- in April, when well-to-do Colombo-ites
travel to the hills for horse racing, motorsport and all-night
dancing. Book early if you want to join the throng.
South-east of Nuwara Eliya, on the road to Bandarawela,
lies Hakgala Botanical Gardens and, at their edge a nature
reserve replete with wildlife and birdlife.
South of Hakgala 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.
The most famous view is from World’s End, where
the land drops steeply for nearly a mile down to farmland
below – although there is a ``poor man’s World’s
End’’ nearby if you object to the high admission
charges.
To the east, the road heads to Haputale, where the Benedictine
monastery of Adisham, built by a Kentish man somewhat
in the style of Leeds Castle, is awash with bird life.
Bandarawela is the forgotten hill station, once praised
for the clearest air in the country, now rarely mentioned
in the same breath as Nuwara Eliya, but awaiting rediscovery.
Waterfalls abound. Baker Falls can be easily explored
on a trip of Horton Plains. Badulla, at the line (in railway
terms anyway), is best placed for the largest waterfall
of all – Dunhinda.
Adam’s Peak, Sri Lanka’s holy mountain, 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. Steep steps are cut into a mountainside studded by
refreshment points. From afar the lights heading into
the night sky resemble a stairway to heaven. Note that
your highlands hotel may be a couple of hours away from
``base camp’’ at Dalhousie, where you can
book simple accommodation to rest either before or after
your climb.
There is 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.
The view from Ella gap towards the south coast is, for
many people, unrivalled. The Rawana Ella Cave is rich
in legend, and the Rawana Ella Falls is just one of half-a-dozen
waterfalls in the area that can be the centrepiece of
several days’ relaxed exploration.
Consider returning to Colombo or the west coast via the
sleepy river town of Kitulgala, where you can raft or
canoe
For anybody who appreciates a rural, mountainous landscape,
the Sri Lankan
highlands will delight
|
|
