4 PLACE TO STOP FROM KANDY TO NUWARA ELIYA

Table of Contents

• WHAT ARE THE KEY ATTRACTIONS OF KANDY TO NUWARA ELIYA?
• DISCOVERY OF NUWARA ELIYA
• THE MAP OF THE ROUTE FROM KANDY TO NUWARA ELIYA
• NUWARA ELIYA
• NUWARA ELIYA FOR BREATHTAKING SCENERY
• SCENIC CITY OF KANDY
• WHEN IS THE BEST TIME TO GO FROM KANDY TO NUWARA ELIYA?
• 2 Days Kandy-Nuwara Eliya Train Tour
• WHAT TO SEE ON THE TRIP TO NUWARA ELIYA?
• WHAT ARE THE 4 MAJOR STOPS ON THE TOUR FROM KANDY TO NUWARA ELIYA?
• VISITING HANUMAN TEMPLE
• TREK TO RAMBODA FALLS
• WHAT ARE THE BEST TRANSPORT OPTION FOR KANDY-NUWARA ELIYA TRIP?
• KANDY TO NUWARA ELIYA TRAIN TRIP
• HOW TO BOOK SEATS ON KANDY NUWARA ELIYA TRAIN?
• WHEN SHOULD I BOOK SEATS FOR MY KANDY NUWARA ELIYA TRAIN RIDE?

WHAT ARE THE KEY ATTRACTIONS OF KANDY TO NUWARA ELIYA?

The trip from Kandy to Nuwara Eliya is one of the most popular trips in Sri Lanka. It not only attracts a large number of foreign travellers but also a large number of local travellers are also glued to it. Sri Lanka trip from Kandy to Nuwara Eliya is one of the best itineraries to enjoy the natural beauty of Sri Lanka. Travellers can look forward to having breathtaking scenery right from the beginning to the end of the trip. Green-capped mountains, valleys, tea gardens, vegetable plots, waterfalls, streams, rivers, and patches of forest are the key attractions on this route. The natural beauty in the region is the biggest draw of this hill country trip and travellers are well on the way to enjoying the awe-inspiring beautiful scenery on this route.

DISCOVERY OF NUWARA ELIYA

Until the beginning of the 18s, Nuwara Eliya was incredibly hard to get to, due to the unavailability of proper access roads from Kandy and other major cities, until the beginning of British rule in Sri Lanka. However, with the expansion of tea and coffee plantations in the mountains, Nuwara Eliya, Kandy, and other mountain resorts started to get the attention of colonial rulers, because the Ceylon tea was a major income earner for the British administration and they encouraged the British planters venturing into the lucrative tea business.

Infrastructure had been a leading obstacle that kept wealthy planters away from investing in the tea industry. However, the British government tackled the problem while improving the accessibility from Kandy to Nuwara. They built a road between Kandy and Nuwara Eliya while extending the rail from Kandy to Nuwara Eliya. With the improved access to Nuwara Eliya from Kandy and other places of Sri Lanka, there had been a boost in the tea industry, which invariably increased the income of the British administration.

THE MAP OF THE ROUTE FROM KANDY TO NUWARA ELIYA

NUWARA ELIYA

Nuwara Eliya is a small hamlet that sits in a valley, next to the highest point of the island known as Pidiurutalagala, 2520 meters above sea level. Nuwara Eliya is hemmed by a network of jagged mountains and tea plantations. Surrounded by crumbling rock faces, there are 3 access roads to the city and a rail network cuts through Nuwara Eliya. The access points are installed in the South, east and northern directions of Nuwara Eliya. However, the British government built only the access road from Kandy to Nuwara Eliya initially and other roads came to be in the latter period. The immense natural beauty is the biggest draw of Nuwara Eliya. Nuwara Eliya is part of most Sri Lanka tour packages such as 10 days Sri Lanka tour itinerary and 7 days tour.

NUWARA ELIYA FOR BREATHTAKING SCENERY

Today Nuwara Eliya is important not only because of the thriving tea industry but also due to the tourism industry. The city attracts millions of tourists every year and breathtaking mountains, valleys, and cascading waterfalls amidst the healing climate are a superb mixture for a soothing holiday. A large number of travellers venture from Kandy to Nuwara Eliya every day via the Kandy-Nuwara Eliya highway, which is the most popular and convenient road for people who start their journey from west coast cities such as Colombo.

Nuwara Eliya is a cosy and beautiful yet small city. The population in the city of Nuwara Eliya does not exceed 50,000. However, Nuwara Eliya is a busy town and there are a lot of people in the city at any given time of the year, this is mainly due to the tourist traffic that it draws throughout the year. Enchanted beautiful scenery is the main tourist attraction here. cascading waterfalls, green-capped mountains, and huge tea plantations with patches of forests make an eye-appealing scenery in the area.

SCENIC CITY OF KANDY

Kandy is set at merely 500 meters above sea level, which is a low altitude compared to Nuwara Eliya (1800 meters above sea level), therefore the road from Kandy to Nuwara Eliya is very steep and there is a large number of sharp curves along the way.

Even though there is a very good road from Kandy to Nuwara Eliya, the time taken to drive 75 kilometres, between two cities is between 2-3 hours. Keeping moderate speed is very important on this track due to the sharp bends.

Sri Lanka 3-day tour with Sigiriya rock fortress, Dambulla golden temple Kandy, and Nuwara Eliya

WHEN IS THE BEST TIME TO GO FROM KANDY TO NUWARA ELIYA?

April considered being the best month of the year to travel to Nuwara Eliya from Kandy. Most flowering plants produce flowers in the month of April and therefore gardens in Nuwaraeliya become colourful and attractive. The dry season from November to April is the best time to go to the hill country of Sri Lankan cities like Kandy and Nuwara Eliya. During the rainy season (from April to October), the mountains come under heavy rain making it cool and damp everywhere. During the rainy season, the outdoor activities are limited making the visitors stay in the hotel.

Nuwara Eliya is attracting a large number of local travellers in the months of April, May, and June when the flowering plants in Nuwara Eliya start to bloom. Rows of trees and plants change colour and make bright, colourful scenery that makes up the landscape. This is the flowering season in Nuwara Eliya and most flowering plants show up their beautiful flowers. During the rest of the year, still, it is possible to see many beautiful flowers but not as much as during the flowering season.

Nuwara Eliya is the most popular holiday destination in the mountains, it is very popular as a family holiday destination among the local families and it can be really crowded during the school holidays and you will encounter hordes of Sri Lankan tourists heading from Kandy to Nuwara Eliya. The healing climate and breathtaking scenery help the city to stand out from the mountain holiday resorts such as Bandarawela, Haputale, and Ella.

2 Days Kandy-Nuwara Eliya Train Tour

Visiting Kandy and Nuwara Eliya on a 1 day Sri Lanka trip can be a daunting task due to the long journey. If you start the trip from Colombo, this tour is available as a 2 days tour (Sri Lanka 2 days tour Colomb, Kandy, Nuwara Eliya) due to the distance to cover from Colombo to Kandy. Due to the long journey, you might end up without time to explore the tourist attractions if you restrict the trip to a Sri Lanka day trip from Colombo. Most Kandy trips with Nuwara Eliya are a 2 days Sri Lanka trip, which is a perfect program to visit important tourist places in the mountains such as the tooth relic temple, Peradeniya botanical garden, tea plantations, etc.

Usually, Nuwara Eliya and Kandy are two major tourist attractions on the island and are included in most Sri Lanka tour packages. Kandy is a cultural city with major tourist attractions like the tooth relic temple and many other historical places. On the other hand, Nuwara Eliya is a leading eco-holiday destination with many natural tourist attractions such as Gregory lake, patches of forests, tea plantations, Horton plains, waterfalls, and many other attractions like that, Nuwara Eliya is strikingly different from Kandy.

Nuwara Eliya is a year-round holiday destination, but there can be heavy rains during the southwest monsoon, especially in the months of July, August, September, and October, while the rainfall during the rest of the year is comparatively low.

Nuwara Eliya is coming under the wet zone of Sri Lanka and receives more than 5000 mm of yearly rainfall, which is one of the highest rainfalls on the island. As you step into Nuwara Eliya you can see the endless green cover over the mountains and valleys while well-maintained Tea plantations look like a green carpet from the distance.

WHAT TO SEE ON THE TRIP TO NUWARA ELIYA?

A road trip from Kandy to Nuwara Eliya lasts about 2 hours if you do it without any stops; however, it is very hard to make it without any stops, due to the enchanting beauty of the mountains, valleys, tea gardens, and cascading waterfalls.

Whether you are a local or foreign traveller, it will not be possible to take your eyes away from the beautiful scenery; you are tempted to make frequent stops upon encountering beautiful landscapes on the drive and take some photos. After all-natural beauty is the main reason for most travellers to make a trip to Nuwara Eliya. If natural beauty is not something that you are fascinated with, it is better to forget the trip to Nuwara Eliya. Because Nuwara Eliya is not a place for people, who enjoy the rich culture and heritage of their holiday destination, and neither it is a place with vibrant city life.

WHAT ARE THE 4 MAJOR STOPS ON THE TOUR FROM KANDY TO NUWARA ELIYA?

1. Hanuman Temple
2. Tea factory and Tea plantation
3. Ramboda falls
4. Royal Botanical garden

VISITING HANUMAN TEMPLE

Hanuman temple is one of the important stops on the trip from Kandy to Nuwara Eliya. Hanuman temple is dedicated to the Hindu god Hanuman, and the temple is one of the most popular religious sites for Hindu pilgrims.

The temple is very popular among travellers from India, who take part in Ramayan tours. The history of the temple goes back many thousand years and is closely connected to the Ramayana story. The Hanuman statue found in the temple is the biggest stone sculpture of Hanuman on the island and it is 6 meters in height. The statue was originated in Mahabalipuram Indian and later brought to Sri Lanka.

Shivagilingam, who is the caretaker of Hanuman temple, representing the Chinmaya mission, said “This temple is about 20 years old. This is the place where hanuman landed when he arrived from India. Hanuman came to Sri Lanka in search of Seetha, the wife of Rama, who was abducted by Ravana.” According to Shivagilingam Chinmaya’s mission carry out many programs that benefit the people in the region such as educating people on their religions, customs and traditions.

TREK TO RAMBODA FALLS

Ramboda falls is one of the most beautiful waterfalls on the island and it is conveniently located near the Kandy-Nuwara Eliya main road. Apart from Ramboda falls there are a dozen of other waterfalls in the area and Ramboda considered being one of the best places to see waterfalls on the island. The waterfalls are visible throughout the year and they make spectacular scenery, especially during the rainy season. These waterfalls are fed by the perennial waterways rising in the catchment areas high in the mountains.

The Ramboda waterfall can be best viewed from the Ramboda hotel. The visitors need to walk through the Ramboda hotel in order to witness the lowest parts of the waterfall and which is the most beautiful part of the waterfall. The waterfall is surrounded by lush green vegetation, mountains, and tea plantations. The waterfall starts from the highest mountain (Pidurutalagala) on the island and joins the Kotmale reservoir. The height of the waterfall is 109 meters.

After about 30 minutes of trek, one can reach the upper part of the Ramboda falls, which is not visible from the lower part of the waterfall. There is a bathing pond near the upper part of the waterfall, however, it is said that the water level of the pond can go up abruptly. Therefore it is necessary to be vigilant while bathing here.

WHAT ARE THE BEST TRANSPORT OPTION FOR KANDY-NUWARA ELIYA TRIP?

Mainly there are two options to plan a trip from Kandy to Nuwara Eliya, which are road transport and rail transport. Both options have advantages as well as disadvantages; however, the rail journey is considered to be the most rewarding. Because it gives you plenty of opportunities to enjoy the natural beauty of the mountains, the scenery that you take through the window is simply breathtaking when the train slowly moves through the mountains, valleys, tea gardens, and patches of forests.

KANDY TO NUWARA ELIYA TRAIN TRIP

Sri Lanka hill-country tour on the rail track Kandy to Nuwara Eliya connects the 2 most scenic mountain resorts, Kandy and Nuwara Eliya. This is the most scenic and most popular trail track on the island. Sri Lanka hill country rail trip is ranked as the 4th most scenic train trip in the world. During the train trip, the travellers reach high-altitude areas of Sri Lanka and travel up to 1888 meters above sea level. Pattipla is the highest railway station on this route and it sits 1891 meters above sea level. Pattopila is the 66th railway station on this route from Colombo and tugged away 225km from Colombo.

The train trip from Kandy to Nuwara Eliya is considered to be one of the most scenic rail journeys in the world and travellers love it. The time taken for the rail journey from Kandy to Nuwara Eliya is about 4 hours, which is a major shortcoming of the train trip. On the other hand, the journey by car or bus would take around 2 hours from Kandy to Nuwara Eliya however, it will not as attractive as the train journey due to the lack of access to the beautiful scenery. However, the railway track does not end at either end. The railway track further runs up deep into the mountain from Nuwar Eliya. The railway track further goes westward from Kandy to Colombo.

The hill country train trip better known as “hill country blue train journey” is very popular among foreign travellers. The hill country blue train ply a few times every day from Kandy to Nuwara Eliya and vice-versa. The hill country express train is much faster than the slow train, however, the express train stops only at selected train stations. If you plan your train trip from Kandy to Nuwara Eliya, you should be careful on choosing the correct train for your trip which stops at the railway station where you like to get down.

The upcountry rail journey is one of the most relaxing ways of enjoying the stunning scenery of Sri Lanka’s mountains. Travelling northward from Colombo, a 4 to 5 hours rail journey covers dozens of tunnels and many bridges as it rolls passing the green-capped mountains and valleys of high-altitude areas of Sri Lanka.

The train passes beautiful waterfalls, mountain meadows, pristine mountain lakes, and picture-perfect laid-back villages. The highlights of the journey include picturesque tea plantations.

Starting from Kandy, the upcountry train travels southward from Kandy through the fertile fields. After Gampola it goes up into the mountains, where it crosses the many long tunnels. Passing through the magnificent, green-capped mountains, Ambewela farm, the upcountry train chugs onward through Sri Lanka’s cloud forests. Finally, it reaches its destination: at an elevation of 1800 meters from sea level.

Due to the time taken for the train ride from Kandy to Nuwara Eliya, what most travellers do is reduce the time spent on the train by curtailing the train journey while choosing the most scenic part of the train journey, and the rest of the journey from Kandy to Nuwara Eliya carried out by a car.

HOW TO BOOK SEATS ON KANDY NUWARA ELIYA TRAIN?

Hill country train is one of the most crowded trains on the island, due to a large number of local travellers and foreign tourists. The train provides seats in three categories, first-class seats (observation compartment), second-class seats, and third-class seats. First-class and second-class seats can be received through advanced booking, which is the best way to guarantee that you get a seat. Due to the high demand, the seats are sold out well in advance on this route and it is necessary to pre-book seats to guarantee that you have a seat and a hassle-free, comfortable journey.

Due to the ever-increasing demand for hill country train trips, the Sri Lanka railway department started a new, luxury train service from Kandy to Nuwara Eliya and Ella on 5th March 2022. The train was specially launched to serve foreign travellers who like to enjoy the hill country train trip. The new train will operate daily– leaving Kandy at 7 a.m. and reaching Demodara at 2.20 p.m, and leaving Demodara at 3.40 p.m. and reaching Kandy at 9.45 p.m.

The train comes with a class S14 powerset and has 176 AC first-class seats and 144 second-class seats. The speciality of this service is that it will stop at 12 stations including nine tourist attractions such as St. Clair Falls, Great Western, Railway Station, Algin Waterfall, Pattipola, Idalgashinna, Demodara Nine Arch Bridge. The train stops at the above-mentioned places for a few minutes for tourists to enjoy the scenery and capture photos and videos.

Seerendipity tours organize daily tours from Colombo to Nuwara Eliya and from Kandy to Nuwara Eliya. These trips can be booked via our online booking system or by writing us an email at admin@seerendipitytours.com. We also help travellers to book train seats.

WHEN SHOULD I BOOK SEATS FOR MY KANDY NUWARA ELIYA TRAIN RIDE?

The simple answer is at your earliest. The demand for seats on the route is very high and a Large number of foreign and local travellers use the train on daily basis. Therefore, it would not be possible to book seats at the last moment. In order to guarantee the seats from Kandy to Nuwara Eliya and vice-versa you should book seats at your earliest. However, the seats can be booked only one month ahead of the scheduled date.