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Local Sri Lanka Tours
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Nature

Tea country

A guide to Sri Lanka's tea country around Nuwara Eliya, Hatton, Haputale and Ella. Factory visits, estate bungalows and the best viewpoints.

Best time: January to April

Close-up of fresh tea leaves on a tea bush
Photo: Dan Lundberg / CC BY-SA 2.0

Tea has shaped the hill country for 150 years. Today you can visit working factories, stay in old planters’ bungalows and walk between the bushes with the pickers.

TODO: write full guide. Cover: what it is, best time, how to plan it, costs (TODO: verify any numbers), local tips, ethics where relevant, and links to related cities.

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Where to stay for this

Rolling tea plantations in the hills around Nuwara Eliya
Photo: Bergentroll / CC0

Hill country

Nuwara Eliya

Cool air, tea estates and Horton Plains.

1 to 2 nights · Best January to April

Green peaks and hills around Ella
Photo: Ankur Panchbudhe / CC BY 2.0

Hill country

Ella

Misty hills, short hikes and the most famous bridge in Sri Lanka.

2 to 3 nights · Best January to April

View over Kandy city and its lake surrounded by green hills
Photo: McKay Savage / CC BY 2.0

Hill country

Kandy

The hill capital, its sacred temple and the start of the famous train ride.

2 nights · Best January to April