|
 The mountain slopes are
covered with acres and acres of tea with its fragrant aroma mingling
with the fresh air. Nestled among the mist covered central hills in a
cool basin is Nuwara Eliya, the
hill resort, resembling a little English village. Road leading to this
hill station winds through miles and miles of ‘green carpet' of tea
bushes where tea pluckers are seen busily picking the ‘bud and two
leaves’ that go to form the most popular brew in the world, the ‘Ceylon
Tea’.
Waterfalls:Beautiful waterfalls cascading down the mountain slopes enhance the
beauty of the hill country. The geographical formation of the Island
with the central highland sloping down to the coastal plains has
resulted in several rivers and streams starting from the central region
flowing down the hilly slopes in a radial pattern, creating beautiful
waterfalls in several places in the hill country. Ramboda Falls (100
metres) is seen on the way to Nuwara Eliya. Devon (86 metres) and St.
Clair's (73 metres) are two waterfalls seen close to Nuwara Eliya.
 Horton
Plains:Horton Plains is the island's last remaining montane forest 3,160
hectares in extent located in a plateau high up on the hills at an
elevation above 2000 metres. A vast expanse of grassland interspersed
with little streamlets and craggy trees covers the centre of the plateau
providing a pleasant walk of about 5 km. leading to an awe inspiring
edge called the 'World's End'. It is a sheer drop of over 800 metres
sloping down further away over mist covered treetops fading into the
distant sea offering a breathtaking yet the most beautiful sight in the
entire country. The jungle bordering the grassland abounds with
wildlife. Among the animals that can be seen are the leopard, sambhur,
barking deer, wild boar and monkeys. Horton Plains is a bird watcher's
paradise.
 Sri
Pada:The hill country not only provides natural beauty but also offers a
sanctified place of veneration to people of all faiths atop a 2,243
metre high mountain in the southwest corner of the highlands. It is Sri
Pada, which bears the footprint of the Buddha. It is also adored by
people of other faiths. Christians say it is the foot print of Adam and
call it Adam's peak. Thousands of pilgrims of all faiths climb this
mountain during the pilgrim season (December to May). Watching the
sunrise from the summit is an unforgettable sight.
 Nuwara
Eliya:In 1819, during the British colonial era, a few Britishers on a hunting
expedition in the hill country spotted the site where the present day
Nuwara Eliya town stands 1890 metres above sea level and decided to set
up a health resort for their use. It was Sir Samuel Baker who later
converted it to a holiday resort with a touch of an English village
which earned it the name 'Little England' where the temperature
sometimes drops down to 9°C. In the month of April every year Nuwara
Eliya assumes a festive mood with thousands of holidaymakers retreating
to the Hill Station to escape the busy City life. The 18 hole golf
course is very popular with the locals and the foreign tourists. Hakgala
Botanical Gardens a few kilometres away is an added attraction.
|
