Nuwara Eliya – “The City of Light” was the favorite hill station of the British, a scenic town 2500 m above sea level surrounded by misty mountain ranges, pine forests and tea cultivations. Nuwara Eliya has a much cooler climate, which is in stark contrast to the tropical climate experienced in other parts of the island. This is probably why Nuwara Eliya is also known as ‘Little England’. The areas around Nuwara Eliya also provide the main output of tea in Sri Lanka. A trip to the highlands of Sri Lanka is never complete without witnessing the age-old traditional tea plucking and sipping a cup of “Ceylon Tea”.  Nuwara Eliya has a fair assortment of British Country style houses and an 18 hole Golf Course, which is a real beauty with its scenic location considered to be one of the finest in Asia and a picturesque Race Course where horse races are held.          

Seetha Amman kovil – Located just 1 km from the Hakgala is the Seetha Amman kovil. This is the only Seetha Amman kovil in the world and is built according to South Indian architecture. Legend has it that Seetha was held captive and hidden in this spot by king Rama to protect her from the demon king Ravana according to the Epic Ramayana. The stream that runs close to this spot is believed to be the place where Sita bathed and the rock beside it is supposed to be the place where she sat praying. On the rock face across the stream are circular depressions believed to be the foot prints of Rawana’s elephant.There is one spot in the stream where the water cannot be drunk and legend has it that Sita cursed this spot and hence the bad taste. Water is very clear and the Temple is known in many other names such as Sita Amman kovil, Sita Amman Temple, Hanuman Kovil, Hanuman Temple and Sri Bhaktha Hanuma Kovil which all refer to the same place.

Devon Falls known as the ‘Veil of the Valley’, is a waterfall in Sri Lanka, situated 6 km (3.7 mile) west of Talawakele, Nuwara Eliya District on the A7 highway. The falls is named after a pioneer English coffee planter called Devon, whose plantation was situated nearby the falls. The waterfall is 97 m (318 ft) high and is the 19th highest in the country. The falls are formed by a tributary of Kothmale Oya, which is a tributary of Mahaweli River. The elevation of Devon Falls is 1,140 m (3,740 ft) above sea level.

Saint Clair falls – St. Clair’s fall is one of the widest waterfalls in Sri Lanka and is commonly known as the “Little Niagara of Sri Lanka”. The falls are located along the Kotmale Oya, a tributary of the Mahaweli River, as it cascades over three rock outcrops into a large pool running through a tea estate, from which the falls derive their name from. The waterfalls consist of two falls called “Maha Ella” (Sinhalese “The Greater Fall”), which is 80 m (260 ft) high and 50 m (160 ft) wide and “Kuda Ella”, (Sinhalese “The Lesser Fall”), which is 50 m (160 ft) high and located immediately downstream of the main fall. St Clair’s falls are the 20th highest waterfall in Sri Lanka.

Colombo derived from Sinhalese name Kola-amba-thota which means “mango harbour”, altered by the Portuguese to honor Christopher Columbus, population 737,396 Colombo, is the largest city and commercial center of Sri Lanka. Colombo was probably known to Roman, Arab, and Chinese traders more than 2,000 years ago. Muslims settled there in the 8th century and controlled much of the trade between Sinhalese kingdoms and the outside world. The Portuguese arrived in the 16th century and built a fort to protect their spice trade. The Dutch captured the city in the 17th century. The British made the city the capital of their crown colony of Ceylon in 1802.