Amazing Things to Do in Nuwara Eliya (2023)

Nuwara Eliya was truly a magical stop in Sri Lanka.

It was emerald green tea leaves for days, cascading waterfalls, and quaint colonial buildings which made me feel like I was at home in the UK.

You can tell why they call it Sri Lanka’s little England as soon as you arrive.

The weather is freezing, it rains more often than not and there are tonnes of Colonial-style buildings dotted all over the place. Even the tea plantations are named after English cities and counties!

I was lucky enough to land in Nuwara Eliya on a super warm and clear day which was quite rare in October.

Apparently, it had been raining for weeks. So, I rushed straight outside to enjoy it in the sunshine.

Here are the top things to do in Nuwara Eliya: Sri Lanka’s little England!

1. Visit one of the many tea plantations

One of the main reasons that people visit this area of Sri Lanka is to visit one of the many tea plantations.

As soon as you step off the train you are immersed in miles and miles of tea leaves.

It’s endless, with plantations quite literally moulding into each other.

There are so many tea plantations in Nuwara Eliya to visit, that you may be stuck for choice. So, visit a few!

Most of the plantations offer free tours and, even better, FREE TEA! The reason for doing this is because all the tourists exit through the gift shop and literally will be piling boxes of tea bags into their baskets. But, you’re not obligated to buy.

The most famous tea plantation in Nuwara Eliya is Pedro but I didn’t visit this one.

I went to Mackwoods, which has more recently been taken over by Labookellie, and Bluefields which had good reviews.

By far my favourite was Labookellie as not only did you get limitless free tea, but you also got a piece of chocolate cake for 100 rupees! It was heaven.

2. Sample some Ceylon tea

It would be criminal to visit Sri Lanka and not sample Ceylon tea and even more so in Nuwara Eliya where most of the leaves grow!

Here is the perfect place to nab a taste as it’s all free and fresh from the source.

But, be warned, you may find that you get caffeine shakes from so much tea.

I think after my fifth cup of tea, I called it a day. There can be such a thing as too much tea, even for a Brit!

3. Chase waterfalls

There are many waterfalls in Nuwara Eliya to go and visit but there are only a few which are really worth visiting.

I personally decided to visit Ramboda falls as it was recommended by my rickshaw driver.

Typical that it had to have one of the hardest treks to reach it (well, for me anyway).

I had a bad ankle at the time and so walking up and down the jagged, uneven staircase was a challenge indeed.

Luckily, my rickshaw driver came to the rescue and quite literally assisted me by holding my hand the whole way up and down.

I felt like I was around 90 years old but was thankful when I got to experience seeing the beautiful falls at the end!

Other falls in the area of note are Lovers Leap, Glen falls, and Bomburuella.

4. Visit the Grand Hotel Nuwara Eliya for High Tea

A favourite pastime of the British is to have a spot of afternoon tea and in Nuwara Eliya, it’s no different.

I absolutely loved experiencing having tea at the Grand Hotel.

There’s something so luxurious about taking an hour or so out of your day and immersing yourself in a tea room.

Despite the high tea looking absolutely scrumptious, I personally didn’t have it as I arrived quite late in the afternoon.