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 | | Nuwara Eliya - You cannot avoid Nuwara Eliya if you are travelling to the Hill Country. Nuwara Eliya is surrounded by hills and tea plantations. It is of course here that the island's world famous tea is grown and produced. The town of Nuwara Eliya is the perfect getaway from Sri Lanka's tropical heat. The town enjoys spring-like weather throughout the year. A favourite retreat of the British during colonial times, Nuwara Eliya is dotted with English country style houses and sprawling gardens, earning it the name Little England. Stop by the well-maintained Central Park, which is awash with flowers between March and May. Make time for an evening stroll on the numerous walking paths around Gregory's Lake, which is located just south of the town. |
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 | | Pinnewala Elephant Orphanage is a must for any visitor. Established to save abandoned or orphaned wild elephants it now provides a sanctuary for over 60 elephants whom are able to wonder freely. Visitors have the unique opportunity to not only touch the magnificent animals but also to feed the baby elephants with huge bottles of milk. Then are able to follow the herd out of the sanctuary for a short walk to the refreshing river to watch them bath. |
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 | | Adams Peak (Sripada) - The place where Adam first set foot on earth is a beautiful and fascinating place and has been the object of worship and pilgrimage for over a 1000 years. The 'pilgrim season' begins on a poya day in December, and runs until the start of the April monsoon when pilgrims and tourists make the 7km ascent to the top to be met by the first rays of dawn as it lights up the holy mountain. The summit of the peak treats the visitor to tremendous views across the hill country as it rises to the east and the land to the west as it meets the sea and allows visitors to view Colombo on a clear day. |
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 | | The Horton Plains National Park is a misty grassland plateau at an elevation of more than 2000 m (6,500 ft), about 20 km from Nuwara Eliya. It consists of grasslands interspersed with areas of forest and some unusual vegetation that grows only in high altitudes. From here rises Sri Lanka's second and third highest mountains. The plains afford some excellent walks, the silence is strange and mysterious. The most amazing feature of Horton Plains is the World's End where the southern part of the plains comes to a sudden end and drops almost straight down for 700 m. Dawn is the ideal time to view this site when the mountains are free of mist and the sun is just rising. The dense forests are home to deer, jackal, the shaggy bear-monkey, sambhur and leopard. The plains are popular with birdwatchers. |
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 | | Hakgala Botanical Gardens is situated at the base of the Hakgala Peak south of Nuwara Eliya. Established in 1860, the garden is famous for its roses, ferns, the orchid house and the summerhouse. The rock of Hakgala rises 450 m above the gardens. |
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 | | The Hakgala Natural Reserve can be found at the end of the gardens and is home to a variety of wildlife including bear, monkey, sambhur and bird life. |
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| Sita Eliya Temple - The Temple is located about 1km away from the Hakgala Gardens. According to legend the temple is believed to mark the spot where Sita, the heroine from the Indian epic Ramayana, was held captive by her abductor, King Ravana. |
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 | | Waterfalls - There are beautiful awe-inspiring waterfalls cascading through the countryside surrounding Nuwara Eliya including St. Clairs Falls, Kurundu Oya Falls and Bambarakanda Falls and mountain passes such as Kadugannawa, Balane and Ramboda thrilling visitors with breathtaking scenery. |
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 | | Kandy - Only 115km away from the bustle of Colombo lies the lush town of Kandy. The focus of this town is its picturesque lake set amid rolling green hills with the town itself displaying a delightful mix of old shops selling crafts and batik and antique and gemstone specialists. |
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 | | Adjacent to the lake is the magnificent golden roofed temple, Dalada Maligawa Temple, which houses Sri Lanka's most important Buddist relic - the sacred tooth of Budda. The temple has a constant flow of worshippers and visitors in awe of the spectacular golden architecture and energetic Kandyan drummers who signal the start and finish of the daily pujas. |
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 | | Kandyan drummers also feature with the famed Kandyan Dancers each evening around Kandy who provide a vigorous and athletic performance of dance culminating in a display of fire-walking making this a truly breathtaking show that cannot be missed. |
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 | | Set 6km out of Kandy is the tranquil Peradeniya Botanic Gardens, the largest botanic gardens in Sri Lanka offering the visitor 60 hectares of serene walks among an abundance of orchids and stately avenues of palms is a place of outstanding beauty. |
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 | | Udawattekele Sanctuary - Situated to the North of the City of Kandy, this reserve has deep forests with many endemic birds, butterflies and plants. |
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