Nuwara Eliya is considered as Sri Lanka's "Little England," with its verdant hills, rustic buildings, and, particularly, the English fog, especially during rains. The highland town offers colorful gardens teeming with flowers and vegetation, lush meadows that serve as homes to a vast range of endemic animal species, and even tea houses for those who fancy the popular British habit.
Located in the south central part of the island, Nuwara Eliya ("the glade with the city") was founded by the Englishmen during the early 19th century. It was built as a residence to the then British governor Sir Edward Barnes, but later the estate was developed into a country resort. The town became popular because of its vast range of tea plantations and it eventually became one of the country's major exporters of the famous beverage.
The hillside town attracts tourists because of its Victorian-style design, and of course, the tea. The numerous tea plantations around Nuwara Eliya offer their different varieties of brewed teas and snacks to match. Another distinctly English attraction is Victoria Park, located at the heart of the town. Most beautiful in the period March to May, the park is brought to life with the beautiful flowers on plants grown almost everywhere. Another remarkable attraction is the Hagkala Botanical Garden, where the variety of plant life ranges from those endemic to the country to the exotic medicinal herbs used to cure maladies. Those who enjoy a good hike can go to Horton Plains, a national park that features many of the stunning local topographical wonders, such as the World's End, an abrupt stop to the seemingly infinite fields to the south, which offers a great view of the nearby mountain range.
Sri Lanka is a predominantly Buddhist country, and probably one of the holiest grounds in the religion can be found near Nuwara Eliya, in Sri Prada, sometimes known as Adam's Peak. It is often visited by pilgrims for the footprint said to be left by the Buddha himself, and in the first month of the Buddhist calendar the path to the mount's summit is illuminated in commemoration of the religion's most sacred festival, the Vesak Poya, otherwise known as Buddha Day. From afar, the lighted trail looks like long golden branches that go all the way to the peak.
