Breaking the Routine | Our Escape to Nuwara Eliya

Yesterday, I mentioned how we came up with the idea and date to visit Nuwara Eliya. Today, I’m going to share how our first day of the trip went.

In the early morning, I woke up at 4:00 am and prepared burgers to have on the way. Thankfully, Harith’s mother also prepared rice and curry, so we had them for breakfast before leaving. We managed to leave home right at 6:00 am.

For the route, we chose the Avissawella-Hatton highway, specifically because of the beautiful scenery along the way.

Around 11:00–11:30 am, we were able to pass by the viewpoints at Devon and St. Clair’s. The view of St. Clair’s Falls took my breath away. It’s so beautiful, cascading across a lush green landscape.

After these stops, we headed to Hakgala Botanical Garden, as most local travelers do. We started to feel the chill in the air. Although I had a vivid memory of Hakgala Garden, I began to feel this visit wasn’t as worthwhile as I remembered. We walked from end to end, but there were almost no impressive sights, aside from a few flower beds.

While we were at Hakgala, it began to drizzle, but it was nothing more than a light, cold mist. We went to town via the Pedro Tea Estate, which is very beautifully maintained.

We reached Gregory Lake around 3:30 pm. Some areas were covered in mist, but even with a light drizzle, we took a walk along the lake and snapped some pictures.

We also went on a boat ride on the lake. The rain made the atmosphere very cold, and the boat ride felt even colder. Afterward, when the rain picked up, we warmed ourselves with some snacks and a drink from a nearby café. We enjoyed warm french fries with a cup of Nescafé.

After the snack, we headed to our accommodation for the night, the Wind Castle. It’s located in Shanthipura, known as the highest village in Sri Lanka. It was extremely cold and windy, so we warmed up, watched a movie, and then went to sleep.