My treasured experience in Hill Country – Sri Lanka

As it was emphasized in various blogs I have read, I was able to witness many colorful sceneries throughout my stay in Sri Lanka. Particularly, the stunning train ride towards the hill country exposed me to some of the most jaw dropping sceneries one would ever come across. Let me tell you; if you visit Sri Lanka, you MUST reserve a couple of days to spend in the lush green surrounding in the hill country.

Plenty of hiking opportunities, incredible sceneries with a beautiful display of waterfalls, warm and comfortable accommodation in a beautiful tea plantation and access to ancient temples are among the many things you can do in the hill country.

One of the most astonishing experiences I came across during my stay in Sri Lanka was the train ride. The route From ‘Nuwara Eliya’ to ‘Ella’ is just an incredible experience. The surrounding is a combination of lush green tea plantations, misty mountains and blue sky (which is decorated with white clouds most of the time). These tea fields are decorated with plenty of energetic tea-plucking women. To be frank, the trip from Nuwara Eliya to Ella was pleasant and comfortable than I anticipated. Surprisingly, the internet connection was better than I expected; however, I did all the browsing during my stay in this country with the assistance of a VPN (prevention is better than cure!).

There was no reason for me to avoid a hike. My hike from Ella was one of the precious experiences I ever came across during my stay in Sri Lanka. I experienced a breathtaking view with 360 degree view of misty mountains and greenery from the top of the Ella Rock (which is famous among the locals as well as most of the foreign visitors like me!). Just like any other place in this part of the country, everything you see is blended with fresh green. The only thing annoyed me during this hike was nothing but the loads of leeches that were waiting for us in all the wet spots.

The next memorable experience I encountered is the visit to the Lipton’s Seat located in Haputale. As per the records, Sit Thomas Lipton was the one to introduce Tea Plantations to Sri Lanka. The Lipton’s Seat was nice spot in the top of the mountain that provides a scenic view over the surrounding tea estates. During my stay, I trusted on a very affordable transportation method (which is not the most luxurious method); ‘tuk-tuk’, a three-wheeled, small vehicle. Luckily I was able to leave the mountains before the heavy fog covered the area.

There is no point of visiting Hill Country if you don’t visit a tea plantation, they say! Truly, my visit to the tea plantation was a very constructive one. I visited Uva Halpewatte Tea Factory, which is a well-known place to produce unique, smooth and tasty tea. I was surprised to see how knowledgeable the manager was; he explained everything related to tea, production, different varieties, and uniqueness of different tea plantations across the country etc. etc. etc. (he spoke very good English, I should say). I was presented many varieties of tea at the venue and I still enjoy the aroma I experienced inside the tea factory.

Kandy is called the Capital of the Hill Country. When I travelled along the route from Kandy (The Hill Capital) to Nuwara Eliya, I found a large amount of waterfalls of various sizes. Some of these waterfalls were pretty large and dispensed considerable amount of water. Although not all these waterfalls are safe enough for swimming, they say that there is a place at the bottom of the Ramboda falls to have some swimming adventure, which I did not try!

Since this is my first visit to a South Asian country, I was pretty worried about my online security when browsing. However, a smart friend of mine advised me a best VPN when connecting to unknown networks. So, thanks to the VPN app I used during my stay in Sri Lanka, I had no problems coming my way in the context of online security.

Most of the local dishes in this country are pretty spicy and hot; I tried several dishes and found them delicious though. However, there are plenty of less spicy options to consider if you wish (including sweets and snacks). My favorite was “Undu Wel” (a very sweet snack made with Urad Dhal and sweetened with honey).

People in this wonderful island are very friendly; they always smile even with foreigners. Generally, the areas I travelled are pretty clean and safe for everybody. Unfortunately, I didn’t have much time to spend more time exploring the sandy beaches and wildlife. Hopefully, I will visit this country once again and experience the best of it!