Overview in Negombo

Negombo, Sri Lanka · Food, Outdoors, Day Trips, History, Boat Tours · USD 100

Private Nuwara Eliya day trip from Kandy from US$100 per car, with hotel pickup. Ambuluwawa Tower, Ramboda Falls, a tea factory and Nuwara Eliya city tour. Our private Nuwara Eliya day trip from Kandy takes you up into Sri Lanka’s cool hill country and back in a single day. We pick you up from your hotel in Kandy and drive you through misty tea estates to Ambuluwawa Tower, Ramboda Falls, a working tea factory and the colonial town of Nuwara Eliya, before bringing you back to Kandy in the evening. This Nuwara Eliya day tour is completely private: just your group, your own air-conditioned car or van and an experienced English-speaking driver. Choose a 7:00 am or 8:00 am start, stop wherever you like for photos, and add optional visits to the Hanuman temple at Ramboda and the Seetha Amman Temple near Nuwara Eliya. Kandy to Nuwara Eliya: how far is it? Nuwara Eliya is about 77 km south of Kandy, roughly 3 hours by road through Gampola and the Ramboda Pass. A day trip from Kandy to Nuwara Eliya usually takes 11 to 12 hours door to door, including Ambuluwawa, the waterfalls, the tea factory, lunch and the city tour. Want to stay in the hills? See our 3 day highlights of Sri Lanka in Kandy and Nuwara Eliya, with a night in each and a tea factory visit with tea plucking. More day trips from Kandy Nuwara Eliya is one of many tours from Kandy that we run with hotel pickup. If you have another free day, here are more private trips you can join from your hotel in Kandy. See all day trips from Kandy → Highlights - Climb the spiral Ambuluwawa Tower for 360-degree views over the hills - See Ramboda Falls, one of the tallest waterfalls in Sri Lanka - Visit a working tea factory and taste fresh Ceylon tea for free - Explore “Little England”: Gregory Lake and the historic Nuwara Eliya Post Office - Private air-conditioned car or van with an experienced English-speaking driver - Hotel pickup in Kandy at 7:00 or 8:00 am - Optional visits to the Hanuman temple and Seetha Amman Temple Itinerary Your driver meets you at your hotel, guesthouse or homestay anywhere in Kandy, and you head south into the hills towards Gampola. Drive up Ambuluwawa mountain to the white spiral tower at the top of this multi-religious complex, with a Buddhist stupa, a Hindu kovil, a church and a mosque side by side. Climb the narrow spiral steps for a 360-degree view over the central hills. The highest section is very narrow and exposed, so you can stop at any level you are comfortable with. Wind up the hairpin bends of the Ramboda Pass to Ramboda Falls, one of the tallest waterfalls in Sri Lanka, tumbling down the hillside beside the road. You can also stop at the hilltop Sri Bhakta Hanuman Temple nearby, linked to the Ramayana legend, with wide views over the Kotmale valley (optional). Visit the Damro Labookellie tea factory, surrounded by bright green tea estates. Walk through the factory to see how Ceylon tea is withered, rolled, dried and sorted, then enjoy a cup of fresh tea with a view over the plantation. The factory visit is free. Stop for lunch in Nuwara Eliya at a local restaurant of your choice (at your own cost). Your driver can suggest places for every budget, from Sri Lankan rice and curry to colonial-style hotels. Explore the town known as “Little England”, at about 1,900 m above sea level. See the red-brick, Tudor-style Nuwara Eliya Post Office, one of the oldest in the country, walk around Gregory Lake with its boat rides and pony rides, and pass Victoria Park and the colonial bungalows and hotels of the town centre. Drive about 15 minutes past Nuwara Eliya to the colourful Seetha Amman Temple at Sita Eliya, said to be where Sita was held in the Ramayana story, beside a clear mountain stream. Let your driver know in the morning if you would like to include it. Relax on the drive back down through the tea country, and be dropped off at your hotel in Kandy in the evening. What’s included Included - Private air-conditioned car or van for the whole day - Experienced English-speaking driver - Hotel pickup and drop-off in Kandy - Fuel, parking fees and highway tolls - Bottled water - Damro tea factory visit and tea tasting Not included - Ambuluwawa entrance ticket (paid on the day) - Gregory Lake entrance, boat rides and pony rides (paid on the day) - Lunch and personal expenses - Temple donations (optional) - Tips for your driver (optional) FAQs Nuwara Eliya is about 77 km from Kandy, which takes around 3 hours by car through Gampola and the Ramboda Pass, without stops. Yes. A day trip from Kandy to Nuwara Eliya takes about 11 to 12 hours, including Ambuluwawa Tower, Ramboda Falls, a tea factory visit, lunch and a Nuwara Eliya city tour, and you are back at your hotel in the evening. You can choose a 7:00 am or 8:00 am pickup from your hotel in Kandy. We recommend 7:00 am so you have more time at each stop and reach Ambuluwawa before the clouds roll in. The lower levels are easy, but the spiral steps near the top become very narrow and exposed. It is not recommended if you are afraid of heights, and you can stop at any level and still enjoy the view. Yes. The Damro tea factory visit and a cup of tea are free. You can buy fresh Ceylon tea at the factory shop if you wish. Yes. Both temples are optional stops on this tour at no extra cost. Just let your driver know in the morning, as the Seetha Amman Temple adds about 30 minutes to the day. Nuwara Eliya is about 1,900 m above sea level, so it is much cooler than Kandy, often 12 to 20 °C during the day. Bring a light jacket or sweater, and a rain jacket in the wet months. The tour is private for 1 to 7 people, with one price for 1 to 3 people in a car and another for 4 to 7 people in a larger van.