Review: Nuwara Eliya, Horton Plains & Tea Factory Tour

Nuwara Eliya, that is a place also known as “Little England,” is located way up in the Sri Lankan hills, and is a spot just overflowing with scenery, plus tons of colonial history, not to mention amazing tea. Now, I had the chance, basically, to check out the Exclusive Nuwara Eliya Horton Plains and Tea Factory Tour, and, at the end of the day, I am just going to share my experience, giving you my, kind of, honest opinions, as well as things that I think you might want to consider if you were to, maybe, do the same.

Getting Started in Nuwara Eliya

When the tour got going, we, you know, started in Nuwara Eliya. You can just see all these old buildings there from, very, very long ago. It is almost as if you have been transported into another place! It is quite something. I saw The Hill Club. Very, very, fancy it looks. And, there’s this old post office – they just had so much character! We had a bit of a look about, and learned all sorts of bits from our guide. He knew heaps, frankly, about how the town became what it is today. Apparently, it started off as a place for, sort of, British people to escape the heat. In fact it ended up as an important spot, in a way, for growing tea.

Exploring Horton Plains National Park

Then we drove towards Horton Plains National Park – something else really, in terms of landscape!. Getting there was part of the experience, that’s to say passing through hills filled up with tea plantations; picture perfect they were! Once we got there we went walking. Apparently it’s high up so you need to be fairly ok with heights or physical exertion to see the best of it.. What can I tell you; mist, grass fields that stretched out forever, and the trees bent into such strange forms by the wind.

World’s End – not too scary a name honestly – lived up to what people said. That is to say, the view just goes on for ever. It goes right out towards the coast it looked like!. We also walked to Baker’s Falls, a bit of a walk, but definitely worth the effort too it’s almost as if it just crashes down into the earth with the most, quite incredible sound.

A Visit to a Tea Factory

A tea factory visit, that, I thought would be, you know, a bit “meh”. But actually? Super cool! Getting to see what happens from when the leaves are picked till the tea is made, was, actually quite fascinating! The smell was just amazing. Astringent. Fresh. Our guide was rather brilliant. Frankly he explained it all clearly. And let me tell you they gave us some free tea! Seriously, it was very good, like your actual proper Ceylon tea! And you know what? Of course, I bought some!

Things I liked most

I can say, very safely, the scenery everywhere just blew me away. Horton Plains had such varied landscapes. Actually they go from wide open fields to seriously thick forests! And, everywhere? Lush, green, amazing views!. The guide also made a big difference; being passionate and able to tell you all the little things about everywhere just meant so much to the experience, in fact it would have been pretty much impoverished without him! Being able to see how tea gets made too, that’s also an eye opener, especially when you try, literally, the freshest tea that there could be!

Things to bear in mind.

The weather, more or less, in Nuwara Eliya can be pretty unpredictable, so it is advisable to take some warmer gear. In Horton Plains? Really important that you wear sturdy footwear because the trails may get slippery. If you don’t like crowds, also? You might just want to, kind of, consider visiting during the week to try and get ahead of everyone!. A little consideration to what you are physically capable of before starting the hike. While the hike is wonderful and invigorating, just remember the park is at altitude and can require some stamina!