Sri Lanka
Kandy & Highlands
Region
The central highlands are Sri Lanka's cool heart: From the ancient royal city of Kandy, roads and railway lines ascend into tea country, cloud forests, and plateaus at around 2,000 meters.
by Felix Gillen
The central highlands are Sri Lanka's cool heart: From the ancient royal city of Kandy, roads and railway lines ascend into tea country, cloud forests, and plateaus at around 2,000 meters. For those seeking a change from beaches and the Cultural Triangle, this area offers hiking trails, tea factories, and one of Asia's most famous railway lines.Kandy, with its Temple of the Tooth, is the religious center of Sinhalese Buddhism. Further south are colonial Nuwara Eliya, the hiking towns of Ella and Haputale, Horton Plains National Park with World's End cliff, and the pilgrim mountain Adam's Peak.The railway connection through the highlands was interrupted for months after Cyclone Ditwah. Since June 2026, trains have been running again between Nanu Oya and Badulla, but from Kandy, the journey currently still goes by road (as of October 2026).
The region stretches from Kandy in the north to the southern edge of the Highlands near Haputale. Kandy is the starting point for the Temple of the Tooth, the Esala Perahera, and the Peradeniya Botanical Garden. Nuwara Eliya lies at 1,868 meters and is considered the country's most important tea production center. The city was founded in 1846 by Samuel Baker and is nicknamed "Little England" due to its British villas.Ella is the hiking hub, featuring the Nine Arches Bridge, Little Adam's Peak, and Ella Rock. Haputale offers some of the most expansive views over the tea plantations from Lipton's Seat. Horton Plains National Park, at around 2,000 meters, is the island's only protected area where you are permitted to walk the marked trails without a guide. Adam's Peak (2,243 m) is the destination for nocturnal pilgrim ascents between December and May.For travel between these places, it's best to plan a combination of train and road: Kandy to Nuwara Eliya is 75 kilometers, and the bus takes about four hours. From Nanu Oya, Nuwara Eliya's train station, the train continues to Ella (approximately 2 to 2.5 hours).
More places in Kandy & Highlands
Kandy is the last royal city of Sri Lanka and the country's religious center, nestled in the hills at the northern edge of the highlands. You come here for the Temple of the Tooth, the Esala Perahera in August, and as a starting point for tea country and train journeys south.The center is situated around Kandy Lake, which King Sri Wickrama Rajasinghe had built between 1807 and 1812 next to the Temple of the Tooth. North of the lake lies the Udawattakele forest slope, while in the west of the old town, a white Buddha statue rises above the city on Bahirawakanda Hill. The commercial streets around Dalada Veediya and Raja Veediya (Kings Street) form the bazaar area.Outside the city are the Peradeniya Botanical Garden and the Tea Museum in the Hanthana Hills. Kandy train station is currently cut off from the highland section; destinations in the south you reach by bus or car (as of October 2026).
Haputale is a mountain town on the southern edge of the Highlands, west of Ella, situated on a narrow ridge above tea slopes. You come for Lipton's Seat, the Dambatenne tea factory, and Adisham Monastery, all reachable on day trips.The small town center, with its train station, bus stand, and simple eateries, stretches along the ridge. To the east, the road leads through the Dambatenne plantations up to Lipton's Seat; to the west, Adisham Monastery lies in the forests.Haputale is located on the Highland Line, where trains have been running again between Nanu Oya and Badulla since June 2026.
