8 notable places within an hour's drive.
bridge
Nine Arch Bridge, Demodara
A soaring colonial-era railway viaduct of brick and stone curving through tea-clad jungle near Ella. A short drive-and-walk brings you trackside as blue trains rumble across its nine arches.
11 km · about 20 min drive
natural wonder
Ella
A misty hill town with spectacular train rides, tea plantations, waterfalls, and the iconic Nine Arches Bridge.
13 km · about 25 min drive
scenic viewpoint
Lipton's Seat
The ridge above Dambatenne where Thomas Lipton surveyed his tea empire, at 1,970 m. The narrow road climbs through Lipton's own estate and on a clear morning the view runs to the southern coast.
23 km · about 25 min drive
waterfall
Diyaluma Falls
Sri Lanka's second-highest waterfall at 220 m, dropping in a single plume beside the Koslanda road, with a chain of natural infinity pools on the ledges above reached by a steep half-hour walk.
28 km · about 30 min drive
natural wonder
World's End, Horton Plains
A sheer escarpment in Horton Plains National Park dropping about 1,200 m straight off the edge of the highland plateau. Best before 10am, before cloud fills the void.
37 km · about 40 min drive
waterfall
Ramboda Falls
A 109 m waterfall in two tiers falling right beside the A5 at Ramboda Pass, on the tea-estate road between Kandy and Nuwara Eliya. Visible from the highway without leaving the car.
41 km · about 45 min drive
landmark
Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic
Sri Lanka's most important Buddhist temple, housing a relic of the tooth of Buddha in the hillside city of Kandy.
58 km · about 65 min drive
photogenic
Ambuluwawa Tower
A vertigo-inducing spiral tower on a hilltop near Gampola whose staircase narrows to shoulder width and ends with no handrail, giving a 360-degree view over the central highlands.
60 km · about 70 min drive