Last week we had our week-long autumn holiday, and took advantage of the time off to head to the beautiful mountains of Sri Lanka. Having spent so many of our vacations over the past several years at beaches, we were eager to get into the hills and some cooler weather. Madeline has spent very little of her life in the mountains. So, early on Sunday morning we headed out of town going east in a rented van with a driver. On this trip we were accompanied by our friends the Lockwoods, another family with a 2 year-old girl and a 4 year-old boy (their daughter Amy is currently Maddie’s very best friend).
When heading east out of Colombo, the first hills are surprisingly close; and around an hour out of town, the roads become so curvy and narrow, that the going becomes sickly. Here is where the fun began. After a few barfs (from the kids, not the adults!), we stopped for breakfast in Kitugala, taking our time (always necessary with children, of course). We continued into the heart of the tea country and eventually ended up at our destination after about 6 hours of traveling: a high town called Nuwara Eliya.
The town of Nuwara Eliya (about 7500 feet) itself is not so great, but the natural setting is fantastic. It is nestled in a small valley at the foot of the highest peak in Sri Lanka. The weather here is so cool and welcoming – our hotel had fireplaces and we used them both nights we were there, and low clouds hang on the hilltops almost constantly; the weather is certainly never boring here. This time of year in the mountains of Sri Lanka, it usually rains in the afternoons and evenings, while the mornings are relatively clear.
The real reason for coming up to this area was to access a spectacular natural area called Horton Plains, just to the south. We went there the next day. This is a large high expanse of open grasslands and natural forests – the highlight is a dramatic pace called World’s End, which is the edge of an escarpment on the southern side of the mountain range. A 9 km round trip hike took us to this spot – dad carried Maddie all day in a kid’s backpack and she did great! She loved being outdoors and bring in nature. We saw deer, bear monkeys (not easily seen), lizards, and many many birds. Only at the very end did we encounter any serious rain, and drove back to Nuwara Eliya soaking wet and cold – but a warm fire put everything right again.
The next day we took a train from Nanuoya to Ella. This particular train ride is well-known in Sri Lanka as being one of the most beautiful, especially if one gets first class seats in the observation car as we did. The train system in Sri Lanka is an underutilized transportation resource, and has not been updated in many, many years. From a tourists point of view, this is great, because it’s easy to get a spot on a train, and getting on one is like stepping back in time to some bygone colonial era. The trains themselves are relics. Really fascinating! Madeline absolutely LOVED riding on the train, and couldn’t stop talking about it. She particularly liked the tunnels and kept asking for more.
After about 3 hours we arrived in a charming small town called Ella, to the southeast of Nuwara Eliya. We stayed for 2 nights in a little hotel perched on the side of a mountain with one of the best views imaginable. Not the best hotel setting for little kids (lots of precipices to fall from!) but otherwise perfect. Ella is uniquely situated again on the edge of an escarpment, above a huge cleft in the mountains known as the “Ella Gap”. Through this huge opening one has an expansive view of the plains below, with the ocean visible early in the mornings under clear conditions.
While in Ella, we enjoyed excellent home-cooked Sri Lankan food, the best we’ve had yet on the island, and dramatic views, cool weather, and storm watching. This time of year the rainstorms come from the east; they build over the plains in southeastern Sri Lanka, then move up and over the mountains. From this location, it’s like watching a storm factory each afternoon. Madeline gained a huge appreciation on this trip for both mountains and clouds! And everything is so ‘pretty’ now.
Another highlight of the Ella area was a side trip to the Rawana Ella waterfalls, about 20 minutes drive from our lodge. These are dramatic, high falls, and we took the kids on a narrow trail near the top of them. The day we went, in the afternoon, it rained a lot and we got to see the falls before and after a big storm. It’s easy to see how people can get swept away in flash floods when you watch river levels increase so quickly.
On Thursday, we bid farewell to the mountains and headed back to Colombo. Again, we took our time on the return trip, and took a different way back to the city. We drove along the southern edge of the mountains, on a route that took us through Ratnapura. From a barfing point of view, this was much better than our drive up the previous Sunday. The road is much straighter and better paved, though the mountain views are not as good. In fact, we had not one single barfing incident on the return trip.
Maddie had one of her best weeks in recent memory. Unlimited time with her parents and playtime with other kids. Traveling with another family with small children makes a trip like this much much better. The kids spent so many hours playing and running around exploring the environment – it was perfect. I am sure that Maddie can’t wait to get back to the mountains!
