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D6 Drinking
Victoria Restaurant CAFE
(off New Bazaar St, victoria Park; h7am-8pm) A
relaxing place for an afternoon tea, or one
of the many different coffees, after a bird-
watching and plant-admiring session at
Victoria Park. It also does simple meals (Rs
300) all served with a prime park view (and
quite a lot of road noise).
Lakeview Pub BAR
(Alpine Hotel, 4 Haddon Hill Rd; h4pm-late)
Moody, dark timber, billiards, darts and a
lakeview terrace make this a popular spot.
8 Information
Bank of Ceylon ( lawson Rd) Has an ATm and
exchange facilities.
Commercial Bank (Park Rd) Has an ATm and
exchange facilities.
Hatton National Bank (Badulla Rd) Has an
ATm and exchange facilities.
Post Office (Badulla Rd)
8 Getting There & Away
BUS
The government CTB bus station is by the main
roundabout in the town centre. The private bus
station is just up the road. There are buses to/
from the following:
DESTINATION FARE TIME
Colombo normal Rs 240,
intercity express
Rs 4806hrElla Rs 150 3hr
Haputale Rs 110 2½hr
Kandy normal Rs 120,
intercity express
Rs 2204hrmatara Rs 360 7-8hr,
morning
departures
only
Welimada Rs 80 1hrTRAIN
Nuwara Eliya is served by the Nanu Oya train
station, 9km along the road towards Hatton and
Colombo. most Nuwara Eliya accommodation will
pick you up – often for free – if you have already
booked. A taxi from the station costs from Rs
1500 to 2000 and a three-wheeler is Rs 800. At
time of research, major roadworks were taking
place on the road between the station and town.
This was making travel between the two very
bumpy and slow, hence the high cost of transport.
Once the work is over transport costs to the sta-
tion are likely to fall dramatically.
Eastbound trains towards Badulla leave at
9.30am, 12.45pm, 3pm and 3.55pm. Westbound
trains towards Kandy and Colombo leave at
9.25am, noon and 5.30pm.
Badulla 2nd/3rd class Rs 140/80
Bandarawela 2nd/3rd class Rs 90/50
Colombo 2nd/3rd class Rs 450/270
Ella 2nd/3rd class Rs 110/60
Haputale 2nd/3rd class Rs 80/40
Hatton 2nd/3rd class Rs 60/30
Kandy 2nd/3rd class Rs 160/90
A 1st-class observation carriage seat is Rs 1000
no matter where you get on or off. The limited
number of seats in this class are in high demand
so try to book ahead. Not all trains have a 1st-
class carriage. A 2nd-class reserved seat is Rs
600 to anywhere between Kandy and Badulla.H orton Plains National
Park & Wo rl d’s E n d
This is one of the few national parks in Sri
Lanka where visitors can walk on their own
(on designated trails). Although the main
focus of the park is on World’s End don’t
underestimate the joy of the walk across the
grassland plains. Longer and more challeng-
ing walks up Mt Kirigalpotta and Mt Totapo-
la are also possible.1 Sights
oHorton Plains National Park PARK
(adult/child Rs 1895/1011, jeep Rs 250, service
charge per group Rs 1011 plus overall tax vAT 12%;
h6am-6pm) Horton Plains is a beautiful,
silent, strange world with some excellent
hikes in the shadows of Sri Lanka’s second-
and third-highest mountains, Kirigalpotta
(2395m) and Totapola (2357m). The ‘plains’
form an undulating plateau over 2000m high,
covered by wild grasslands and interspersed
with patches of thick forest, rocky outcrops,
filigree waterfalls and misty lakes. The sur-
prising diversity of the landscape is matched
by the wide variety of wildlife (although many
of the larger animals are very elusive).
Get there for a 7am start and you may be
lucky enough to have the paths to yourself.
The plateau comes to a sudden end at World’s
End, a stunning escarpment that plunges
880m.
̈ Wildlife
As an important watershed and catchment
for several year-round rivers and streams,