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 The
mountainous region of Sri Lanka, which is usually referred
to as "Up Country" or the "Hill Country",
is most famous for its tea plantations, but it was coffee
that impelled the first planters to clear the forests.
However, in 1869, the coffee industry began to decline
when the first case of a fungal leaf disease (Hemileia
vestatrix) was diagnosed. Within a few years, this disease
attacked almost all of the country's plantations, sealing
the fate of its coffee production and the island's most
lucrative export. Financially ruined, the planters turned
their aspirations to tea with even more determination.
The abundant rainfall combined with the sunshine, cold
nights and mists offered the perfect climate for producing
high grown, aromatic teas. So the world-famous industry
of Ceylon Tea was born.
There is far more to these uplands than the endless valleys
of closely cropped tea bushes, processing factories
belching out fragrant aromas, and the brightly coloured
saris of south Indian Tamil workers picking their way
through millions of "two-leaf-and-a-bud", so
that the very best will end up in your tea cup. Everywhere
you turn, a waterfall more impressive than the last
cascades down spectacular mountains, blowing air scented
with wild mint and eucalyptus. There are quaint, sleepy
hill towns, botanical wonders and fascinating wildlife
in the wilderness of Horton Plains, spectacular views
from World's End and Ella Gap, caves and caverns associated
with mythology, and then there is the capital of the
region, Nuwara Eliya, where there is still a strong
British colonial heritage in the form of Victoria Park,
the Hill Club, a world-class golf course and a horse
racing circuit.
The Hill Country trail begins at Kandy (500 m above sea
level), where a Mediterranean summer reigns all year
round. Kandy was the capital of the last Sinhalese kingdom, finally
capitulating to the British in 1815. Today it is a laid
back city with a rich cultural heritage, idyllically
situated in hills surrounding a lake, where the sacred
Temple of the Tooth now resides. A tour through the
tea estates from Kandy to Nuwara Eliya
takes you to nearly 2000 m and the flower growing centre of the
island, nestled into the foothills of Sri Lanka's highest
peak, Mount Pidurutalagala (2524 m). As you head southeast
and descend to 1000 m, you reach Ella
with its magnificent views, relaxing atmosphere and mountain treks.
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