Upcountry

The Hill Country lives in a cool, perpetual spring, away from the often enervating heat and heavy air of the coastal regions or the hot dry air of the central and northern plains. Everything here is green and lush, and much of the region is carpeted with the glowing green of the tea plantations, with montane forest hugging the higher slopes.

Tea industry in Sri Lanka

Tea production is one of the main sources of foreign exchange for Sri Lanka (formerly called Ceylon), and accounts for 2% of GDP, generating roughly $700 million annually to the economy of Sri Lanka. It employs, directly or indirectly over 1 million people, and in 1995 directly employed 215,338 on tea plantations and estates. Sri Lanka is the world's fourth largest producer of tea. In 1995, it was the world's leading exporter of tea, (rather than producer) with 23% of the total world export, but it has since been surpassed by Kenya.

Sri Lanka, a tropical island in the Indian Ocean was known as Serendib, Taprobane and Ceylon.  The word “Serandip” gave the English language the word “serendipity” – “A welcome surprise”.

The term “Ceylon Tea” is synonymous with Sri Lanka.  Ceylon Tea is renowned for its high quality, aroma, and taste. As the fourth largest tea producer and perhaps the second largest exporter in the world, we are in the forefront of tea exports to the world market. This is a position that we have maintained over the years. 

Our tea industry dates from 1865 during the British colonial period.  Ceylon, as the island was then known, produced coffee for export. By the end of the 1860’s,  the coffee leaf disease decimated the plantations. This was an economic disaster for the planters who  then turned to tea. In 1866, a pioneer began the first commercial tea plantation in Ceylon. This man, James Taylor, planted the new crop in 1866 and founded a profitable industry. Other planters followed suit and by 1877, the first recorded shipment of tea was dispatched to England. The famous brand, Lipton’s, had its origin in Sri Lanka. Within a decade, a new prosperous tea   industry was built on the ruins of the coffee industry. 

Ceylon tea enjoys a high reputation. One earned from producing fine blends and flavors benefiting from a unique environment of perfect climatic conditions that allowed a year round harvest. The combination of weather, rain, mist and dry spells combined with hand picking has produced a range of unique flavours.  Much like the variations in wine produced in different regions. The elevation of the plantations has a significant impact on the flavor. Each elevation produces teas of unique character with a wide range of flavours and colour.  By blending teas from different areas of the island and   varied elevations, Sri Lanka can offer a very wide range of flavor and color. Some are full-bodied, while others light and delicate.  Major tea blends around the world all use some Sri Lankan teas for blending. 

 

Water Falls

Bambarakanda Ella

Sri Lanka is blessed with over one hundred waterfalls. The tallest is the Bambarakande Falls which cascades down 263 metres like liquid light. It is only four miles away from the Colombo-Bandarawela road in a forest glade, but it is not visited often, though well worth the trip. Bambarakande is taller than the famous Diyaluma falls which is only 220 metres but thought to be the tallest waterfall in Sri Lanka. The Diyaluma or Diya Haluma collects its water from the Poonagala Oya in the vicinity of Koslanda and Wellawaya. Located six miles from Koslanda and 13 miles from Wellawaya, its waters originate from the Mahakande Pass in Koslanda. You can see this waterfall if you stop a while on your way to Haputale and detour. Due to the geological formation of Sri Lanka, the central highlands are surrounded by peneplains, plateaus and valleys. Rainfall sends a large volume of water hurtling down the precipitous edges of the highland mass. The up thrust millions of years ago has caused several peneplains to form, the highest being well over 6000 ft. It is in this area that the water is collected when there are showers and flows down along tributaries down the mountain slopes. Bopath Ella "Bopath Ella", not like many of the others of her kind , finds her abode in a busy surrounding in the village called Devipahala off Kuruwita on A4 High Level road close to Ratnapura. Being within 3 hours driving distance from the capital, it thus claims the honour of having the highest turn-over of enthusiasts seeking respite from the grimy and monotonous town life .Nevertheless, it has the notorious reputation of devouring its visitors off and on who , attracted by the surroundings ,indulge in over-enjoyment .Here again, the falls take the shape of a "Bo" leave ( "Bo" tree is a sacred tree here ) from which the name has been derived. Diyaluma Waterfall With an appearance and location which often make people believe that it is the highest waterfall in the isle, this lanky "Diyaluma" waterfall pours its way down and flows towards Kirindi Oya underneath a bridge on the highway from Beragala to Wellawaya. The extent of water spilt downwards is so great during the rainy season that it makes amends for the monotonously undisturbed water trunk falling from head to foot with no intermediate cascade whatsoever. Its geographical location by one of the mostly used Highways spanning the Hill Country to the Plains speaks for its reputation not only here but in other parts of the world as well. Dunhinda Waterfall "Dunhinda" is one of the mostly spoken-about waterfalls in Sri Lanka. Although she couldn't come even close to the highest waterfalls of the planet in height she rivals many of them when it comes to the natural beauty that it bestows on the environment . Situated about 2 km distance from the main road which runs to Taldena from the remote city Badulla in the Uva Province this is easily accesible and frequently visited by local and foreign visitors. On the way can be seen the "Kuda Dunhinda" ( "Kuda" means small in Sinhala ) which is the prologue to its mighty brother . In native tongue "Dun" means mist or vapour which is the ideal explanation for a waterfall creating wreathes of mist on its way down.
Ravana Ella
Situated in the Dry zone off Welimada this beautiful water fall is a continuous stream of life to the villagers. It provides much needed water for the cultivation of vegetables, their main income. The life-line role of this tiny, yet beautiful waterfall is seen when we first arrived the village. While the surrounding mountains were dirty and dry this particular mountain was greenish and cultivated. According to villages the water of this stream has to be protected from smugglers day and night and for that they have " a shift duty". It is 40m (131ft) tall and in the Uduhawara village .
St.Clair's Waterfall
These majestic "St.Clairs" falls are close to the main road from Avissawella to Nuwara-Eliya and can well be seen from the Main Line rail track close to Talawakelle. It falls down in two cascades and is an inviting site for regular bathers because it is fairly easily reacheable from a footpath ( actually there are many ) downhill through greeny tea shrubbery. Named after a British colonist, these are one of two waterfalls threatened by a proposed hydro-power scheme in the area.