Explore more curated experiences in Kandy
View all Kandy toursNuwara Eliya Full-Day Tour from Kandy with Ramboda Falls and Lunch
Top rated2.5
Activity provider: AsiaByLocals
+2
more
A full day up to Nuwara Eliya and back from Kandy with lunch included: Ramboda Falls, the Bhakta Hanuman temple, a tea plantation and factory, and the colonial hill station itself.
Highlights
- Ramboda Falls and the Bhakta Hanuman Ramayana temple above it
- A tea plantation and working factory with a tasting
- Gregory Lake, Victoria Park and the colonial centre of Nuwara Eliya
- Lunch included on an eleven-hour day
- A private vehicle and guide throughout
Nuwara Eliya Full-Day Tour from Kandy with Ramboda Falls and Lunch: Key Facts
| Price | From $120 per person |
|---|---|
| Duration | 11 hours |
| Languages | English |
| Tour type | Guided Tour |
| Booking | Direct with the local operator — no OTA markup |
Choose from 1 available option
All-Inclusive Nuwara Eliya Day Tour from Kandy with Lunch
All-Inclusive Nuwara Eliya Day Tour from Kandy with Lunch. Departure times and inclusions exactly as the operator offers...
11 hours
English
Pickup
$200
Free cancellation
Full description
Nuwara Eliya is called Little England, which is the kind of nickname that sounds like marketing until you get there and find a racecourse, a golf course, stocked trout streams, a mock-Tudor post office and hedges. The British built it as a place to escape the heat, at 1,900 metres, and it is still 15°C colder than anywhere on the coast.
The drive up is half the day. The road climbs through Gampola and Pussellawa, and Ramboda Falls is the first stop — a 100-metre drop a few minutes' walk from the road. Above it is the Bhakta Hanuman temple, one of a chain of Ramayana sites across the hill country and busy with Indian pilgrims rather than tourists.
A tea plantation and factory visit follows, taking the leaf from the field through withering, rolling, oxidation and firing to the grading table.
In Nuwara Eliya itself there is Gregory Lake, Victoria Park, the colonial buildings, and time to walk. Lunch is included, which on a day this long is worth more than it sounds. Then the descent, reaching Kandy in the evening.
Tour Itinerary
Itineraries are customisable as per your request
The schedule below is a suggested plan and can be adjusted to suit your preferences.
7:00 AM
Pickup in Kandy
The drive up into the hills.
9:30 AM
Ramboda Falls and Hanuman temple
The falls and the Ramayana temple.
11:00 AM
Tea plantation and factory
The field, the process and a tasting.
1:00 PM
Lunch
Included, in Nuwara Eliya.
2:00 PM
Nuwara Eliya
Gregory Lake, Victoria Park and the town.
4:00 PM
Return drive
Back down through the tea country.
6:30 PM
Kandy
Drop-off at your hotel.
Detailed Itinerary
07:00
Hotel pickup
Three hours each way, all of it bends.
09:30
Ramboda
Shoes off at the temple; shoulders covered.
11:00
Tea estate
Factories close on poya days; an estate walk substitutes.
14:00
Nuwara Eliya
Gregory Lake has boat hire and a walking path; Victoria Park charges a small entry.
18:30
Kandy
Drop-off at your hotel.
Includes
- Private air-conditioned vehicle with an English-speaking driver-guide, hotel pickup and drop-off in Kandy, lunch, all driving and stops, fuel and parking.
Excludes
- Entrance fees at the parks, gardens or factory, drinks, gratuities, tea purchases.
Important information
Meeting point
Hotel pickup in Kandy; the exact address and time are confirmed after booking.
Know before you go
- Free cancellation available up to 24 hours before the activity starts
About this activity
Free cancellation
Cancel up to 24 hours in advance for a full refund
Secure payment
Complete your booking safely with Razorpay. Full refund if you cancel 24h prior. Read more
Duration 11 hours
Check availability to see starting times
Live tour guide
English
Wheelchair accessible
You might also like...
Main Tour Price
Starting from $120
$120
Tour Type
Day TripNature and SceneryPrivate Tour
Need a custom booking or have a larger group?Contact Support via WhatsApp
Free cancellation
Cancel up to 24 hours in advance for a full refund
Secure payment
Complete your booking safely with Razorpay. Full refund if you cancel 24h prior. Read more
Traveler Reviews
2.5/5
based on 3 reviewsGuide
2.5/5
Value for money
2.5/5
Verified reviews from travelers on this operator’s experience
4
M
Marcus
March 29, 2025
There tour was good and the driver took me to the attractictiond in a safe and efficient way.
Frequently Asked Questions
It runs 11 hours.
Hotel pickup in Kandy; the exact address and time are confirmed after booking.
Private air-conditioned vehicle with an English-speaking driver-guide, hotel pickup and drop-off in Kandy, lunch, all driving and stops, fuel and parking.
Entrance fees at the parks, gardens or factory, drinks, gratuities, tea purchases.
Private air-conditioned vehicle with an English-speaking driver-guide, hotel pickup and drop-off in Kandy, lunch, all driving and stops, fuel and parking.
The duration of the Nuwara Eliya Full-Day Tour from Kandy with Ramboda Falls and Lunch is typically 11 hours. We recommend arriving 15 minutes before the scheduled start time for a smooth check-in. Your guide will meet you at the designated meeting point and ensure the experience runs on schedule while remaining flexible to your pace.
For most experiences, we highly recommend an early morning start. This allows you to avoid the midday heat, bypass the largest crowds, and capture the best lighting for photography. Your guide can advise on the optimal timing based on the season and specific attractions included.
Yes, once your booking is completed via our secure payment gateway, you will receive an instant confirmation email with your tour details, meeting point address, guide's name, and direct contact information. You can also view and manage your booking through your AsiaByLocals account dashboard.
Yes! All our private tours are fully customizable. Whether you want to add extra stops, skip certain locations, change the pace, or adjust the start time — simply let your guide know in advance or on the day. We aim to create a personalized experience tailored to your interests and energy level.
We offer free cancellation up to 24 hours before the scheduled start time for a full refund. Cancellations within 24 hours may be subject to a partial charge depending on the tour type. Weather-related cancellations for outdoor and boat tours are handled on a case-by-case basis, with full refunds or free rebooking offered when safety is a concern.
Most of our experiences are family-friendly and suitable for children of all ages. However, some tours involving extensive walking, water activities, or early morning starts may be better suited for children aged 5 and above. Please check the specific tour description for age recommendations, or contact us for personalized family itinerary advice.
After booking, you will receive detailed meeting point instructions via email. Most tours include complimentary hotel pickup within the central area. For tours without pickup, your confirmation email will include the exact address, Google Maps pin, and your guide's phone number for easy coordination. Guides typically arrive 10 minutes early and will message you on WhatsApp.
We accept all major credit and debit cards (Visa, Mastercard, American Express), PayPal, Apple Pay, and Razorpay for Indian cards. All payments are processed through a PCI-compliant secure gateway with 256-bit encryption. You can also pay in multiple currencies — the price is automatically converted to your local currency at checkout.
Yes, all AsiaByLocals guides are licensed professionals who have been rigorously vetted through background checks, skill assessments, and customer reviews. Many hold government-issued tourism licenses, university degrees in history or cultural studies, and have years of experience leading tours for international travelers. Every guide maintains a minimum 4.5-star rating to remain active on our platform.
Be at the gate for the 6am opening, so leave Nuwara Eliya around 5am. World's End faces south and clouds over by nine or ten as warm air rises off the plain — arrive at eleven and you see a white wall. See our Horton Plains guide.
The town sits at about 1,900 m and drops to around 10°C at night, and few hotels have heating. Horton Plains at 2,300 m regularly sits near freezing before dawn, with ground frost from December to February. Bring a genuine warm layer — most visitors underestimate this.
No — they close on poya days, the monthly full moon and a public holiday in Sri Lanka. If your free day is a poya, take an estate walk with a plucker instead. Plucking happens in the morning; by afternoon the slopes are empty.
Mostly leaf size, not quality. OP is a long wiry whole leaf, BOP is smaller and broken, and fannings and dust go into teabags because the higher surface area brews fast. Bigger leaf is slower tea, not better tea. Explained in our Ceylon tea guide.
At a factory, not a tourist shop. Factory shops carry the higher grades that never reach a visitor shelf; the boxed tea on the main streets is usually fannings at visitor prices.
Nanu Oya, about 10 km and a 20-30 minute drive from the town. Nuwara Eliya has no station of its own, and tuk-tuk fares at Nanu Oya rise sharply the moment a train arrives.
Time it for a puja — 5.30am, 9.30am or 6.30pm. Those are the only windows when the upper relic chamber opens and the hevisi drummers play; outside them you are visiting a beautiful building rather than a ceremony. Take socks: shoes come off at the gate and the stone courtyard gets painfully hot. Full detail in our Temple of the Tooth guide.
February for the clearest weather, or July-August, which is drier here than most people expect and covers the Esala Perahera. Kandy sits between Sri Lanka's *two* monsoons and catches some of both, so it has no long dry season — but it also never has a season that is a write-off. See best time to visit Kandy.
Reserved seats open 30 days ahead and sell out within hours from December to March. Unreserved 2nd/3rd class is sold on the day and always available — you will stand, which is where the open doorways and the famous photographs are. Sit on the right-hand side going south. Note there is no Nuwara Eliya station; the stop is Nanu Oya, 10 km away. See our Kandy to Ella train guide.
July or August — but the dates move every year with the lunar calendar, so any guide naming a fixed week is guessing. It runs ten nights and ends on the Nikini poya. Book accommodation on the route six to twelve months ahead. Details in our Esala Perahera guide.
Sigiriya and Dambulla (2.5 hrs each way) is the best of them. Kitulgala rafting is 2 hrs, the Knuckles range and Pekoe Trail stages are day hikes from here. Ella, Galle and Yala are *too far* — 4-6 hours each way. See day trips from Kandy.
Two nights. One full day for the town — Bahirawakanda, Peradeniya gardens, the lake and the evening puja — and a second for a hike, a village day or the cultural triangle. Our Kandy 2-day itinerary lays it out hour by hour.
The centre and the lake circuit are walkable. For anything up a hill or out of town, take a tuk-tuk — roughly LKR 100-150/km on the meter, and ride-hailing apps price it automatically with no negotiation. See getting around Kandy.