Hatton Tea-estate country, the bungalows of Dickoya, and the road to Adam's Peak

Where to stay in Hatton

Things to do from Hatton

• Adventure · a single stage of about 9 to 21 km, 2 and a half to 6 hours on footA day's walk on the Pekoe TrailThe Pekoe Trail is a walking route of about 300 km through the tea country of the central highlands, laid out in 22 stages from Hanthana above Kandy to Pedro near Nuwara Eliya, by way of Hatton, Horton Plains, Haputale and Ella. It follows the old cart roads built in colonial times to carry tea, estate lanes and the footpaths the tea pluckers use.
• Adventure · overnight: 2 and a half to 3 hours up from Dalhousie, and 1 and a half to 2 hours downThe night climb of Adam's PeakAdam's Peak, or Sri Pada, is a 2,243 m mountain about 32 km south-west of Hatton, sacred to Buddhists and Hindus and to some Muslims and Christians for the footprint-shaped hollow near its summit. The Hatton route from Nallathanni is the shortest and steepest of its 6 trails, thousands of steps lit at night in the season, with tea shops along the way.
• Adventure · 2 and a half to 3 hours on the water, 5 to 6 hours in allWhite-water rafting at KitulgalaKitulgala, a village on the Kelani river on the A7 road below Hatton, is a base for white-water rafting, with grade 2 and 3 rapids at normal water levels. The 1957 film The Bridge on the River Kwai was filmed on the river near here, and only the concrete foundations of its bridge remain.
• Nature and wildlife · about 1 hour, as a stop on the drive between Hatton and Nuwara EliyaSt Clair's and Devon fallsBeside the A7 near Talawakele, between Hatton and Nuwara Eliya, 2 waterfalls drop into the tea valleys. St Clair's is 80 m high and 50 m wide and often called the Little Niagara of Sri Lanka, while Devon Falls, 97 m, is named after an early coffee planter whose estate lay nearby.
• Nature and wildlife · about 1 and a half to 3 hours, depending on the estate and the routeA guided walk on a working tea estate, arranged with your stayMany of the planters' bungalows and hotels in the tea country stand on working estates, and walks on the estate's own trails are among the things they arrange most often. A naturalist or a member of the estate staff leads the way through the tea to viewpoints and grassland above the valleys.
• Dining · an afternoon at your stay, on a lawn, a veranda or in a summerhouseAfternoon tea in the tea country, arranged with your stayAfternoon tea is served at many of the hotels and planters' bungalows around Nuwara Eliya and Hatton, in the English manner. It comes on a tiered stand with scones and tea cakes and pots of tea from the estates around, and at some stays in a Sri Lankan version.
• Water and coast · a morning on the water, arranged with your stay; some stays go out at dawnKayaking on the Castlereagh reservoirThe Castlereagh reservoir fills a valley of tea estates just south-west of Hatton, held back by a dam across the Kehelgamu Oya that feeds a hydropower station downstream. Several of the planters' bungalows on its shores keep kayaks, and a paddle along the water is among the things they arrange for guests.
• Nature and wildlife · a forest walk of about 1.2 km each way; under an hour by road from HattonAberdeen Falls, near GinigathhenaAberdeen Falls drops 98 m in 2 tiers on the Kehelgamu Oya, a tributary of the Kelani river, near Ginigathhena, on the road from Hatton towards Colombo. It takes its name from the Aberdeen tea estate nearby, which was associated with Scottish planters.
• Nature and wildlife · a descent of more than 500 steps to the falls; about an hour by road from HattonLaxapana Falls, below MaskeliyaLaxapana Falls drops 126 m on the Maskeliya Oya at Kiriwan Eliya, about 16 km from Maskeliya on the road to Norton Bridge, near where that river meets the Kehelgamu Oya to form the Kelani. The falls give their name to 2 hydropower stations, and folklore holds that the Buddha mended his robe here on his way to Sri Pada.
• Culture and heritage · a short visit on the Hatton to Norwood road, about 10 minutes from HattonChrist Church Warleigh, the planters' church above CastlereaghChrist Church Warleigh is an Anglican church built in 1878 at Dickoya, on the Hatton to Norwood road, bordered by tea estates and the Castlereagh reservoir. Its walls are of granite, and inside are wooden pews and a pulpit, a pipe organ, floor tiles from England and 19th-century stained glass brought from England.