Bandarawela
A pleasant tea-country market town at the crossroads of the Uva highlands — colonial hotels, rock temples and cool climate.
About Bandarawela
Bandarawela sits 28 km from Badulla in Uva Province, long favoured as a retirement town for its pleasant climate and easy access to the surrounding tea country. The bustling market, the 1893 Bandarawela Hotel and the striking Dowa rock temple make it a rewarding stop, and it's a natural transport hub for exploring the wider Uva highlands or continuing east.
Top experiences
- Dowa Rock Temple
A 1st-century BC cave temple with a 4 m Buddha carved directly into the rock face.
Bandarawela MarketA bustling hill-country market — best on Wednesdays and Sundays.
Bandarawela Hotel afternoon teaA slice of colonial history at the 1893 planter's hotel — take afternoon tea on the lawn.
Amba Estate tea & spice tourA working organic tea and spice estate offering hands-on tours, tastings and lunch.
Tea estate walks & Kinchigune FallsScenic plantation trails leading to a hidden waterfall in the tea hills.
Things to do
Scenic hill-country train ride
The famed Kandy–Ella line through tea estates and cloud forest.
Tea factory tour & tasting
Walk a working factory and taste single-estate Ceylon teas.
Nine Arch Bridge & Little Adam's Peak hike
Iconic viaduct plus an easy summit hike near Ella.
Horton Plains & World's End trek
Early-morning cloud-forest trek to a sheer 800 m escarpment.
Attractions nearby
Nine Arch Bridge
Colonial-era railway viaduct arching over jungle in Ella.
Ravana Falls
25 m roadside cascade steeped in Ramayana legend.
Lipton's Seat
The panoramic viewpoint where Sir Thomas Lipton surveyed his estates.
Horton Plains National Park
Cloud-forest plateau, montane grassland and the World's End cliff.
Bandarawela in pictures
