The best places to visit in Sri Lanka's Uva Province

Sri Lanka's Uva Province runs from the tea ridges of Badulla district down to the dry jungle and farmland of Monaragala. Its western border follows the high spine of the hills, and from the edge of that spine the land drops steeply, giving Ella and Haputale their dramatic views.

Uva has a distinct climate. When the south-west monsoon soaks the western hills, roughly May to September, Uva often stays drier and sunnier, which is part of the reason Uva tea has its own flavour. Its own wetter months come with the north-east monsoon, roughly November to January.

Uva also has history. It was the centre of the 1818 Uva rebellion against British rule, and Kataragama in its south is one of the oldest pilgrimage sites on the island.

Ella is Uva's best-known town, a small, lively place in a gap in the hills. Little Adam's Peak is an easy walk with a big view, Ella Rock a longer half-day hike, and the Nine Arch Bridge at Demodara is a short walk along the railway or by road. Ravana Falls tumbles beside the road below town.

Ella has grown quickly, and its main street is now lined with cafes and guesthouses. Staying a little outside town, among tea or on the slopes facing Ella Gap, gives a quieter experience.

Nearby, the Ravana cave and the Dowa rock temple, with a large unfinished Buddha carved into a cliff, add easy half-day options.

Haputale clings to a ridge with views that, on clear mornings, reach to the south coast. Lipton's Seat, above the Dambatenne tea estate, is where Thomas Lipton surveyed his estates. Walk or drive up early, as cloud often rises by mid-morning. Adisham, a stone monastery in English country style, is nearby.

Bandarawela has a mild climate and a busy market town, with tea estates and old hotels around it. Badulla, the provincial capital, has the Muthiyangana temple, an old railway terminus and Dunhinda falls, a misty cascade reached by a short forest walk.

Diyaluma falls, among the highest in Sri Lanka, drops off the edge of the hills near Koslanda. Fit walkers can climb to the natural pools at its top.

Below the hills, near Wellawaya, Buduruwagala has seven figures carved into a rock face, including a standing Buddha roughly 15 metres tall, in a quiet setting by a small reservoir. Maligawila, further east, has a giant standing Buddha carved from a single block of crystalline limestone.

Kataragama is one of Sri Lanka's most important pilgrimage towns, sacred to Hindus, Buddhists, Muslims and the island's Vedda people. The evening puja at the main shrine is crowded, colourful and unforgettable. The annual festival, usually in July or August, brings fire-walking and processions, with dates changing each year.

These sites pair naturally with a safari in Yala, whose northern blocks edge the province.

Ella is the obvious base, with two or three nights giving time for the walks and a day trip to Haputale or Badulla. Haputale suits travellers who want quiet and views. Kataragama is best combined with Tissamaharama and Yala.

The Kandy to Ella train runs through Nanu Oya and Haputale before Ella, and from Ella the line continues to Badulla. By road, Ella is roughly two to three hours from Yala and roughly three from Arugam Bay.

Lankan Stays & Trails often uses Uva as the hinge of a route: the train in from Kandy, a few nights in Ella and Haputale, then down to Yala or Arugam Bay depending on the season.