Quick answer
On a 5-day trip, most travellers skip either Ella or Haputale. Skip Ella if your flight leaves early or you dislike long drives, because it is roughly 6 to 7 hours from the airport. Skip Nuwara Eliya if you care more about walks than tea and colonial towns. Skip Kandy only if you have seen it before. Haputale is the easiest to drop, because Ella covers similar ground.
Key takeaways
- Five days usually allows two hill country towns comfortably, three at a stretch.
- Ella is the furthest from the airport, roughly 6 to 7 hours, which makes it the costliest to include.
- Nuwara Eliya is the base for Horton Plains; skip it and you skip Horton Plains too.
- Kandy is the nearest town to the airport and has the Temple of the Tooth.
- Haputale overlaps with Ella and is the easiest to drop.
The problem
Kandy, Nuwara Eliya, Ella and Haputale each have their own character: Kandy's temple and lake, Nuwara Eliya's tea and colonial streets, Ella's walks and viewpoints, Haputale's ridge-top views. All four are worth seeing.
But the hill country is slow to cross. Kandy to Nuwara Eliya is roughly 2.5 to 3 hours, Nuwara Eliya to Ella roughly 2 to 2.5 by road or 2.5 to 3 by train, and Ella to the airport roughly 6 to 7. With four nights, a three-town route already means a check-in almost every day.
The question is not which town is best, but which one costs the most for what you want.
A useful way to decide is to write down the one sight in the hills you would be sorry to miss. If it is the Temple of the Tooth, keep Kandy. If it is Horton Plains, keep Nuwara Eliya. If it is the Nine Arch Bridge or Little Adam's Peak, keep Ella. The rest follows.
- →Kandy: roughly 3 to 4 hours from the airport.
- →Nuwara Eliya: roughly 5 to 6.
- →Ella: roughly 6 to 7.
Skip Ella if
Skip Ella if your flight leaves early on day five, if you dislike long drives, or if you are travelling with young children. Ella is the furthest town from the airport, and including it puts six or seven hours of driving at one end of the trip.
You lose Little Adam's Peak, the Nine Arch Bridge and Ella's cafes. You keep Kandy, Nuwara Eliya, Horton Plains and the tea country, with drives of no more than roughly 5 to 6 hours.
The Kandy and Nuwara Eliya route is the natural choice.
- →Early flight.
- →Young children.
- →Dislike of long drives.
Skip Nuwara Eliya if
Skip Nuwara Eliya if walks and views matter more to you than tea estates and colonial towns, and if Horton Plains is not a priority. You can still see the tea country from the train between Kandy and Ella.
You lose Horton Plains, Gregory Lake and a night in the cool. You gain a second night in Kandy or Ella, which means fewer check-ins.
The Kandy and Ella route, with the train between them, is the natural choice.
- →Walks over tea.
- →Horton Plains not essential.
- →Fewer check-ins.
Skip Kandy if
Skip Kandy only if you have seen it before, or if you are combining the hills with the Cultural Triangle on a longer trip and will pass through it anyway. Kandy is the closest hill town to the airport and has the Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic, one of the most important Buddhist shrines in the world.
Without Kandy, the hills are reached via the south, through Ella or Haputale, or via Hatton. The Nuwara Eliya and Ella and Haputale and Ella routes work this way.
- →Seen it before.
- →Passing through on a longer trip.
- →Approaching from the south.
Haputale: the easy one to drop
Haputale is the least visited of the four, and on a first trip it is usually the one to drop. Its ridge-top views and Lipton's Seat are wonderful, but Ella, roughly an hour away, offers similar scenery and more variety.
On a second visit, or if you want quiet, Haputale can replace Ella. Lankan Stays & Trails can help you weigh the four towns against your flight times and interests.
How the season changes the answer
From May to September, the western hills around Nuwara Eliya and Horton Plains are often wet and misty, while Ella and Haputale are drier. In these months, skipping Nuwara Eliya often makes sense.
From January to April, all four towns are at their best, and the decision rests on flights and interests. In October and November, rain falls on both sides, so keep the route to two towns with short drives.
- →May to September: skip Nuwara Eliya.
- →January to April: decide by flights.
- →October and November: two towns only.
Frequently asked questions
Should I skip Ella or Nuwara Eliya on a 5-day trip?
Skip Ella if your flight is early or you dislike long drives, because it is roughly 6 to 7 hours from the airport. Skip Nuwara Eliya if walks matter more than tea and Horton Plains is not a priority. From May to September, Nuwara Eliya is the wetter of the two.
Can I see Kandy, Nuwara Eliya and Ella in 5 days?
Yes, with one night in Kandy, one in Nuwara Eliya and two in Ella, but it means three check-ins and a long last day of roughly 6 to 7 hours. Reversing the route to start in Ella makes the last day easier.
Is Haputale worth including?
Haputale is worth including on a second visit or for travellers who want quiet. On a first trip with five days, Ella usually offers more, roughly an hour away, with similar scenery. Lipton's Seat can be visited from Ella with an early start.
Is Kandy part of the hill country?
Kandy sits at roughly 500 metres, on the edge of the hill country, and is warmer than Nuwara Eliya or Ella. It is the gateway to the hills from the airport and is usually included in hill country routes for the Temple of the Tooth.
What is the minimum time for the hill country?
Two nights is the minimum for a meaningful hill country visit, for example one in Kandy and one in Nuwara Eliya, or two in Ella. Four nights, as on a five-day trip, allows two or three towns and the train.
Which hill country town is best for families?
Kandy and Nuwara Eliya suit families best on a short trip, because they are closer to the airport and have gentle sights such as gardens, lakes and tea factories. Ella's walks are popular with older children, but the long drive back is harder with young ones.