Colombo Airport (CMB) to Nuwara Eliya

Two approaches lead up. The classic one runs via Kandy — expressway out of the airport, the A6 over the Kadugannawa climb, then the mountain road past Peradeniya, Gampola and Pussellawa before the great bends above Ramboda and the drop into tea country. The southern route via Avissawella and Hatton is gentler on the map and roughly similar in time. Both cover around 170 kilometres; we usually pick by your start time and the week's weather.

The climb is the most photogenic drive in the country. The Ramboda Falls viewpoint breaks the steepest section; a working tea factory near Kotagala or on the Hatton side pours a proper cup and shows the leaf's journey from green to black; and the last hour threads estates so green they look painted. On arrival, Gregory Lake and the market-town bustle sit a few minutes apart — bring a layer, because the temperature drops fast when the mist comes through.

Take the hairpins seriously: motion-sensitive passengers belong in the front seats, with a light breakfast behind them and eyes on the horizon. We plan a break roughly every hour and a half, and your driver will start early enough to reach the town in daylight — hill driving after dark is slower and shows you nothing. With children, the tea factory stop and a strawberry stall near town work wonders.