Central Highlands · Sri Lanka
Hill Country Highway
A5Peradeniya to Nuwara Eliya
Sri Lanka’s classic hill-country climb, rising some 1,400 m from Kandy’s outskirts to Nuwara Eliya through near-continuous hairpins, tea estates and waterfalls.
From Peradeniya the A5 follows the Mahaweli before turning up into the hills, climbing through Gampola and Pussellawa on a road that bends almost without pause. Tea gardens carpet the slopes, the Ramboda Falls drop beside the tarmac, and the air cools as the road gains height past Labookellie to the colonial hill station of Nuwara Eliya at nearly 1,900 m. Fog, slow lorries and tight curves make it a road to savour rather than hurry.
Scenery
Best seasons
In these collections
Hill Country Highway on the map42.9 mi · point to point
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Character
Corners
busiest around mile 31Elevation
under 4%4–8%over 8%476.4 – 2,022.3 mPoints of interest2 stops
- Ramboda FallsViewpoint28 mi in
- Glenloch Tea PlantationLandmark25 mi in
Hazards
- Frequent hairpins with limited overtaking
- Dense hill fog reduces visibility, especially afternoons
- Slow heavy vehicles on the climb
- Surface can be wet and greasy under tea-country rain
Sources
“The A5 road gradually climbs higher and higher as you drive from Kandy to Nuwara Eliya. The road has hairpin bends almost all the way.”
Verified route: mapped from real road geometry and fact-checked by a human editor. How roads get checked
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