Our final destination in our Sri Lankan sojourn was Unawatuna, the beach town in the southernmost tip of Sri Lanka. Our drive from Nuwara Eliya to Unawatuna would be a long one, about 6-7 hours, since Unawatuna was about 27 kms away. Shushanta, our guide, explained that we would have to climb down the tea gardens of Nuwara Eliya, reach the plains, and from somewhere close to Colombo, turn left and take the Southern Expressway to reach Unawatuna.
We started from our hotel in Nuwara Eliya (Read: Review of Aralia Green Hills Hotel in Nuwara Eliya) immediately after breakfast. It had rained all night. The clouds, all spent, were on their way out now, slowly revealing to us a deep blue happy sky. Around us were only tea gardens carpeting the undulating country-side. We stopped, jumped out of the van, ran into the shrubs, admired them, gazed at the valley around, drank in the pristine sights, took photographs, got back to the van and continued the southward drive. Soon we stopped yet again, and soon after, yet again, repeating the above procedure for a good two and a half hours. Yes, the tea gardens in this side of the journey spanned hills after hills, as though the world was made of them. We drove through them feeling like millionaires. Without doubt, this part of the drive had been one of our most picturesque drive…here are a few photos that will give a glimpse of what beauty lies there…
Once down in the plains, we stopped for lunch at a restaurant that served Sri Lankan fare in a buffet. Reasonably priced, we had our fill and resumed out journey towards the beaches. Soon after we hit the Southern Expressway. We zoomed past this smooth 90+ km straight stretch in no time, to be greeted by the sight of sea and sand.
Unawatuna was to be our destination for the next two night. We had planned to bring in the new year, 2016, here. And had lined up a whale-watching tour and walk at the Galle Fort during our stay here..
P.S: For a complete Sri Lanka itinerary and tour details, read — Best Itinerary & Blogs for Sri Lanka Road Trip