Originally uninhabited, lies in the shadow of Pidurutalagala and became a singularly British creation, having been 'discovered' by colonial officer John Davy in 1819. Nuwara Eliya which means 'The City of Light' upkeeps its colonial hill station atmosphere more completely than any place in Sri Lanka.
The town still keeps the atmosphere of a misplaced British village, with hedges, rose gardens and red-roofed bungalows sporting names. The old post office, the racecourse, the English country house–styled Hill Club with its hunting pictures, mounted fish and hunting trophies and the 18-hole golf course all somehow seem more British than Britain itself.
The town is also a base for visits to the Horton Plains National Park. This is an open grassy woodland with patches of cloud forests. Animal life found here, include the Leopard, Sambar, and the endemic Purple-faced Langur. It also has a well-visited tourist attraction at World's End, a sheer precipice with a 1050 m drop. The return walk passes the scenic Baker Falls named in memory of the towns' founder. Early morning visits are best, both to see the wildlife and to view World's End before mists close in during the later part of the morning.