High up in the mountains of central Sri Lanka, 1,868 meters above sea level, lies Nuwara Eliya, a world of serene tranquility known as the most important tea production center in the country, and often referred to as "Little England."

Its ambience does share some similarities with an English country village - offering colonial-era tea planter bungalows, a taste of gracious living and a crisp, cool climate.

As the early morning sun sparkles on the vivid green of the tea terraces, they resemble so many surreal layers painted onto the hillside. By 9am, an army of tea pickers, women wrapped in colorful saris - each with a long basket on her back secured by a strap resting on her forehead - starts to work among the waist-high tea bushes.

Here tourists can get a glimpse of life on a working tea estate, watch the shy but friendly tea pickers at work, taste the finest Ceylon tea, and enjoy scenic walking trails in the tea hills under an azure sky.

This part of Sri Lanka is entirely tea territory with the air clean and cold from the high cloud-crowned Pidurutalagala ranges, scented with cypress, wild mint and eucalyptus.

Nuwara Eliya is a love letter to anyone with a passion for tea, tranquility, purity, hospitality and the region itself. It is where the British once headed in the summer to escape the heat of the plains.

Nuwara Eliya was "discovered" by a British hunting party in 1819, and many of their compatriots were quick to appreciate its ruggedly picturesque location and soft English spring climate. Explorer Sir Samuel Baker fell under its spell in 1846 and, planning to make it his home, imported all the accoutrements of an English country village, including a bailiff, a blacksmith and a forge, and even Hereford and Durham cattle.

As the under-performing Sri Lankan tourism industry has shown strong signs of picking up over the past three years since the end of 30-year civil war, Nuwara Eliya has become a favored stop among foreign tourists - especially travelers from the Britain, attracted by architecture which is decidedly Victorian.

The Holy Trinity Church might have stepped out of an England village, with its Gothic architecture and eclectic collection of memorials, while the "pink post office" features a quaint clock tower. The Grand Hotel, Hill Club and golf club also hark back to a bygone era.

Beyond the English-style architecture and parks, a trek around Nuwara Eliya is a delight for nature lovers and outdoors types.

Most hotels organize easy treks amidst verdant tea plantations, led by a specialist to explain how the bushes are picked once a week and pruned every five years. Visitors can get decked in local attire - sari for the ladies and sarong for the gentlemen - and grab a basket to collect leaves.

Nuwara Eliya also offers other activities, including an 18-hole course at the Nuwara Eliya Golf Club, horse riding and boating in Lake Gregory.

If you're staying in the region for more than two nights, head to biodiversity hotspot Horton Plains. About a 90-minute drive - 32 kilometers - from Nuwara Eliya, the national park is Sri Lanka's highest plateau. Characterized by a beautiful landscape of rolling hills, it contains the most extensive area of cloud forest still existing in the country.

Horton Plains is excellent for trekking and bird watching. The best time to visit is early in the morning as this is when the air is likely to be clearest and you can enjoy the best views. The plateau comes to a sudden end at World's End, a stunning escarpment that plunges 880 meters.

Between 6am and 10am is the best time to visit, before the cloud rolls in. The view from World's End is often obscured by mist, particularly during the rainy season from April to September. Horton Plains is the only national park in Sri Lanka that allows tourists to walk around on their own which normally takes about three hours.

Ella, a small, beguiling village located high in the mountains at the southern ridge of the central highlands and two-hour drive from Nuwara Eliya, is another perfect base for relaxing, while also offering enchanting trekking opportunities. It's considered one of the most scenic spots and there are numerous species of flora and fauna in its dense forests.

Beyond the stunning natural beauty in Sri Lanka's hill country, traces of a rich blend of civilizations remains: Britain's colonial past, the Tamil Hindu community and the ancient kingdom of Kandy.

If you go

How to get there:

Sri Lankan airline (www.srilankan.com) flies to Colombo from Shanghai five times a week. Stay one night in Colombo and hire a driver for your trip to the central Hill Country. Driving from Colombo to Kandy takes about three hours and it will take another three hours from Kandy to Nuwara Eliya on the narrow hill roads. Hiring a driver for the whole trip is pretty much essential as it gives you the freedom to explore wherever you want.

Where to stay in Colombo:

While Colombo may not entice travelers to spend a long time there, staying a night at a colonial-style hotel is a memorable experience. Casa Colombo is a 12-suite retro-chic hotel that blends a contemporary designer style with the charms of a magnificent Moorish mansion. No two suites are alike in composition, setting or fittings, though all boast high ceilings.

Another place you must check in Colombo is The Gallery Cafe - the place to see and been seen in the city. The interior is ultra-chic and the food excellent.

Where to stay in Nuwara Eliya:

The Heritance Tea Factory offers a unique stay experience. It stands alone on the steep slopes of the tea plantations to the east of Nuwara Eliya. It was a tea factory built in the 1930s by British planters and was regarded as a remarkable work of engineering.

The factory was ingeniously powered by an oil-fired engine with flywheels and pulleys to operate the large fans for withering the tea and power the rollers and sifters.

The idea of transforming the factory shell into a unique hotel was brought to fruition and opened in 1996.

No alternations or additions have been made to the exterior - the windows and woodwork are entirely original as designed by British engineers.

And the original engine in the basement that provided the main source of power is turned on for half an hour in the evenings - so guests can watch the camel-hair belts turning.

You can also see the solid scales used for weighing tea in the lounge. A mini tea factory is situated in the hotel premises, producing around 25 kilograms of black tea a day. The hotel follows a green philosophy.

What to buy:

Almost every tourist to Nuwara Eliya brings back the famous Ceylon tea. Take a visit to Pedro Tea Estate, which offers guided tours and sells local tea. Heritance Tea Factory also sells black tea with their own packages.

Spiced Ceylon tea recipe:

Add 1 liter of hot water to two tea spoons of Ceylon tea leaves, five tablespoons sugar, two cardamom pods, one small piece of cinnamon, one slice lime, three mint leaves, two teaspoons vanilla essence. Boil for five minutes. Strain and serve the perfect cup of spiced Ceylon tea.

Why Sri Lanka?

Sri Lanka is a travel destination to watch as its popularity grows. Now is the perfect time to go before the developers move in and the crowds follow.

You can probably find yourself the only tourist in one of the traditional villages or some of the country's most beautiful beaches. Though lacking top-class accommodation, the beaches on the east coast have fine sand and calm, clear waters.

Sri Lanka has an amazing diversity for a small island and a traveler can experience vastly different climates, history, cultures and landscapes during a short vacation, from cool hillside terrains, lush rainforests, sandy beaches, to national parks that are home to elephants.

You can easily customize your vacation from relaxed beach holidays, cultural journeys to wildlife safaris in some of the best national parks in Asia.