Best Time To Visit Nuwara Eliya > Weather, Season And Temperature

What is the best time to visit Nuwara Eliya?

December to April is the best time to visit Nuwara Eliya, and February and March are the driest months of the year. Days sit around 20°C and nights drop to about 10°C, so pack a jacket whatever the month.

April is the town's own high season for the Sinhala and Tamil New Year, with the races and the flower show. It is the liveliest time to be here and the hardest month to find a room.

October and November are the wettest months, wetter than the monsoon itself, and mist can close the view at Horton Plains for days.

Nuwara Eliya is the coldest place in Sri Lanka, so it pairs naturally with Ella on the train and with Kandy on the way up.

Monthly Weather in Nuwara Eliya

Month	High/Low (°C)	Rain
January	21°/ 12°	9 days
February	22°/ 12°	12 days
March	24°/ 12°	10 days
April	23°/ 13°	21 days
May	23°/ 14°	29 days
June	23°/ 15°	15 days
July	22°/ 14°	15 days
August	21°/ 14°	16 days
September	21°/ 13°	22 days
October	20°/ 13°	30 days
November	21°/ 12°	24 days
December	20°/ 12°	22 days

Nuwara Eliya Travel Packages

Compare quotes from upto 3 travel agents for free

8 Nights / 9 Days

9-Day Sri Lanka Ramayana Trail: Temples, UNESCO Heritage & Southern Coast

Negombo(1N) → Habarana(1N) → Kandy(1N) → Nuwara Eliya(2N) &...

₹59,125/person

7 Nights / 8 Days

Sri Lanka Discovery: 8-Day Culture, Wildlife, and Coastal Adventure

Kandy(2N) → Nuwara Eliya(1N) → Yala National Park(1N) → Ben...

₹62,149/person

5 Nights / 6 Days

6-Day Sri Lanka Ramayana Journey: Sacred Temples, Tea Country & Kataragama

Kandy(1N) → Nuwara Eliya(1N) → Ella(1N) → Kataragama(1N) &r...

₹35,081/person

6 Nights / 7 Days

7-Day Sri Lanka Honeymoon Tour: Kandy, Nuwara Eliya, Ella, Galle & Bentota

Kandy(1N) → Nuwara Eliya(1N) → Ella(1N) → Galle(1N) → ...

₹35,068/person

5 Nights / 6 Days

Sri Lanka: Where Nature Meets Culture

Kandy(1N) → Nuwara Eliya(1N) → Bentota(2N) → Colombo(1N)

₹37,750/person

8 Nights / 9 Days

9-Day Sri Lanka Adventure: Beaches, Heritage, Wildlife, and Scenic Train Ride

Colombo(1N) → Dambulla(2N) → Kandy(1N) → Nuwara Eliya(1N) &...

₹47,900/person

View All Packages For Nuwara Eliya

More about Best Time to Travel to Nuwara Eliya

Dry Season in Nuwara Eliya: December to April

December to April is the settled stretch. February and March are the driest months of the year and the most reliable for Horton Plains and the tea estates.

December and January are the coldest, close to freezing at night and occasionally frosty in the valleys. Rooms with heating are worth paying for.

Southwest Monsoon: May to September

May to September is the southwest monsoon, and the hills take the full force of it. Nuwara Eliya sits on the windward side, so this is wetter here than anywhere on the south coast.

Mornings often start clear and cloud in by afternoon. Prices are at their lowest and the tea country is at its greenest.

Wettest Months: October and November

October and November are the wettest months in Nuwara Eliya, wetter than the monsoon proper, because the inter-monsoon brings rain from every direction.

Mist is the real problem rather than the rain: Horton Plains and World's End can stay closed in for days. Skip these two months if the view is the point of the trip.

April and the Sinhala and Tamil New Year

April is Nuwara Eliya's own season. The Sinhala and Tamil New Year fills the town with horse races, motor races and the annual flower show, and Colombo families come up for the whole month.

The weather is good and the atmosphere is the best of the year. Book two to three months out, because rates roughly double and the older colonial hotels sell out first.