A blush of its colonial past marks Badulla out from the sea of 1,000 shades of green that surrounds it; the hallmark of this high-perched, tea-mad town that sits on the edge of the central Sri Lankan highlands. Founded in ancient times, the town rose to prominence under the British, who made good use of the mountain railways that departed from here into the Namunukula ranges and the hills ranging towards Colombo. There is still just a little colonial residue affecting the city, with the occasional whitewashed clock tower and pruned park, while Badulla has moved forward at its own pace, drawing pilgrims to the revered Solosmasthana temple of Muthiyangana (a spot the Buddha himself is thought to have trodden), the carved and chiselled Dhowa Temple, and some of the finest inland vistas you could hope for. In fact, Badulla tour guides now offer everything from short escapes to the roaring Dunhinda Falls (64 metres high and arguably the most breathtaking in the country) to serious multi-day treks between the peaks of the Horton Plains National Park.