Ella | Sri Lanka - Life of a Passion

Ella is a peaceful small backpacker village in Sri Lanka that is surrounded by beautiful mountains and tea plantations. The nights are cool, and the day temperature is pleasant, this makes Ella the best place to hike in Sri Lanka! Here are my must do’s when in Ella!

Every trip to Sri Lanka includes a stop at Ella. Ella has everything you want to see in Sri Lanka: tea plantations, waterfalls, mountains, breathtaking viewpoints, and the start of one of the most beautiful train rides in the world!

1) Buduruwagala Temple

When driving from Tissamaharama to Ella, you’ll pass the Buduruwagala temple. Make a stop here, enjoy the breathtaking surroundings and head over to the Buduruwagala Temple.

2) Ravana Falls

Just before entering Ella, you’ll pass the Ravana Falls. This waterfall is one of the widest waterfalls in Sri Lanka and consists of 3 levels.

3) Nine Arch Bridge

Everyone who’s been to Ella has also visited the Nine Arch Bridge. This bridge has 9 arches, is 24 meters high and was built in the British colonial period.

Fun Fact: The bridge is built by only bricks, stones, and cement. No steel!

Photo Fact: The most beautiful photos are taken when the blue train passes by (9.15AM, 10.45 AM, 11.50 AM, 3.15 PM, 5.30PM). Ask locals if the train has passed by. If so, take a beautiful photo in the tunnel (thank you, Mr. Denver, for this idea)!

How to get there

One way to reach the bridge is by walking down the train tracks from Ella. This track would take around 25 minutes. The last part of the track is the tunnel (be sure to check if there are no trains coming).

We took a different road. We parked our car at the Ella Flower Garden Resort. From there on, one road will take you to Little Adam’s Peak and the other one will take you to the Nine Arch Bridge. The road to Nina Arch Bridge goes through the forest and will lead you to a magnificent view of the bridge. Walk further down and you’ll reach the bridge.

Warning: The road towards the Nine Arch Bridge is surrounded by tall grass. Leeches are hanging in those grasses and when you walk through them, they will hang on to your leg and try to find a way to your skin. My mother and our guide had leeches (my father and I only on our shoes). So watch out!

4) Little Adam’s Peak

Ella is a hiking place where you can hike Ella’s Rock or Little Adam’s Peak. Ella’s Rock is a half a day hike while Little Adam’s Peak is just a 2 hours hike. We chose to do the last one. The hike to Little Adam’s Peak will take you through some tea plantations, a viewpoint on Ella’s Rock and a viewpoint of everything around Ella. Little Adam’s Peak is doable for people like us (read: not experienced at all). The first part of the climb is easy, while the end is a firm climb with stairs and at some point just dirt and rocks.

After 1 hour, we reached the top and we were lucky enough to see the sunset! The view was just amazing: mountains as far as the eye cans see! At one point I wanted to sit on a rock for a photo with the beautiful view when suddenly 5 dogs came up to me and sat next to me. The one on the photo was my buddy who walked down with me at the end.

5) Ella Rock

As I’ve said before, you can also hike Ella Rock but due to the fact we aren’t experienced, we didn’t do that. But it’s a possibility for you!

6) Ella City

So after all those hikes, you have to just sit down and eat something. Café Chill is the place that everyone has heard about. Our driver and several locals recommended it and indeed the food was delicious! The only time my spaghetti bolognese tasted exactly the way it should! Besides that, you can also eat burgers, rice and curry, and even a schnitzel!

7) Train Ella to Nuwara Eliya

So Ella is the ending or the beginning of one of the most beautiful train rides in the world! Most people take the train from Kandy to Ella, we’ll do it the other way around and we will stop at Nuwara Eliya (train station: Nanu Oya). Nuwara Eliya is at an altitude of 1,868 m (6,128 ft) and is one of the best places in Sri Lanka for the production of tea! Nuwara Eliya is also the coolest area in Sri Lanka.

Read more about the ride, tickets, and experience
in this special blog post!
» Train ride Ella – Nuwara Eliya | Sri Lanka