Ella Sri Lanka is a mountain hill town in the Central Highland of Sri Lanka, about 1000 meters above sea level and it has been attracting considerably more travellers in recent years than ever before due to many reasons.
Although Ella sri lanka is not a big town or city but there is plenty to do in Ella , from hiking, trails to waterfalls and lounging at the restaurant/Hotels/Shops
Ella rock climb is known as one of the best hiking trails in Sri Lanka,specially among srilankan travellers.
The journey from Colombo Fort Station to Ella Sri Lanka
Before I start, I just want to let you know that the train ride from Kandy to Ella(Nuwara Eliya) is one of the most memorable in the world and it’s definitely the best way to get to Ella
With short notice, few of my friends decided to visit Ella Sri Lanka on Friday this year 2016. But since it was not confirmed by Thursday, we couldn’t book train tickets to Ella Sri Lanka.
Three of us had to take a train from Fort and the other friend had to join the trip from Polgahawela.
I came to the Fort Station straight away from the office(I am a Banker -:) ) and bought tickets for others.
We had to get down from Kithal Ella station, but I bought second class tickets to Ella station, which was priced 350 rupees(2 USD . So Cheap).
We couldn’t get seats to sit, so we decided to sit on the floor after passing Veyangoda Railway Station walk across the train. Only after reaching Nanu Oya Station two of us got seats.
So ladies first!! Girls sat on the seats and two boys had to stand next to them.
It was bone freezing cold when we arrive Bandarawela Railway Station where we all got seats next to each other.
Srilankan Type of Food in Ella Town
We had to dig out the sweater to get rid of the cold. so make sure, you carry a sweater if you travel up countries in Sri Lanka :-).This is my first advice
We were planned to get down from “Kaithal Ella” Railway station. But had to go to Ella Railway Station to have breakfast. We arrived at Ella around 6.30 AM after a long train journey.
Boys decided to go and bring breakfast while two of us girls having a rest at the Ella station.
There was a train to Colombo from Ella around 7 AM in the morning. So we had to come to Kaithal Ella by that train.
After buying some rottie and milk packets, we got into the train to come to Kaithal Ella Railway station.
You can buy freshly made roti from the street down the station for a reasonable price.
Ella Rock Hiking, Ella Sri Lanka
After getting down the station, we stepped into a little shop in front of the station. We bought some snacks from there and tea after having rottie. The owner of the shop was a friendly lady, he asked her little son to show us the path to Ella rock.
You have to come down to Ella’s side on railway tracks until you meet a Bo tree. From there you have to climb up to the hill through a tea plantation.
We met a small shop half away and had some snacks from there. After that, you enter the area of Mana bushes, which is not a hard area to climb.
You can see the surrounded area with misty mountains. After climbing a few more minutes, you can reach the summit of the Ella rock.
The view from the summit was really amazing. You can see the whole area of Knuckles and few other misty mountains from the top.
After enjoying the breathtaking view of the summit we walked to the second summit point of the Ella rock. It was nearly one kilometer away from the main viewpoint.
You can reach there after walking through a turpentine forest beginning from the first viewpoint.
The small Buddhist shrine is located on the second viewpoint. You can clearly see the Wellawaya road and Rawana Ella falls from there. And also Namunukula, Narangala, and Piduruthalagala also can be seen there if you visit in clear sky day.
Since it was around 11 am, it was hard to stay there for a long with the sun coming up.
So we decided to leave the Ella rock with the memories and visit our next destination, Demodara Railway Bridge.
9 Nine Arches Bridge in Ella Sri Lanka Demodara Railway Bridge
9 Nine Arches Bridge in Ella Sri Lanka Demodara Railway Bridge. This is an excellent photo.
Coming down to the station was not as hard as climbing. Less than one hour we got down to the starting point.
We had to walk 6km to the Demodara Bridge. On our way, we met a big black steal railway bridge which is located 20 meters away from Ella Station after the 166 and 3/4km sign.
It is also a masterpiece of engineering of the Sri Lankan railway during the British colonial era. You can reach there within a short walk along the railway tracks and you can have an amazing view of green tea plantations below the railway tracks from there.
We walked all the way to the Ella Sri Lanka station to fill our water bottles and from the station, we got to know about the train schedule. They informed us that there is a train reaching the bridge around 1.30 pm.
We were excited to see the view of the train passing the bridge. No sooner we started the walk along the railway lines. You have to check the train schedule before starting the journey.
Railway lines are narrow at some points and just before the bridge, there is a short tunnel.
After walking all the way to the bridge, we reached the Majestic, prodigy of human engineering in the middle of a solid jungle.
During the British colonial era this bridge was built between Demodara and Ella railway stations at Gotuwala.
Nine Arches Bridge in Ella Sri lanka. if you want to take this type of photo, make sure you go with a friend and take at least 2 Camera. one to take photos and Video
Nine Skies Bridge and Nine Arches Bridge are the Same Bridge
Located virtually 3100 feet above the sea-level. This enormous bridge is constructed totally of solid rocks, bricks, and cement deprived of using a sole part of the steel.
It’s known as “9 Skies Bridge” as if you go to the bottom of the bridge, you will see the sky through these nine arches.
We sat on the track and got cameras ready. Everyone was really excited to hear the clackety-clack of the train. There is a viewpoint café on one side of the track.
The view of the train come across the bridge was really amazing. After the train passed the bridge we stayed there to have lunch from a café near the bridge.
Lunch was really okay with the price. We had chicken fried rice and curd as a dessert just for 300 rupees(2 USD Lunch). The policeman at the police post of the bridge showed us the way to go back to the town.
After passing vegetable gardens and a turpentine forest we reached the road. But we hadn’t a clear idea of the route, so we asked a truck driver to drop us at the Rawana Falls.
He was very kind and informed us he will have to charge 1000 rupees for that which is not ideal for us.
Instead of that he suggested we get a bus from the Ella town and dropped us there near a bus halt and not even charged us.
After staying for nearly 15 minutes, finally, a bus arrived at Wellawaya. So we had to abort the plan to go to Little Adams Peak and got into the bus reach Rawana Ella. The ticket price was 20 rupees per head to the fall.
Rawana falls in Ella Sri Lanka
Rawana falls is approximately 25 m in height formed by Kirindi Oya. Even it was a kind of dry season to Badulla, water flow was fair enough to form a beautiful view for the viewpoint.
It breaks into two levels and creates an amazing view for visitors. The bottom part of the waterfall is made into a shallow pool.
We were so tired after walking down railway tracks, so without thinking twice we got changed and dipped to the cold water. Water was clear and cold, it’s advised to not climb up the waterfall at any cost.
More than 34 people have seen lost lives from drowning and slipped out of the rocks.
After the perfect relaxation for the day, we got out of the water while I started to shiver. There was a nice restaurant of the other side, we had hot tea with some short eats there.
Journey From Ella Sri Lanka to Colombo
From the next bus, we came to Ella and walked to the station to catch the night mail train at 7 pm.
Since we had enough time, we had a nap in the restroom of the station. One of the guys took a bus to Colombo due to an emergency.
Three of us got second class tickets and reached Fort Station on Sunday around 6.30 am.
During the train ride, we had seen a man robbed a gold chain of a lady sitting next to us at Polgahawela.
It’s advised to keep your valuable things in the bags and not to wear jewelry while traveling on a night mail train.
Best Restaurants in Ella
Cafe Chill
Cafe Chill restaurant is very chill and it’s the most popular place in town. The atmosphere and the staff that makes the difference.If you go up the stairs there’s an even more deeply chilled area with bean bags, overlooking the street. It’s a nice comfortable and quirky place to dine or have a drink. Background music is modern and carefully selected
They serve different types of food in a great way, Detox Smoothies, Burgers, Pizza’s, and the Sri Lankan Lamprais is a must food in Cafe Chill.
This photo of Cafe Chill is courtesy of TripAdvisor
Contact information of Cafe Chill is: Wellawaya-Ella-Kumbalwela Highway, Ella Sri Lanka +94 077 180 4020
AK Ristoro
AK Ristoro is located a little off the main road, AK Ristoro is an Italian type restaurant that serves a lot more than just Italian food. Some dishes are better than others therefore it’s best to go simple.
It has low lighting and a muted atmosphere. It’s all basically cement, brickwork walls, and dark wood and simple atmosphere.
Their service is friendly and cheery. Price-wise, you’d end up spending approximately Rs. 2000 per person, but almost all the touristy restaurants in Ella Sri Lanka are going to cost you as much. it’s a good place to wind down a busy day.
Contact information of AK Ristoro is: AK Ristoro, 37 Passara Rd, Ella Sri Lanka, +94 0572 050 676
Ceylon Tea Factory
According to my understanding, the Ceylon Tea Factory restaurant is the newest eating spot in Ella. Built to resemble a tea factory, the restaurant centers its theme around tea manufacturing and drinking. It has both Sri Lankan and Western food and very high quality.
Further, Halpe’ Tea presents the World’s first Tea Factory Restaurant with fusion, Sri Lankan, and international cuisine. This is the Only food safety certified restaurant in Ella Sri Lanka.
Contact information of Ceylon Tea Factory: 39 Passara Rd, Ambagollapathana, Ella, +94 0572 226 333
Weather in Ella Sri Lanka
- What’s the best time to go to Ella in Sri Lanka? Here are some annual weather facts that we collected from our historical climate data:
- During the months of January, February, March, April, and May you are most likely to experience good weather with pleasant average temperatures.
- Most rainfall (rainy season) is seen in January, April, May, June, July, August, September, October, November, and December.
- On average, the warmest month is April.
- On average, the coolest month is February.
- October is the wettest month. This month should be avoided if you don’t like too much rain.
- March is the driest month.
