We planned to travel by train from Kandy to Ella in Sri Lanka. This train journey is reputed to be one of the most beautiful in the world. It didn't turn out quite as planned, but maybe it wasn't so bad after all. We also have some tips for those who want to do the classic train journey from Kandy to Ella.
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Buying a train ticket
You can buy a ticket for the train journey from Kandy to Ella in advance, or on the spot at the train station in Ella. the holy city of Kandy. Since we don't like to plan in detail in advance, we went to the station in Kandy the day before our planned train journey.
Now it is high season, and since we were not out in good time, the tickets you buy in advance were no longer available. The only tickets available were the ones you buy the same morning. There is a small problem with these tickets, but we didn't realise it until the following morning.
Train from Kandy to Ella
On the day of departure, we got to the train station early. The train would leave at 08:45, and we were there at 07:15. We bought four tickets that said "second class", but without numbered seats, for about 15 SEK per person. We had wanted to buy more expensive tickets with numbered seats, but all such tickets were sold out.
Travelling second class on the train is supposed to be fine, and if you book second class in advance you can get a numbered seat in a carriage with plenty of room. We met a German couple who had bought such second class tickets on the black market, and they got a seat in a carriage with plenty of room, with no people standing up. The problem with the tickets we bought on the same day was that they did not include a seat ...
We were at the front of the platform when the train rolled in, but the compartments we had tickets for were already occupied. overcrowdedand by that we mean overcrowded in the way you may have seen on film that Indian trains can be.
After having forcibly pressurised On board, we realised that travelling in this way for over six hours was not reasonable, at least not if it is supposed to be a pure pleasure trip. We couldn't even move an arm and certainly couldn't see out the windows, so what was the point? We simply jumped off again, before the train started rolling ...
Want to take the beautiful train journey? Our tip is to book your ticket well in advance, which we understand can be done at Visit Sri Lanka Tours. You can choose between first class (air conditioning and closed windows) or second class (no air conditioning, but windows can be opened). If you book a ticket with a seat, you're sure to enjoy a beautiful journey of 6 hours between Kandy and Ella!
Car from Kandy to Ella
For us there was no train journey. We called our driver, who had already started driving towards Ella, but who quickly turned around to pick us up. The road from Kandy to Ella winds up into the mountains, through a beautiful green landscape, and we stopped again and again to take pictures.
The high mountains between Kandy and Ella, around Nuwara Eliya, have a different climate from the rest of Sri Lanka. It is much colder here. The climate and the mountains are perfect for growing tea, and when you drive here you can really see tea farms. just everywhere.
Perhaps you've heard of Ceylon tea? Ceylon is the old name of Sri Lanka, and when it comes to tea, they have kept this well-known name. We made a small stop at a tea shop along the way, where we enjoyed both Ceylon tea and some crispy spring rolls. You can also choose to visit a tea factory on the way if you wish.
We stopped at the Mount Heaven Hotel, which was beautifully surrounded by intensely green mountains, in Bandarawela outside Ella.
We also stopped at Ravana Falls, which is a bit outside Ella. This is a nice and strong flowing waterfall, which is also very popular. We were many who stepped around among the stones to get close to the rushing water. There are also plenty of small stalls around selling drinks, fruit and grilled corn on the cob.
Ella in Sri Lanka
After almost five hours of driving, we arrived at our destination. Ella is a small town in the district of Badulla, located about 1000 metres above sea level, surrounded by green mountains and tea plantations. The nature here is rich in plant and animal life, and because the town is so high, it is quite chilly here.
The centre of Ella is pretty much a single street, where hotels, restaurants and nightclubs sit side by side. All the tourists who have come from the train, or who are planning to take the train soon, meet here and the atmosphere among partying backpackers is high. This was the first time during our trip in Sri Lanka that we felt that we had ended up in a real tourist place. We liked the atmosphere in Ella and ended the evening with a pizza at the Chill restaurant.
We stayed one night at a hotel called Pasla, located at 47 Main Street. This was a simple, but quite ok hotel for about 190 SEK per double room, with a good location. Well, unless you have problems with noise from nightly partying of course, in which case it is difficult to stay on the central street in Ella. For our part, we were so tired that we easily fell into deep sleep despite all the partying!
The railway bridge in Ella
What about the train? We actually travelled from Kandy to Ella because we wanted to take the famous train. Instead, we travelled by car, but that didn't stop us from checking out the beautiful train bridge, which is close to Ella train station. Our driver first drove us to the train station in Ella, and there we took two tuktuk for further travelling to the bridge.
My favourite thing to see is when a train crosses the bridge and the tuktuk drivers got the idea that a train was coming, so they took off at full speed, while the gravel sprayed and the tuktuk overtook everything in its path.
Finally, we arrived at the viewpoint where you can see the beautiful bridge. The train? No, it didn't come while we were standing here, but at least we had a great view. There was no trip by train from Kandy to Ella for us, but despite this it was a nice and interesting trip to Ella.
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Britt-Marie Lundgren says:
Even if it didn't turn out the way you intended, it was still fantastic!
In a way, it's great to travel with a driver because you can stop along the way. The nature in the tea districts is incredibly beautiful. Your pictures remind me of when we went with a driver to Munnar in India, so incredibly green and beautiful!
02 January 2019 - 6:28
Helena says:
Yes, it was very nice anyway! And with the car and driver we could stop here and there. Excellent! I agree that the nature here is fantastically beautiful!
02 January 2019 - 13:21
Travelsis says:
Oh how it can be, but that's what's great about travelling, when things don't always turn out as planned. Our train journey did not start so well either, as it was foggy and raining. But after about half the journey, it cleared up and we could enjoy the nice view.
Oh you ate the good pizza at Chill, great to break the Sri Lankan food with a pizza from Chill. Have a continued good luck / Pernilla
02 January 2019 - 8:17
Helena says:
I agree. this is exactly what travelling is like! If you knew exactly how everything would be before, then there would be no adventure! 😉 Glad you also ate pizza at Chill! 🙂
02 January 2019 - 13:23
Ama de casa says:
Snopet with the cancelled train journey but it was an absolutely fantastic trip anyway! It is also lucky that those tickets were not so expensive, then your decision to jump off the crowded train and go "a little" more comfortable was much easier to take 🙂
02 January 2019 - 9:30
Helena says:
No, in terms of price, it was not a problem to ignore the fact that we bought the tickets 😉 And yes, it was a bit annoying, but it still felt like the right decision! 🙂
02 January 2019 - 13:24
Johnny Friskilä says:
I hope you had lunch at Mount Heaven Hotel, they had great food there, and I see you also visited the waterfall which I thought was a very nice place with all the monkeys, and the people selling different stones and minerals.
Regardless, it's a shame that you didn't get a train journey. There is also a third class (which I have written about and travelled) with seat tickets, but guess it was full even there. Yes yes, now you have a reason to go back to Sri Lanka anyway! 🙂
02 January 2019 - 10:04
Helena says:
Aha ok, no we missed lunch there ... But liked the place, cool and great views! Also liked the waterfall! Did not see any monkeys right there ... but the stones and minerals you are talking about! Aha, so there are seat tickets even in third class! I think it was full even there. because nothing could be bought in advance. It was a bit of a shame, of course, but we saw beautiful scenery from the car too!
02 January 2019 - 13:27
Mr Nils-Åke Hansson says:
Awesome experience! Yes, you have seen in pictures how many people are crowded on the trains. Nice nature you get to experience and a lot of excitement.
02 January 2019 - 10:06
Helena says:
Very beautiful nature in Sri Lanka! 🙂
02 January 2019 - 15:19
marina says:
It sounds just as it should be, "nothing turns out the way you planned, but usually it turns out well anyway". In any case, you got a beautiful car journey.
02 January 2019 - 10:43
Helena says:
That's kind of what travelling is like 😉.
03 January 2019 - 5:29
Mr Steve says:
It didn't turn out the way you expected, but you still seem happy with the experience, which is the most important thing. Maybe sometime in the future there will be an opportunity for you to make that train journey.
Enjoy 2019 and your journey!
02 January 2019 - 12:56
Helena says:
Yes, it was still a nice trip with beautiful nature! Happy New Year!
03 January 2019 - 5:29
Maria / Magnolia Magis says:
The picture of the railway bridge is so beautiful! How cool to drink tea near a tea plantation! Tea drinker that I am, it would be very interesting! Nice waterfall too. Looks so nice that you go in linen and shorts! Here are minus degrees and strong winds. I will probably look more at the summer pictures from you!
02 January 2019 - 17:28
Helena says:
The railway bridge is beautiful and gratifying to photograph! For tea drinkers, this is a perfect destination 🙂 And yes, great heat!
03 January 2019 - 5:31
BP says:
Can't help but laugh a little here. I usually say that you get what you pay for. Oh, you certainly did. Smart to jump off the train. The nature there is absolutely fantastic, but when I look at the pictures of the bridge I get a little cold sweat. The people walking on the tracks and dangling their feet from the bridge. Life-threatening is just the first name, but it's the same with train passengers hanging from doors or sitting on the roof. They also put their lives at risk. Yes, yes, I'm glad you didn't take the custom where you came;-)
02 January 2019 - 19:06
Helena says:
That's how it is! We would have liked to take the train with a seat ticket (and paid more) but you would have needed to be out a week in advance at least, and we are not always good at that 😉 So it's our own fault, and we still felt happy with the car journey through the beautiful nature! 🙂
03 January 2019 - 5:33
Ditte says:
What a board! And too bad you missed the train journey. But .... We have travelled it a few times but then booked first class in advance and it has been a great trip. But in your situation I would also have jumped off the train. we have only been in Ella for the day and late evening and stayed in Nuwara Elyia in a British colonial hotel in old style.
Great pictures that bring back great memories
Keep up the good work.
02 January 2019 - 20:36
Helena says:
It is certainly much better to book in advance! We always find it difficult to know which day we will be where somewhere 😉 But we are happy anyway! 🙂
05 January 2019 - 13:33
Anna says:
Tip is that there is sometimes third class with a seat ticket. Travelled both second and third and the carriages are similar but much more spacious with booked seats. Booked the day before but not in as busy a season as you are in.
03 January 2019 - 7:59
Helena says:
Thanks for the tip Anna! Someone else wrote this too, I will update the post with this information in the future!
05 January 2019 - 13:34
teal says:
Hi! We travelled the route last week. Beautiful, of course, but almost six hours of tea plantation is a bit boring in the long run, as beautiful as it is.
03 January 2019 - 15:28
Helena says:
Ah ok! Thanks for writing! 🙂 Have you had a good trip?
05 January 2019 - 13:35
JoY says:
The nature among the tea plantations is beautiful, we also thought so when we travelled around Sri Lanka. Travelling that way would not have been a great experience for six hours, luckily you had time to jump off.
03 January 2019 - 17:20
Helena says:
In that crowd it probably wouldn't have been a pleasure 😉 With a booked place it can certainly be nice!
05 January 2019 - 13:36
Lena - good for the soul says:
How disappointing that you had to drop out again. But I definitely understand the choice. Maybe it was even better because you were able to stay and take pictures. It looks absolutely fantastic!
Hug Lena
05 January 2019 - 12:44
Reiselinda says:
Sounds like a good choice to get off the train. Would have done the same. From the photos it looks like you had a very nice trip anyway!
07 January 2019 - 18:44
Deciree says:
What a cool trip you made ... but it feels strange that so many people are on the train track in the photo ... and what luck that you jumped off the train when it was so crowded. I wouldn't want to go so crowded either, it's definitely not a holiday experience. ?
10 January 2019 - 7:41
Linda, travelling consciously says:
All's well that ends well it sounds like!
19 January 2019 - 22:44