✦ Uva Province
Ella
A cool hill-country village of tea slopes, waterfalls and the famous Nine Arch Bridge.
Photo: Knthabrew / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0
Destination guide
About Ella
Ella sits at around 1,000 metres in the Badulla District, in a gap in the hills with views down to the southern plains. Most travellers arrive on the scenic railway from Kandy or Nuwara Eliya, one of the best-known train journeys in Sri Lanka.
Short hikes lead to Little Adam’s Peak and Ella Rock, and the Nine Arch Bridge at Demodara — a colonial-era railway viaduct — is a short walk from the village. Ravana Falls lies just down the road towards Wellawaya.
Why visit
- Scenic hill-country railway
- Easy hikes with big views
- Nine Arch Bridge
- Tea estates and cool climate
Things to do in Ella
- Ride the train from Kandy or Nuwara Eliya to Ella
- Sunrise hike to Little Adam's Peak
- Hike Ella Rock
- Walk to the Nine Arch Bridge
- Visit Ravana Falls
Tours that include Ella
Adventure
Kitulgala–Ella–Arugam Bay
Adventure Sri Lanka 7-Day Tour
The Kelani River churns white beneath the rainforest at Kitulgala, and that is just the warm-up. Raft its rapids, hike to the…
- 7 days / 6 nights
- Kitulgala → Arugam Bay
Photography
Kandy–Nuwara Eliya–Ella
Central Highlands Photography 5-Day Tour
For photographers, the hill country is all about timing. Reach World's End before the mist rises, catch tea pickers at work on…
- 5 days / 4 nights
- Kandy → Ella
★ Featured
Hiking
Ella–Haputale–Bandarawela
Ella and Haputale 4-Day Scenic Tour
Time your visit to the Nine Arch Bridge for a passing train and you will understand why Ella is so loved. Over…
- 4 days / 3 nights
- Ella → Haputale
Family
Negombo–Sigiriya–Kandy–Ella–Bentota
Family Sri Lanka 8-Day Journey
Bullock-cart rides between paddy fields, a climb past giant lion's paws at Sigiriya and a slow train winding through tea estates make…
- 8 days / 7 nights
- Negombo → Bentota
★ Featured
Scenic
Kandy–Nuwara Eliya–Hatton–Ella
Hill Country Tea Trail 5-Day Tour
Fresh leaf withering on factory racks, waterfalls threading down from misty estates near Hatton, and the gentle clack of the train descending…
- 5 days / 4 nights
- Kandy → Ella
Luxury
Colombo–Cultural Triangle–Kandy–Ella–Yala–Galle
Luxury Sri Lanka 10-Day Grand Tour
Frescoed maidens high on Sigiriya's rock face set the tone for ten days that also take in drumming at Kandy's Temple of…
- 10 days / 9 nights
- Colombo → Galle
Where to stay near Ella
Ella
98 Acres Resort & Spa
A hilltop resort on the Greenland Estate tea plantation just outside Ella, with 46 chalets that look out over the surrounding hills.
Ella
EKHO Ella
Boutique hotel with views towards Ella Gap and surrounding hills.
Haputale
Living Heritage Koslanda
A nine-room retreat on an 80-acre estate of protected forest at Koslanda in Uva Province, built using traditional Sri Lankan building methods.
Ella
Mountain Heavens
Small hillside accommodation with valley views in Ella.
Haputale
Thotalagala Tea Plantation Bungalow
A restored 19th-century tea planter's bungalow on Dambatenna Road outside Haputale, about 1,400 m up, overlooking tea land that rises toward Lipton's…
Experiences in and around Ella
Adventure
Ella
Ella Rock Hike
Railway sleepers, eucalyptus shade and a final steep pull lead to a rocky lip over the Ella Gap. Hike to the summit…
- 4–6 hours
- January–September
Scenic
Kandy–Ella
Kandy to Ella Scenic Train Journey
For around seven hours the train sways through tea estates, tunnels and highland villages, with cloud often drifting below the line. Reserved…
- 6–8 hours
- Year-round
Adventure
Ella
Little Adam’s Peak Sunrise Walk
If you set out in the dark, the reward is pale light seeping over the hills and tea bushes still wet with…
- 2–3 hours
- January–September
Scenic
Ella
Nine Arch Bridge Walk
A horn echoes along the valley, then a blue train emerges from the tunnel and rolls across nine stone arches above the…
- 2–3 hours
- Year-round
🍛 Local flavours
Food to try in Ella
- Ceylon tea from the surrounding estates
- Rice and curry
- Rotti and kottu
- Hoppers (appa)
Best time to visit Ella
- JanUsually the best months
- FebUsually the best months
- MarUsually the best months
- AprUsually the best months
- MayPossible, with more rain or heat
- JunPossible, with more rain or heat
- JulPossible, with more rain or heat
- AugPossible, with more rain or heat
- SepPossible, with more rain or heat
- OctPossible, with more rain or heat
- NovPossible, with more rain or heat
- DecPossible, with more rain or heat
January–April is usually driest; mist and showers are possible all year
Sri Lanka has two monsoons, so when one coast is rainy the other is usually dry — weather varies from year to year.
Ella on the map
Destinations near Ella
References / Sources
- Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Bureau: https://www.srilanka.travel
- Sri Lanka Railways: https://railway.gov.lk
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