Ella Sri Lanka: Top things to do in Ella (2019 Travel Guide)
Ella, a small town in central Sri Lanka, was our next stop after the beaches in the southwest coast of Sri Lanka. I was extremely excited about exploring the beautiful countryside of Sri Lanka with tea plantations on the hill slopes, forests on the tops and incredible waterfalls.
During our trip to Ella, we hiked the misty mountains for adoring the stunning views of the valleys in Sri Lanka; we jumped in the incredible natural pools right below the waterfalls; we explored the tea estates and had tea from 100 years’ old tea factory in Ceylon (Sri Lanka was called Ceylon earlier).
Ella has a blend of both a relaxed vibe and a thrill for adventure seekers. Though the growing tourism in Ella is taking away some of the peaceful, rural charms from good old days; but what makes Ella still incredible is that there is so much to discover!
Based on our amazing experience in the hill country, Ella Sri Lanka, here is my list of “Top Things to do in Ella”. I have also covered other important points like – how to reach Ella Sri Lanka, Kandy to Ella train journey, hotels in Ella, restaurants in Ella, etc. Excited?? Let’s get started!
Before we head to the my list for Ella Sri Lanka, here is a google map with all the top things to do in Ella for your reference. You will need at least 2 to 3 days for exploring around all these places.
Top things to do in Ella Sri Lanka
1. HIKE TO LITTLE ADAM’S PEAK/ MINI ADAM’S PEAK
Little Adam’s peak is one of the best and must visit places in Ella. It’s a hike of around 30-40 minutes through the tea estates and Sri Lankan mountains. The Buddha statue at hilltop adds so much serenity to the place. If you walk further from the Buddha statue, you will reach another hill point which is quieter and peaceful.
We had started for the hike at around 4 PM, it was windy and cold on the hilltop. Do carry warm clothes if you are visiting around evening and can’t handle cold like me!
2. GO FOR ZIP-LINING OVER THE BEAUTIFUL HILLS OF SRI LANKA
Flying Ravana is Sri Lanka’s first ever zip line, located amidst the luscious green tea estates of Ella. If you are an adventure junkie, you must go for zip-lining in Ella. Imagine swinging over the hills right in the heart of Sri Lanka.
The charges for Zip lines are USD 20 for foreigners and 2,500 Sri Lankan rupees for locals and the timing is 9 AM to 5 PM. The starting point for zip-lining is quite close to little Adam’s peak so you can club both the visits.
3. VISIT NINE ARCH BRIDGE
Nine Arch Bridge is also called the Bridge in the Sky,
located 3,100 feet above the sea level, and built entirely with solid rocks, bricks, and cement (no steel at all).
Since the route to the bridge is scenic and good to walk around, we had started quite early, best decision ever! We had reached the bridge around 6 AM and it was a peaceful, quiet morning with no soul around. We also tried Sri Lankan pancake (with banana and coconut) and Tea at a small café called “Asanka Café” which was right before the bridge.
Post 9 AM, the bridge becomes really crowded as everyone competes for their best photo. I will recommend you to reach here by 6 or 7 AM to have a quiet and peaceful time for yourself.
For reaching Nine Arch Bridge, we had taken the route which passes through Lake Front Cottage. Towards the left to the cottage, there is a small lane. Keep hiking down through the lane for 10 minutes and you will reach Nine Arches bridge.
4. HIKE TO ELLA ROCK
The reason why we chose to stay in Ella was to explore the mountain side of Sri Lanka. Ella Rock was one of the places we wanted to hike due to the breathtaking dramatic views and misty peaks away from the touristy lanes.
Ella Rock is a hike of around 5 km. Climbing up will be fun, confusing (so many wrong signs), tiring (it does require efforts) and rewarding (the early morning summit view is surreal).
Some Tips for Hiking to Ella Rock
You can easily do the hike on your own and will not need a guide. Some folks may try to deviate you from the correct route so that you end up hiring them as a guide. In case you don’t wanna hire a guide, follow the instruction from this blog. That’s what we did and finally reached the top without getting lost.
The hike if not tough but will easily take around 2 hours. Start as early as possible as climbing the hill in the heat can be challenging. Also, there will be less number of people if you start the hike early. When we had reached the hilltop, there were people all around (something I did not like especially after 2 hours of the tough climb).
Don’t forget to carry water!
5. TAKE THE SCENIC TRAIN TO NUWARA ELIYA FOR A DAY TRIP
Nuwara Eliya, 60 km away from Ella, is another hill city of Sri Lanka. Nuwara Eliya is right in the middle of lush green tea estates where some of the finest tea in the world is grown. A hot cuppa tea from 100 years’ old tea factory will remind you of the British Ceylon.
You can either choose to stay for a day or two in Nuwara Eliya or go for a day trip to Nuwara Eliya from Ella. Want to know about other top places to visit in Nuwara Eliya? Read my blog on Nuwara Eliya here!
6. VISIT HALPE TEA FACTORY
If you are not looking for traveling to Nuwara Eliya for exploring the tea estates and a tea factory, visiting Halpe Tea factory (aka Ula Halpewaththa tea factory) in Ella would be a good idea. You can take a factory tour, understand the tea manufacturing process and sip a hot cuppa tea directly from the hills of Ceylon. There are no charges for the factory tour.
The factory is around 5 km from Ella railway station. The tuktuk will charge around USD 10 (INR 800) for a round trip.
You know how we were roaming around in Ella? We had our own tuktuk to drive. Yes, we had RENTED a tuktuk for our 15 days' trip to Sri Lanka. Sounds crazy, right? Well, it was a crazy ride with our tuksi on the beautiful island of Sri Lanka. Want to know more? Read our blog on renting and driving tuktuk in Sri Lanka.
7. HIKE TO LIPTON’s SEAT
Well, you must have heard of Lipton tea! Sir Thomas Lipton bought his first tea plantation in Sri Lanka and "Lipton Seat" is the viewpoint from where he used to overlook his tea empire.
Today, Lipton’s seat is one of the highest points of tea plantation in Sri Lanka; and hence, a must visit place for breathtakingly beautiful lush green views of the tea estates.
To reach Lipton’s seat, you can either hike from Dambatenne Tea Factory (2 hours’ hike) or take a tuktuk. The best time to visit Lipton’s seat will be early morning (before 9 AM). Post that, it can become cloudy, hazy and fogs can obstruct the view.
8. SWIM IN DIYALUMA WATERFALLS
Diyaluma waterfall is the second largest waterfall in Sri Lanka and is a MUST visit waterfall in Ella. During summer months, when the water level is less, you can easily take a dip the natural pool.
Diyaluma waterfall is an hour away from Ella and will also involve a bit of hiking. So plan your day accordingly. Take enough water and food with you because you can easily spend half a day when visiting Diyaluma waterfall.
swimming in Diyaluma waterfall in ella sri lanka. pc@buddizeez
9. ELLEWALA WATERFALL (also known as Wellawaya waterfalls)
Ellewala waterfall is a secret waterfall, far from the city (around 30 km from Ella railway station). Ellewala is an enchanting waterfall and provides a magnificent playground of a natural pool. Do carry some extra pair of clothes as this will be a perfect waterfall for swimming!
10. HIKE TO RAVANA WATERFALLS AND RAVANA CAVES
Ravana waterfall is the widest falls in the country. The falls have been named after the legendary king Ravana from Indian mythology epic, Ramayana. It is said that Ravana (who was the king of Sri Lanka) had kidnapped princess Sita, and had hidden her in the caves behind this waterfall, now known as the Ravana Caves.
Ravana waterfall is 6 km from Ella railway station. You can either catch a tuktuk or a bus to reach Ravana waterfall.
It is a three-tier waterfall. At the first set of the waterfall, most of the people hang out. With some bit of hiking, you will find the other two layers of the waterfall making a natural pool, perfect for swimming. Do this with the highest level of precaution and safety as you will need to climb rocks.
Restaurants in Ella Sri Lanka
Café Chill, Ella Sri Lanka – The MOST HAPPENING PLACE IN ELLA! I guess all the travelers come to Café Chill for dinner and when we had visited (around 7 pm), it was jam-packed (maybe because it was Christmas). The food is nice and the vibes at Café Chill was like global food and fun summit – people from all around the world, dancing, laughing and enjoying their meal.
Matey Hut Restaurant, Ella Sri Lanka – Best rice and curry in Sri Lanka. It's a small, easy to find a place on the main road.
AK Ristoro – Visit if you are craving for some Italian pasta.
Ceylon Tea Factory – Well, as the name says, the theme of the restaurant is around Tea manufacturing. A good place to hang out.
Down town rotti hut – When in Sri Lanka, you must eat the delicious rottis (kottu rotti is the best)! Down Town Rotti Hut is a good pit stop for picking up some rottis before heading for your trek/ hikes.
How to reach Ella
Kandy to Ella
By Train
The best way to reach Ella from Kandy will be to take the iconic “Kandy to Ella” train. The journey is serene and heavenly beautiful (world’ most beautiful train trip). The journey time will be of around 6 hours. You can search for the train timing and schedule here.
Since Kandy to Ella train is favorite amongst travelers, the tickets generally get booked months in advance by travel agents and tour operators. If you are traveling during peak season, it might be tough to get a confirmed ticket, unless you spend big bucks on travel agents. There are many online operators (bookaway) through which you can book a ticket in advance for a hassle-free trip. If you don’t want to spend so much money, you can opt for an unreserved ticket. The unreserved compartment will have way too many people, but the beautiful journey will be worth the hassle!
By bus
There are no direct buses for Kandy to Ella. You will need to take a bus from Kandy to Badulla and then Badulla to Ella.
By taxi
You can hire a taxi for Kandy to Ella. The taxi will be damn expensive (around USD 60). If you are not worried about the budget and have people to share the taxi cost, you can consider this option.
Nuwara Eliya to Ella
Ella is 60 km from Nuwara Eliya. You can easily take a train from Nuwara Eliya (Nanu Oya Railway station) for Ella. It will be a 2 hours train ride of insanely beautiful landscape. There are a few direct buses for Nuwara Eliya to Ella. Confirm with locals on the timings before leaving for the bus stop. You can hire a taxi for Nuwara Eliya to Ella. The taxi will take 2-3 hours and charges will be around INR 1,500 (USD 20).
Other locations
Ella is well connected with other cities through the train. To know more about train stations and schedule, here is the railway website for Sri Lanka. Search for “Elle” as Ella is pronounced as “Elle”.
Ella or Nuwara Eliya
Nuwara Eliya and Ella both are the Hill country of Sri Lanka with 60kms apart. Honestly, before visiting Sri Lanka, I could not decide on which one to skip and hence, I had visited both.
We found Ella to be a lot more happening with pretty cafes, bars, and so many travelers. It was like Mirissa on the hills. Nuwara Eliya, on the other hand, was a quiet and peaceful place surrounded by the tea estates. The restaurants in Nuwara Eliya were closed at 10:00 PM (even on New year’s eve) while Ella had peppy vibes at 12 in the night.
I would suggest giving time to both Ella and Nuwara Eliya to understand Sri Lanka better. However, if you are short on time and have to choose one location, here is my suggestion –
Choose Ella, if you enjoy peppy and happening places and want to meet people! Choose Nuwara Eliya, if you want to spend time at a calm and peaceful homestay tucked in the middle of a tea estate!
While staying in Ella/ Kandy, you can also go for a day trip to Nuwara Eliya and visit the tea factory and waterfalls.
Also, read my detailed blog on things to do in Nuwara Eliya !
Weather in Ella Sri Lanka – the Best time to visit Ella Sri Lanka
December to March is the best time to visit Ella. The temperature ranges between 16 to 27 degrees Celsius. There may be rains in December. The hottest months in Ella are June to August.
We had gone to Ella in December and the weather was warm during the day and colder in the night. Exactly what we were looking for after the sunny days at the southwest beaches of Sri Lanka.
Also, read our guide for Unawatuna Sri Lanka here.
Hotels in Ella Sri Lanka
Staying near the main market (near Café Chill) will be a good idea from a location point of view as you can cover many places (little Adam’s peak, Ella rock, Nine Arches Bridge, railway station) by walk. If you want to stay away from the market scene, choose a homestay near Little Adam's peak or Ella rock.
Some of the recommended places to stay in Ella are:
Hostels – Hangover Hostel (quite happening and a chilled out place), Ella Escapade Hostel (USD 8/ INR 600 for a dorm)
Budget hotels/ homestays – Box on Clouds, Tea Cabin (INR 2,500/ USD 35 for two people per night)
Luxury – Ninety Nice Acres Resorts & Spa, The Secret Ella
We had stayed in a place called “Paraiso Guest House”, It was a nice place (clean, friendly owner and good breakfast). The place was also closer to the main market (5 mins tuktuk ride). We had paid INR 1700 for one night for two people.
Getting around Ella Sri Lanka
Some of the places in Ella you can cover by walk. For exploring far off places in Ella, you can either hire a tuktuk or a scooty/ bike. Tuktuk guys generally charge higher amount depending on the timings (expect to pay a lot for early morning or post dawn rides). Per day rent for bike/ scooty will be at least USD 10. Check out these websites for renting scooty/ bike in Ella Sri Lanka - Lankabikes & Ellabike
Budget for Ella Sri Lanka
There are no charges for Little Adam's peak, Ella rock, waterfalls, and nine arches bridge. All you need is the budget for stay, commute, and food. USD 25 (INR 1,800) per day will be a good amount for one person in Ella (USD 10 for a night stay in a hostel or basic room and USD 15 for food).
I hope this blog helps you in planning your trip to Sri Lanka. Drop a comment below if you have other questions for Ella Sri Lanka or need any help with planning Sri Lanka trip itinerary.
Have a safe and fun trip to Sri Lanka.
Love,
TannedTravelGirl