Famed for its scenic landscapes, lush green valleys, and endless tea plantations, Ella town is one of the major tourist attractions in Sri Lanka. It locates around 200 km east of Colombo, at an elevation of 1,041 m above sea level. Ella has a cool and mild climate than the surrounding lowlands, due to its high altitude. It offers the best comfort conditions in Sri Lanka, where the nights are cool and the daytime temperature is around 28 degrees.
Although it is a rather small town in Badulla, it is a major tourist hotspot in the country. Once a small laid-back town, now it has become quite popular among backpackers and travelers. Nowadays, it includes in every Sri Lankan visitor’s bucket list. What is so special about Ella attracting so many visitors? You’ll understand it, once you step into this gorgeous town.
Ella has unspoiled mountainous beauty with mesmerizing views of the surroundings. You’ll easily enchant by the beautiful nature and absolutely breathtaking scenery. The spectacular environment. the cool climate and plenty of fresh mountain air will make your trip to Ella more comfortable.
One of the most magnificent sceneries in Ella is the Ella gap, a valley that sits between opposing mountain ranges. It is one of the most eye-catching natural landmarks in Ella. On a clear day, the Ella gap grants view all the way down to the southern coast of Sri Lanka.
There are lots of awesome things to do in Ella. Here we have made a list of the best 10 things to do in this charming Ella town.
Access to Ella
By road – Ella locates south of both Nuwara Eliya and Kandy, about 200 km east of Colombo. Since the road into Ella goes through mountainous roads containing sharp bends, it needs around 6 hours to reach Ella town by road.
By rail – The easiest way to reach Ella from Colombo is by Colombo-Badulla train. Ella railway station is the 75th station on the Main Line. Opened in July 1918, this is an old train station with only one platform. All trains running on the Main Line stop at the Ella station.
The train ride from Kandy to Ella is famous as the world’s most scenic train ride. It takes around 7 hours to reach there from Kandy and 10 hours from Colombo. During this train ride, you’ll immerse yourself in the beauty of the surroundings among the lush green hill country of Sri Lanka.
Here you can find all the best methods to reach lovely Ella town from Colombo.
1. Ella Rock
As soon as reaching to Ella town, you’ll see the majestic Ella Rock rising high above the surrounding mountains. It intimidates all other peaks, by its gigantic height of 1350 m. The length of the trail to the summit is 8 km. It takes approximately 4 hours to complete the journey, 2 hours for ascending, and 2 hours for descending.
Although hiking to the top of this giant cliff face is strenuous, it will be a completely rewarding journey. You can enjoy splendid sceneries while climbing up and after reaching the top. It is a place well worth visiting for a 360-degree view of the neighboring mountains.
Ella rock is one of the best hiking trails in Sri Lanka with dynamic and panoramic views of Ella area. It offers the best views of the Ella Gap and views of green valleys and cloud kissing mountains. Incredible views from the peak make this hike completely worthwhile. Ella rock is one of the best places to get impressive Sri Lankan landscape pictures to fill up your Instagram feed.
2. Little Adam’s Peak
Little Adam’s Peak is the most popular hiking trail in Ella. It refers as ‘little’ because of the similar conical shape to its big brother sacred Adam’s peak. The height of Little Adam’s Peak is 1151 m, much lower than the height of its big brother which is 2243 m. The hiking route along the winding roads overlooking the green valley below offers breathtaking sceneries.
Since it is a fairly easy hike than Ella rock, it is suitable for many visitors who find it is difficult to climb much higher altitudes. It can climb along the stairs and it takes only 1 hour to complete the trail. The beginning of the path goes through beautiful lush green tea estates. The hike is very rewarding at the end, where you’ll enjoy the spectacular view of magnificent Ella rock.
Top of Little Adam’s Peak is a highly famous, epic photogenic spot in Sri Lanka. You can capture awesome Insta-worthy photographs with the background of mighty Ella Rock. The views are simply stunning and amazing with endless lush green mountains covered in cloud forests.
3. Nine Arch Bridge
The Nine Arch Bridge call as the “bridge in the sky” is one of the major iconic sights in Ella. It can consider as Sri Lanka’s best colonial-era railway construction work. The 24 m tall bridge was constructed of blocks of stone and cement, without any strengthening iron or steel. Although it is almost 100 years old, it is well preserved showing the incredible architectural skills and grandeur of ancient constructions.
This Bridge is located in the green hills between Ella and Demodara stations. The hike to Nine Arch Bridge is an easy walking trail, surrounded by lush greenery and sweeping hill views. The bridge can snap from above, with a famous blue train passing slowly over the bridge creating captivating scenery.
Remember to check out the train timetable and capture the magnificent shot of a train passing through this ancient miracle during your visit to Nine Arch Bridge.
There is an awesome viewpoint below the bridge in the tea fields, which is popular for Insta-worthy photography. It allows shooting up your picture with the bridge from below. Nine Arch Bridge offers plenty of fantastic Insta-shots from different photogenic angles. Try to capture the best images of this ancient wonder, while you are visiting Nine Arch Bridge.
4. Demodara Loop
When you are visiting Demodara station, remember to have a look at Demodara Loop. Demodara loop is one of Sri Lanka’s ancient railway engineering marvels.
There is a 360-degree turning of the railway line in Demodara, which is going around a loop and emerging from a tunnel. Visitors will be amazed by the technology and skills used to create this spiral railway line. This is the only spiral railway line available in Sri Lanka.
5. Ravana Falls
Ravana Falls is one of the most beautiful waterfalls in Ella. It’s located only 5 km away from Ella, just beside the Ella -Wellawaya main road. This is one of the easily accessible waterfalls in Sri Lanka. Since Ravana Falls can conveniently reach without any hassle, it is highly popular among most hill country travelers.
This 25 m high gorgeous waterfall is one of the most famous waterfalls in Sri Lanka. It is a very popular sightseeing and bathing spot for tourists and Sri Lankans. It looks absolutely spectacular and extremely powerful in the rainy season. Since the rocks surrounding the fall can get slippery with the rains, watch your steps while enjoying the waterfall.
The fall is named after the legendary king Ravana, which is connected to the famous Indian epic, the Ramayana. According to the legend, King Ravana kidnapped princess Seetha and hid her in the caves behind this waterfall. Thus the name of the fall is Ravana Falls. It is definitely a worthy place to stop and explore the spectacular landscapes and check out the views of this beautiful waterfall.
6. Ravana Cave
The Ravana Cave is an old cave located 2 km away from Ella town. It is a small cave, measuring about 15 m wide, 45 m long, and 18 m high. It is on the foundation of a cliff around 1,370 m above sea level. This cave is a popular local attraction in Ella. The Ravana cave is closely related to the legend of Ramayana, and it believes that Princess Seetha was hidden inside this cave.
An underground chamber complex lies around 100 m below the surface of the cave. The highlight of this place is an underground pond containing bright blue color water that goes deep into the rock. According to the legend, Princess Seetha bathed in this pool that accumulated the water falling from Ravana fall.
The climb down to the blue water pond is a difficult path, passing narrow corridors and slippery cliff edges. If you like to visit the pond, make sure to take a local guide with you. This is a definitely worthy place to visit for anybody who likes to explore historical places related to Ravana History.
7. Flying Ravana
Flying Ravana zip lining is a marvelous adventure to experience in Ella. This zip-lining course opened in 2019, but it is already highly popular among visitors. Definitely, this is an awesome thing to do in Ella. It is the longest zip line in Sri Lanka running for 500 m and situated 80 m above ground level.
It is located amidst the luscious green tea estates of Ella. This two-wire zip line offers a bird’s-eye view of the beautiful hills and valleys in the Ella area. The course reaches speeds of slides at 80 kmph. It is highly famous among both local and tourist adventure seekers. This is the best opportunity for adventure enthusiasts who prefer an enthralling outdoor experience.
8. Lipton Seat
A visit to Ella isn’t complete without visiting a gorgeous tea trail leading to Lipton’s seat. Yes.! What you have guessed is correct. It is where the renowned tea brand “Lipton” is produced. This seat is where Sir Thomas Lipton used to survey the tea estates during his leisure time.
The magnificent viewpoint of Lipton’s seat situates at the edge of Dambethenna tea estate at an altitude of 1970 m above sea level. The trail to Lipton’s seat is around 6 km long and the trek will take around 5 hours to complete. The winding roads leading to Lipton’s seat afford stunning views over the valleys below. If you don’t like to walk a long distance, a tuk-tuk ride will take you to the Lipton seat within a few minutes.
It is an ideal viewpoint for nature-loving travelers to capture breathtaking sceneries of endless green tea estates in the Haputale area. A visit to Lipton’s seat offers the best views on a clear day. It recommends visiting there in the morning hours, as it takes only a few minutes to cover the view with mist. Without a doubt, the beautiful scenery in this area will make an everlasting memory in your heart.
9. Adisham Bungalow
One hour’s drive from Ella will lead you to Adisham Bungalow, which locates in a beautiful environment in Haputale. Wrapped in the tranquility of the misty hills, this picturesque country house attracts every eye that falls on it. Built in 1931 by an English planter Sir Thomas Lister Villiers, Adhisham Bungalow is presently a monastery run by Benedictine Monks.
There is an elegantly landscaped big garden filled with beautiful roses in Adisham Bungalow. This vast enchanting garden has lots of blooming flowers with various hues. The garden spreads across 10 acres of land. The garden of Adisham Bungalow is the best place to admire beautiful Sri Lankan hill country plants and flowers.
The walls of this ancient mansion have built using only stones. It considers a marvelous British creation with English charm, still well preserved after 90 years. The original structures, fittings, and antique furniture are conserved up to this day. If you wish to stay at Adisham Bungalow, you can make a reservation beforehand and stay there overnight.
10. 98 Acres Resort
98 acres resort & Spa in Ella is one of Sri Lanka’s most romantic hotels with luxurious facilities. The infinity pools in this resort give the best views of Ella Gap and the beautiful surrounding of the hill country. Anybody who wants to enjoy their holidays with maximum comfort should visit this lovely resort in Ella.
Beautiful Ella town surrounded by hills covered with lush greenery and endless tea plantations gives the best opportunity to capture the ultimate beauty of Sri Lankan hill country. Enjoy these spectacular views during your stay in beautiful Ella town.
To sum up, Ella is the best place in Sri Lanka for Insta-worthy photo shoots. It offers many things to visitors, including epic photogenic spots, breathtaking hiking trails, and thrilling adventure activities. This is the loveliest area of the country which gives a wonderful chance to explore the lovely nature. Ella won’t disappoint any visitors, as it is rich in many natural wonders and spectacular scenic beauty. Happy traveling to Ella town for everyone, Enjoy the best sceneries in Sri Lanka.!
Text by Magnificent Sri Lanka. Images from Wikimedia Commons, Pixabay, Picuki, and Secret Ella. All copyrights are reserved by the original authors.
