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Blue train crossing the Nine Arch Bridge in Ella through tea plantations

Tea, trains and the Nine Arch

Ella

The most beautiful train ride in Asia ends here, in a gap in the mountains.

Ella sits in a notch in the hills at about 1,000 metres, with waterfalls, tea gardens and the stone Nine Arch Bridge a short walk from town. Most guests arrive on the Kandy to Ella train and we book the reserved seats months ahead, because they sell out.

What we do here

  • Reserved-seat scenic train from Kandy or Nuwara Eliya
  • Sunrise on Little Adam's Peak
  • Tea factory tour and tasting at a working estate
  • Cooking class in a village home

Worth knowing

  • Kandy to Ella by train takes about 6 to 7 hours and passes 1,900 metres near Pattipola
  • The Nine Arch Bridge was completed in 1921 with no steel, only brick and stone
  • Little Adam's Peak is a gentle 45-minute walk; Ella Rock is a proper 4-hour hike
  • Ravana Falls drops 25 metres beside the Wellawaya road

Tour plans that include Ella

7 days · Cultural Triangle, hills and south coast Island Essentials from US$ 890 pp 10 days · The full circuit, at a human pace The Grand Loop from US$ 1,390 pp 14 days · The whole island, including the north and east Ceylon Complete from US$ 2,150 pp
Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic reflected in Kandy Lake at dusk

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