Ella
Ella
Hiker’s Paradise
From Paragliding, canoeing, hiking and trekking to bird watching, the list is very long. Some of the other activities are camping, rock climbing, fishing, mountain biking, caving, train tours and wildlife safaris. Camping is available in either jungle or riverside locations. Let us know like to have an adrenalin rush, and we can plan some adventure activities in Ella for your tour. The climate throughout most of the year is typical of the high Hill Country, with a hot sun by midday, but a moderate air temperature. It will often rain in the afternoon, but only for an hour or so. A sweatshirt, or light jacket is needed at night. In December it can rain a lot!
Ella is blessed with some of the most beautiful views, you could find in Sri Lanka. Ella is a magnificent place to trek through, with its breathtaking views and varying landscape. Ella is a hiking hotspot in the mountain country of Sri Lanka. Some of the views from hikes in Ella are phenomenal with the region well known for its tea plantations and spectacular mountain ranges. If you want to enjoy some of the best views without needing to hike for hours, The area has a rich bio-diversity, dense with numerous varieties of flora and fauna. Ella is surrounded by hills covered with cloud forests and tea plantations. Only 8 km from Bandarawela, this small town is used as a base for plenty of trekking expeditions to the surrounding countryside. The town has a cooler climate than surrounding lowlands, due to its height. The Ella Gap allows views across the southern plains of Sri Lanka. On a sunny morning, you can even see the glow from the lighthouses along the southern coast. A taste of the breathtaking scenery of Ella could be had, if you just walk where you seem to be standing at the edge of the world, and everything around you seems to disappear at your feet. By rail Ella’s a few stops from Badulla at the end of the railway line that snakes through the Hill Country. Ella’s railway station itself is prettily quaint. There are countless travelers who visit ella by train. Ella is one of the most scenic venues for a vacation of adventure. Ella offers a choice of sports and activities for the adventurous. The trails will take you through dense forests, past rivers and cascading waterfalls and into nearby villages, where you can share their lifestyle and culture during your brief sojourn.
Things to do in Ella
Little Adam’s Peak
One of the best ways to spend a morning in Ella is to tackle the beautiful short walk up to the top of Little Adam’s Peak, a pyramid-shaped rock which stands opposite the far larger Ella Rock and offers marvelous views out over the hills. The beginning of the path goes through beautiful lush green tea plantations full of tea picking ladies. If you want to enjoy some of the best views without needing to hike for hours, Little Adam’s Peak is the perfect trek, especially for an unforgettable sunset. There are some great photo opportunities early on in the hike if you keep your eyes open! The Little Adam`s Peak, 1141 m high, is fairly easy to climb, with a good path all the way up. The trip took us about 2-3 hours in total. The trail is marked the whole way with well-maintained paths and stairs to the first set of viewpoints. As you can see below there are multiple platforms, rocks, and viewpoints perfect for photos once you hit the top of Little Adam’s Peak. Although, you can and should keep going along the ridge and the view only gets better. It is not a challenging hike and it`s quite short, but gives you a good impression of the landscape around Ella and the view is fantastic! So absolutely worth the climb! For just a short hike, Little Adam’s Peak gives you unbelievable views and is the ideal way to spend sunset in Ella. It’s definitely a worthy addition to your Sri Lanka itinerary!
Rawana Falls
The 25m-high Ravana Falls cascades from an oval-shaped concave rock outcrop. Kirinidi Oya is the water course for this beautiful cascading waterfall. It currently ranks as one of the widest falls in the country. This waterfall measures approximately 25 m (82 ft) in high and cascade from an oval-shaped concave rock outcrop. During the dry season water level reduces drastically and Ravana falls becomes very skinny, but again becomes majestic during the upstream rainy seasons. In the dry season, the flow of water is markedly reduced, whereas rain turns the fall into what is said to resemble an area flower with withering petals. But this is not the case in the wet season, where the flow of water reduces dramatically. The falls is a part of the Ravana Ella Wildlife Sanctuary, and is located 6 km away from Ella Railway station. Many of the Sri Lankan waterfalls can be spotted in middle of the jungle, with some lengthy routes. But since this falls is located just next to the main road, everybody can reach this without any trouble. So this becomes very popular sightseeing spot for photography. The falls have been named after the legendary character Ravana, which is connected to the famous Indian epic, the Ramayana. According to story, it is said that Ravana (who was the king of Sri Lanka at the time) had kidnapped princess Sita, and had hidden her in the caves behind this waterfall, now simply known as the Ravana Ella Cave. At the time, the cave was surrounded with thick forests in the midst of wilderness. It is also believed that Rama’s queen bathed in a pool that accumulated the water falling from this waterfall. Locals who are traveling to upcountry used to stop by the ella and get shower at here, so you can stay,relax and refresh and continue your journey.
Train Ride
In the 19th Century, during the British occupation of Sri Lanka, British constructed the railway lines in Sri Lanka and started the Railway service in Sri Lanka for the greatest commercial export of the colonial Ceylon, from the Hill country estates to Colombo Port and imported goods to the interior of the Island. The very first steam trains were running in Sri Lanka. Major Thomas Skinner was involved in setting trains up and he describes in his book “Fifty years in Ceylon” how he had to convince the British colonial government to set up the network of railway lines, bridges/aqueducts, for Trains, today it stands as one of the most scenic journeys to be done on rail in the world. So Sri Lanka’s hill country Railway line goes through Tea Estates, thus making the train journey a scenic ride. Therefore we facilitate our clients to get that experience. Why is the Nuwara Eliya to Ella train journey so amazing? The views on both sides of the rail are breathtaking. The train winds through the mountains overlooking farms and villages and of course vast tea plantations. The scenery changes throughout the trip. Often at times, you are looking out at an entire green view than the next minute you are in the middle of a green forest. The train also passes through several tunnels. As well as often you can see the waterfalls too. The Demodara nine arch bridges close to Ella station is as picturesque as bridges get. The bridge was constructed in the early 1900’s and is built completely out of rocks and cement without a single bit of steel. The views from the window will have you snapping photos at every turn. Hanging out of the train gives you the best views and is a grand feeling but be careful not to leave your limbs out of the train at the incorrect time as there are trees and tunnels that come close to the train.
Nine Arch Bridge
The Demodara nine arch bridges close to Ella station is as picturesque as bridges get. Visitors can ride the train over the bridge and also walk along it in the other direction if they spend a night in the area. The bridge was constructed in the early 1900’s and is built completely out of rocks and cement without a single bit of steel. The views from the window will have you snapping photos at every turn. The journey through the hill country not only gives you countless breathtaking sights, it also takes you through long dark tunnels where there is always fun to be had for the passengers, yelling while the train travels through the tunnels.