Ella is a charming small town in Sri Lanka’s hill country. Ella has more of a laidback and chilled attitude which we loved. It is not as commercialised and not visited by tour groups (a big contrast from Nuwara Eliya). From our 2 weeks in Sri Lanka, we must admit Ella has the most beautiful scenery of all the places we visited. You get a combination of mountains, forest and tea plantations views. These views alone are worth coming to Sri Lanka for!
Lets Go Bear Travels Top Family Travel Tips For Ella:
- Take the train from Nuwara Eliya – the views are amazing!
- Hike up Little Adam’s peak – only a short hike, again amazing views!
- Walk along the train tracks at Nine Arch Bridge – Instagram perfect spot
- Check out Halpewatte tea factory
- Book your accommodation with a view – it’s cheaper than you think
Things to Do
The best way to reach Ella is definitely by the local train from Nuwara Eliya’s Nanu Oya train station. The scenic 3.5 hours slow journey takes you through the tea plantations and country side. We purchased three first class tickets through our driver company a month in advance. The first class seats were comfortable with comfy seats, air conditioning and all. But if you plan to take lots of photos from your seat, best to purchase second class seats as you can’t open the windows in first class carriage. Your kids will love it.
Little Adam’s Peak
No matter what your fitness level is, there’s a hike to suit everyone in Ella. We are not experienced hikers and we did Little Adam’s Peak with our 3 year old son without any problem. Take a short cut by entering via 98 Acres Resort. It is a fairly easy hike until the last 15 minutes where it got really steep and uneven. By the time we reached the summit, we were so surprised to see a group of stray dogs sunbathing even along the edges of the cliff! Berlin loved this hike so much and decided to do a number 2 at the top.
Nine Arch Bridge
Another must do activity is walking along the train tracks at the Nine Arch Bridge. Where else can you take children walking on train tracks – legally? We took a tuk tuk from the main road which took us to Asanka cafe view point. From here it was a pretty steep 15 minutes trek down to reach the train tracks. It was not an easy trek and a slippery one too. Luckily our tuk tuk driver was kind enough to offer carry Berlin halfway down (and he did it with so much ease in his flip flops). Our boy absolutely loved walking along the tracks and we were lucky enough to see a train passed by.
Tea Plantations
Ella is also home to many tea plantations. Since we had some extra time, we decided to visit another tea factory called Halpewatte Tea Factory. We visited late in the afternoon and were the last group to be admitted before closing to public. The 1.5 hours tour here was a LOT more comprehensive than the tour given at Pedro Tea Factory in Nuwara Eliya. Our guide was genuinely passionate in telling his story and educating us about pure Ceylon tea. Towards the end of the tour, we saw many newly harvested tea leaves arriving at the factory in bulk and placed on the huge machines for oxidation. It was pretty cool to see the factory coming to life.
Weather
Ella has a cooler climate due to its high elevation. During our visit in January, the daytime temperature was in the mid 20s°C and down to about 15°C at night. This was a stark contrast to the warm weather in Colombo and southern part of Sri Lanka. A light jacket or scarf comes in handy when going out and about in the evening.
Accommodation
Being a small town, you don’t get big hotels here. Most of the accommodations are bed and breakfast style or guest houses. But don’t let that put you off. There are many boutique accommodations with stunning views priced much cheaper than you’d think.
Our stay at Country Homes deserves a special mention. Our suite room had a balcony overlooking the majestic Ella rock was only $110 per night including breakfast. An absolute steal! Breakfast was delivered to our room every morning and was home cooked made by the mother’s owner. The only downside is it is situated at a major road, and sound proofing is not the best. Nevertheless a bit of traffic noise is worth the magnificent views!
