Mountain adventures in Sri Lanka. Attractions in the vicinity of the village of Ella. Ella is a small picturesque village surrounded by many mountains, tea plantations and green hills. Walks in the woods and local paths
The small town of Ella (Ella) in the province of Uva (Uva) is an hour by train from the city. Travelers come here mainly to conquer Mount Ella (Ella Rock) and visit Little Adam's Peak. And of course, everyone is attracted by the famous beauty of Sri Lankan nature. And of course we were also tempted and came.
You can come to Ella by railway or by bus. If you start your journey from Colombo, then the road will take you a lot of time, there are always a lot of people in transport from the capital. But if you sit at the final station at, then you can enjoy the views while sitting in an almost empty carriage. The train leaves four times a day, and the ticket costs 20 rupees for a seat in the third class. You won't get bored: you will arrive at your destination in just an hour.
Rails, rails, sleepers, sleepers
Railway bend
Landscape near the railway station
Red intercity bus
There's a police station around here somewhere
Ella on the map of Sri Lanka
Ella - dreams come true!
Ella made my dream come true! Finally, a city was found in Sri Lanka, where you can breathe freely, walk carefree, among the hills and green trees! Ella has one street lined with restaurants, cafes and hotels. Several streets depart from it, rising to the hills. And in general, Ella is a tiny town, even a village! But it is rich in landscapes that you want to look at without taking your eyes off for several hours in a row.
Ella instantly reminded me of Thai, small town in the north of Thailand, where I happened to live. And just like Pai, Ella settled in my heart forever. And when we traveled South America, there was also found such a small and cozy picturesque town. I advise you to pay attention to it too. It's in the mountains of Colombia.
Things to do in Ella
Usually people come to Ella to climb or , and at the same time admire the gorge that these two mountains form. For this, people take half a day or a day, and go further along their route. Few people spend the night in Ella, despite the abundance of hotels and guesthouses. But, in my opinion, this tiny town is undeservedly deprived of attention. If time obeys you and you are not in a hurry, stay in Ella!
Road through the city of Ella
In Ella
I spent three days here. Slowly and without trying to see everything in one day. Of course, I'm too far-fetched by comparison, but still I could not help but be surprised to notice how much Ella reminds me of Pai, my favorite city on Earth. The only difference is the established community of creative people who already live in Pai. Nobody knows about Ella yet, but peace, scenic surroundings and distance from big cities can lure everyone here. And the opportunity will not leave anyone indifferent.
A whole truckload of fresh bananas
Mother cat and kitten
big moo
Bird feeders
Chipmunk in the guesthouse
All sights are at some distance from the city, but they are all easily accessible. If you are in the mood to feel like a climber, try climbing Ella Rock, and if you are more comfortable driving along the road without high drops, then Small Adam's Peak is at your service. As for the gorge, it is best seen from the courtyard of the Grand Ella Motel. Another interesting view you can see the gorge if you walk along the road to Wellawaya, past the temple, to which all the drivers who set off along the serpentine make an offering, asking for a good road. Further down this road - high .
And in Ella, as well as around a lonely rock, eco-tourism is very developed.
tourist attractions
Unforgettable view
Mount Ella rock
Firewood
How to get from Ella to Colombo
Ella became mine where you want to go back again. And it's great that my trip to Sri Lanka ended with positive impressions. Despite the further long journey to Colombo (by bus for 240 rupees from Kumbalwella or Bandarawella, Kumbalwella, Bandarawella), and then to the airport, the impressions received in Ella still remain in my memory.
What else is important to know about Ella Sri Lanka?
To get into Ella - Sri Lanka and see its sights, you need to buy a ticket and fly by plane to international Airport Bandaranaike, located in the capital city of Colombo. There are direct flights from Moscow to Colombo several times a day.
2. To search hotels by favorable price we use the site Booking.com >>
Find and book hotel in Ella at a bargain price you can here:
4. Video about Ella in Sri Lanka (filmed from a drone)
We find cheap flights here:
Comments:
Tatiana Lozinskaya
in the process of preparation, the question arose ... what timetable to watch in order to see the train. From Badula to Kandy or from Kandy to Ella. in which case the train leaves the tunnel towards =)
Daria Belyaeva
It is necessary to look at the schedule of any train that passes through Ella and goes towards Badulla. After the train stops in Ella, in 10-15 minutes it will leave the tunnel to meet you. It is better to come in advance, otherwise the trains in Sri Lanka do not always run on time :)
Sergey
Hello Daria and Denis! Thank you for your previous reply! Now I'm interested in renting bikes in Ella, where and if there is a big choice. And yet, are there any normal guesthouses with a view around 2500 rupees? And then in one of the reports they write about the Nine arch lodge guest house, the price is from 1500-2500 rupees (though I don’t remember what time of the year, but in 2015), and on agoda and booking it’s 2.5-3 times more expensive, the difference is hoo .)) We will be in the second half of this January. Thank you!!!
Daria Belyaeva
Hello Sergey. IN tourist area maybe there is a bike rental, but we didn't see it. In any case, this business is not very common in Ella, since everyone uses tuk-tuks (local taxis), it is inexpensive. Guesthouses with and without a view affordable price can be found locally (if you have time to search). The problem is that Ella has a mountainous area, it is difficult to walk for a long time and look for housing, so it’s easier to either rent in advance or talk to local residents leaving the train. Locals stand with signs right at the station, offering to rent their housing. As I said in the post, we, unfortunately, were not lucky with the chosen option.
In general, hotel prices in Ella are slightly higher than they should be. Find a good one inexpensive option in principle, it is possible, but you need to look, have luck in reserve, and also be able to bargain :)
Yuri Protopopov
Thank you for recommending Hotel Ambiente! We were looking for a hotel in Ella with a great view and we really liked this one. Stayed here for 11 nights. In addition to the view, I liked the small garden, friendly staff, peace and quiet (there are usually no guests during the day), tasty food(I recommend ordering Sri Lankan cuisine here, it is prepared especially well).
I was also surprised by the unconditional trust of the staff: for several days we simply did not want to accept money for accommodation, we had to persuade us to accept payment for the entire period, as a result, they accepted it on the 4th day, but they said we would pay for dinner upon check-out.
Of the minuses: several times a day the electricity is cut off, the rooms are not cleaned until you ask, the noise and smell of gasoline when the generator is running.-
This is the third part of my story on this site about my journey of 3 weeks, the beginning and.
Despite the fact that I made a mistake with the time when I planned the trip here from Halle, even at night, I managed to get to the hotel that I booked online pretty quickly. The city of Yella is a small village, everything is compact, here you have a bus station, here you also have a taxi - a tuktuk.
Hotel search
Upon arrival, she approached the taxi driver, asked if she knew where my hotel was, said yes, 600 rupees was its original price. After bargaining, I agreed to 250. We drove for a long time, because this hotel was located a few kilometers from the city itself.
How did I choose this hotel?
Looking ahead, I’ll tell you that even during the preparation of this trip, I fell in love with this hotel, where I went solely because of its location. It is located on the top of a mountain, right on the edge of a granite plateau. Down below the hotel, there was an amazing view of the valley. highlands. The view was tens of kilometers away. Of course, it must also be said that this was my most expensive accommodation in Sri Lanka, I deliberately paid $ 120 per night for it, I lived in it for 2 nights, which I do not regret a bit. She settled pretty quickly, there were no problems, the owners live part-time here, at the hotel. In fact, the hotel is more like a prosperous home ownership of the English colonial era. There is a fireplace in the dining room, metal furniture, which seems to be quite ancient. Everything is simple, but with a European taste. Seeing my condition, the hosts gave me dinner - thanks to them for this. They didn't charge me for that dinner.
The road knocked me out. I don't want to drive like this anymore. It is necessary to break the trip into shorter distances, overcoming them with trips no longer than 3 hours a day. I "passed out" at 8 pm, it was dark outside and it was raining.
And then there was a new day
In the morning I got up dark, the plans were for a magnificent dawn. From the platform in front of the hotel it was convenient to watch both the sunrise and sunset. I don't know why, but sunrises and sunsets fascinate me. This is personal, everyone has their own "cockroaches". So, both days of my stay, I went out early in the morning to the plateau in front of the hotel and just watched. Nature is simply mesmerizing, the sensations are indescribable. I have never had such a state in my life. It simply cannot be described in words.
What did you do in Ella?
- During the day I visited a Buddhist monastery, I forgot its name, there are no records at hand at the time of writing.
The monastery is a beautiful, interesting, sincere place. In general, sometimes you think about the life of monks, and you understand that you yourself would like to live in such great location. Around the mountains, air, birds and no problems for you. Smile, drink tea, read books - utopia? The aimlessness of life? I don't know exactly, but maybe their life is more harmonious than ours. It seems so to me.
Entrance to the temple building of the monastery is free, some obsessively offer to make donations, gave 20 rupees to be left behind.
Despite the early hour, quite a few people came to the temple. a large number of local people for a morning prayer service. A good tradition, all the nice people are calm and smiling. The people are just lovely.
- During the day I went on foot mountain paths. There are quite a large number of trails for tourists who prefer active walks with backpacks.
By the way, I learned from here - you can safely walk through the mountains along the path to get to Nuwara Eiliya. In the afternoon, I saw several organized groups of European tourists coming out of the mountains with large backpacks on their backs, it looks like they came on foot from Nuwara Eiliya, but I could be wrong. That there are many in the mountains hiking trails, - so it is exact. The views are great.
- I dined at the restaurant of my hotel, 450 rupees. Everything was tasty and simple, without busting on spices.
- On a tut-tuk I went to one of the ten most beautiful waterfalls in Sri Lanka, located near Ella, I don’t remember its name exactly, it’s the only one here, every local knows.
After lunch, I just walked around the outskirts of Ella, where by tuk-tuk, where on foot, where they drove me by car. Despite the fact that I was alone, I was constantly helped by local residents.
About the people I met
I read on the Internet, while preparing for the trip, about the beachboys who harass single women without letting them pass. But, to be honest, during the whole trip I did not have a single such a case. During the entire trip, I never met a person who would treat me badly or rudely, or would try to offend me. There were several people who wanted to make money on me, but this did not prevent them from communicating with me with dignity and politeness.
Actually, the day passed in Ella, one more night and I need to go further, everything according to my plan.
Sri Lanka, Nuwara Eliya, Ella, Uva, Sri Lanka
Show on the mapgeneral information
Ella is a quiet village located near the city of Bandarawela. There is only one here the main street, where there are several cafes and restaurants, a couple of hotels, one Postal office and a bank, and at the same time incredible beautiful nature: evergreen hills and valleys, Rocky Mountains and tea plantations, dissolving in the mist in the morning, quiet lakes and raging waterfalls, carrying a cool the purest water mountain rivers.
You can get to Ella from by car along the A3 highway in about 5 hours or by bus with a transfer in Bandarawela or Wellawaya. The cost of a taxi on this route will be about 11 thousand rupees.
Colombo and Ella are connected by direct rail links. Trains leave from Fort Colombo station three times a day, the journey time is about 10 hours.
Attractions and entertainment in Ella
The main attractions of Ella are untouched forests, steep gorges, clear lakes and noisy waterfalls. The temperate climate, which differs from the hot subtropics of the coast, is conducive to leisurely walks through evergreen valleys and climbing mountains, primarily Small Adam's Peak and Ella Rock.
Little Adam's Peak is not as popular or as steep as its "big brother" located nearby, and it takes no more than an hour to climb it. Meanwhile, from here in clear weather from the top opens the most magnificent view to nearby mountains, hills and plains.
You can get to the foot of Ella Rock only by walking 1.5 km along the railway tracks. The rails that run through the jungle are used by the locals as a footpath, trains run quite slowly in this section - all this makes the transition quite safe. The climb itself takes about 2 hours.
Not far from the Small Adam's Peak is located railroad bridge with nine arches, built during the colonial period and still in use as part of the railway line.
5 km south of Ella is the Ravana waterfall, one of the widest in Sri Lanka. You can get to it by any bus going to Wellawaya. The waterfall is named after the mythological nine-headed king Ravana, mentioned in the ancient epic Ramayana. Halfway to it is a small Hindu temple and Ravana's cave, in which, according to legend, Ravana kept Sita, Rama's wife, kidnapped by him, imprisoned. To enter the cave, you need to overcome the rise of 600 steps.
Halpewatte, the largest tea factory in the region, is located 3 km from Ella, which you can visit and get acquainted with the process of tea production in Sri Lanka. Local guides they show tea plantations and workshops, and then lead to a tea shop located at the factory.
Dowa Monastery is located 6 km from Ella in the direction of Bandravalla, next to the A16 road. You can get there both by car and by bus, the stop of which is located on the platform in front of the stairs leading down to the monastery. There are two attractions on its territory: an 11-meter rocky bas-relief of Buddha, presumably created in the 20th-13th centuries, and a small cave temple. According to legend, once there was an entrance to an underground tunnel leading to the cave of Ravana.
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