Ella: what to see, where to stay and how to get around
Ella is a village at about a thousand metres in the tea country of Sri Lanka’s hills, looking out through a gap in the mountains to the plains far below. Most people arrive by the hill train from Kandy and stay longer than they planned. Half a day on foot; start early, before the heat and the crowds.
A short history of Ella
Ella is a small village in the hills of central Sri Lanka, in an area where the British planted tea estates in the 19th century. Local tradition links the caves in the surrounding area to the story of the Ramayana and King Ravana. In 1921 the "Nine Arch Bridge", a railway bridge built of stone and brick, was completed near the village, and since then the hill railway, one of the most beautiful in Asia, has run through here. Only in recent years has the village become a destination for travellers.
The ten best sights in Ella
1Nine Arch BridgeWait for the train to cross; ask locals for the times
2Little Adam’s PeakAn easy hike through tea to a view of the gap
3Flying RavanaA long zip line over the tea
4Ella RockA harder half-day climb; start early
5Ravana CaveThe cave of the Ramayana legend
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6Ravana Falls
A waterfall by the road down to the plains
7Dowa TempleAn ancient cave temple with a carved Buddha
8BandarawelaThe market town of the hills
9Lipton’s SeatWhere Thomas Lipton surveyed his tea; go at dawn
- 10Dambatenne Tea Factory
Lipton’s factory of 1890
Scan with your phone camera to open the map there
What is an audio walk?
Tours in Ella →A guide in your headphones: open the walk on our site, walk from stop to stop, and at each one your phone tells its story. No guide, no group, and free. This is the first walk in Ella:
Free walking tours in Ella
The bridge and the peak
Ella is a village at about a thousand metres in the tea country of Sri Lanka’s hills, looking out through a gap in the mountains to the plains far below. Most people arrive by the hill train from Kandy and stay longer than they planned. Half a day on foot; start early, before the heat and the crowds.
- Ella Station · The station of the hill line, whose stretch from Kandy through Nuwara Eliya to Ella winds through tea estates, tunnels and cloud forest. Travellers hang out of the open doors of the blue carriages for the views.
- Nine Arch Bridge · A railway viaduct of nine stone arches high over a jungle ravine, finished in 1921. The story goes that the steel ordered for it was taken for the First World War, so it was built of stone, brick and cement alone. When a train crosses, the crowd on the slopes falls quiet.
- Little Adam’s Peak · A gentle climb of about forty-five minutes through tea bushes to a ridge named after the great pilgrimage mountain of Adam’s Peak, with a view straight through the Ella gap to the plains and, on clear days, to the sea.
- Flying Ravana · On the way down, a zip line of about half a kilometre flies over the tea estate, named after Ravana, the demon king of the Ramayana, who in legend flew a chariot through the air.
- Ella Rock · The great rock wall facing Little Adam’s Peak, a harder climb of three to four hours there and back, partly along the railway line. The top looks down on Ella and the whole gap.
- Ravana Cave · In the Ramayana, the demon king Ravana carried off Sita, the wife of Rama, to Lanka. Local legend says he hid her in this cave, reached by a steep stair; archaeologists have found here traces of people who lived in the hills thousands of years ago.
The tea country
South-west of Ella the hills are covered with tea, much of it planted by the Scot Thomas Lipton, who built a tea empire from here. A full day by tuk-tuk or car; for Lipton’s Seat, start before dawn.
- Halpewatte Tea Factory · A working tea factory near Ella where you follow the leaf from withering and rolling to drying and sorting into grades, and taste the result. The leaves are still plucked by hand, mostly by Tamil women whose families were brought from India in the nineteenth century to work the estates.
- Lipton’s Seat · A lookout at about two thousand metres where Sir Thomas Lipton, the grocer from Glasgow who sold tea cheaply to the British public, is said to have sat to survey his estates. At dawn, before the clouds rise, the view reaches across several provinces.
- Dambatenne Tea Factory · The factory Lipton built in 1890 below his lookout, still producing tea, where you can see the old machinery in use.
- Haputale · A small town strung along a narrow ridge, so that from one side of the main street you look over the hill country and from the other down to the southern plains.
- Diyaluma Falls · One of the highest waterfalls in Sri Lanka, dropping about two hundred and twenty metres over a cliff. A path climbs to the top, where natural rock pools make a swimming place on the edge of the drop.
- Bandarawela · The busy market town of the hills on the way back, with a cool climate that made it a resort for the British, and fruit and vegetable stalls from the farms around.
Temples, falls and the high plains
Around Ella are an ancient cave temple, the waterfall of the Ravana legend and, further west, the high plateau of Horton Plains with its sudden cliff. A full day; for Horton Plains, leave before dawn.
- Horton Plains · A high grassland plateau at over two thousand metres, a world heritage site, where a nine-kilometre loop leads to World’s End, a cliff that drops about eight hundred and seventy metres to the valley. By mid-morning mist usually hides the view, so arrive early.
- Dowa Temple · A cave temple by a stream, by tradition more than two thousand years old, where a king is said to have hidden from invaders. On the rock face outside is a standing Buddha about twelve metres high, carved into the cliff and never finished.
- Ravana Falls · A broad waterfall of about twenty-five metres beside the road down from Ella to the plains, said in legend to be where Sita bathed while Ravana held her captive. Monkeys wait for visitors’ snacks.
- Nine Arch Bridge · Back at the bridge for an afternoon train. Nearby, at Demodara, the line makes a full spiral and passes under itself, climbing the hill in a loop.
- Little Adam’s Peak · The sunset over the Ella gap from the peak, as the plains below turn blue and the lights of the village come on.
- Ella Station · Back in the village, the main street of cafés and guesthouses fills with travellers in the evening.
Getting to Ella and getting around
- Ella Station · The end of the scenic hill line from Kandy
Cheap eats in Ella
Ella eats Sri Lankan home cooking, often in cooking classes run by local families: rice and curry with a dozen small dishes, kottu at night, roti stuffed with vegetables, and fresh lime juice or ginger beer. And tea, picked a few hundred metres from your cup. Rice and curry costs a few dollars.
- Ella Station · Cooking classes in the village
- Halpewatte Tea Factory · Tea tasting
- Bandarawela · The hill market
Museums in Ella
Ella’s history is tea and the railway, told in working factories and on the line itself.
- Dambatenne Tea Factory · Lipton’s factory
- Halpewatte Tea Factory · A tea factory tour
Nature and day trips near Ella
Peaks, waterfalls, tea slopes and the high plateau of Horton Plains — some of the best walking in Sri Lanka.
- Little Adam’s Peak · The easy peak
- Ella Rock · The hard climb
- Diyaluma Falls · Pools on top
- Horton Plains · World’s End
Things to do in Ella with kids
With children: a train over a stone bridge, a zip line, waterfalls and monkeys.
- Nine Arch Bridge · Watch the train
- Flying Ravana · The zip line
- Ravana Falls · Waterfall and monkeys
Holy places in Ella
An ancient Buddhist cave temple and the Hindu legends of the Ramayana in the hills.
- Dowa Temple · The unfinished Buddha
- Ravana Cave · The Ramayana legend
Nightlife in Ella
Ella’s nights are the main street of backpacker cafés and bars, with music and fires in the cool mountain air.
- Ella Station · The main street
- Little Adam’s Peak · Sunset on the peak
Frequently asked questions about Ella
What is there to see in Ella?
The top sights in Ella are Nine Arch Bridge, Little Adam’s Peak and Flying Ravana. The full list on this page has 10 sights, each with a photo and a short note.
How many days do you need in Ella?
Three to four days are enough to see the best of Ella without rushing, including at least one walking tour.
Is there a free walking tour in Ella?
Yes. sleepntrip has 3 free audio walks in Ella, with no guide and no group: your phone tells the story at every stop. The first one: The bridge and the peak.
How do you get to Ella and get around?
The main ways are Ella Station. Full details are in the transport section on this page.
Where to stay in Ella, and for how much?
sleepntrip shows only rooms in Ella that meet nine conditions: a good location, high guest scores, cleanliness, and a price of up to $80 a night for two. Pick your dates and see what is free.
Looking for a hotel in Ella for your dates?
Only rooms that meet nine conditions, up to $80 a night.