Seven hours, one of the great railway journeys of Asia – and a slow, happy lesson in how Sri Lanka works. Here is how the Kandy to Ella train runs, how to get good seats and which stretches are most beautiful.
A railway built for tea
The main line from Colombo into the hills was built by the British to bring coffee, and later tea, down from the mountains to the port. The railway reached Kandy in 1867 and then pushed slowly higher, section by section. It took decades more to reach Badulla, the end of the line beyond Ella. The result is one of the most spectacular railways in Asia, with bridges, tunnels and hairpin curves winding through tea gardens, waterfalls and cloud forest.
The train from Kandy to Ella in Sri Lanka is scheduled to take around seven hours and often takes a little longer: the trains are unhurried and wait for each other on single-track sections. Nobody minds – seeing Sri Lanka by rail is all about the slowness.
Leaving Kandy
The train pulls out of Kandy mid-morning, past the backs of houses where washing hangs between banana plants and children wave from the tracks. For the first hour the line winds through villages and paddy fields, climbing gently. Vendors walk the carriages selling paper cones of spicy chickpeas, fried lentil cakes and tea poured from a kettle.
We always book reserved second-class seats for our guests. The windows open, the doors stay open, and the views are the same as in the more expensive observation car – only with the wind in your face.
Tickets and classes
Reserved seats go on sale about a month before travel, and in high season, between December and April, the popular trains sell out quickly.
First class means either an air-conditioned carriage or an observation saloon. The seats are comfortable, but in the air-conditioned carriage the windows stay shut. Reserved second class gives you a guaranteed seat with opening windows and doors – for many travellers the best way to ride. Third class is cheap and unreserved, and often packed; fine for a short hop but hard work for seven hours. Without a reservation you can board the unreserved carriages, but expect to stand, sometimes for hours.
On our tours you don’t need to worry about any of this. We book the seats, your luggage travels by car with your driver, and he is waiting at the station when you arrive.
Into the tea
Somewhere after Hatton the landscape changes completely. Tea bushes cover every slope in neat green rows, broken by the red roofs of estate bungalows and the white chimneys of tea factories. Pickers in bright saris move slowly along the terraces with baskets on their backs. At Nanu Oya, the station for Nuwara Eliya, many passengers get on – this is where many of our guests join the train too, because the most beautiful part of the line lies between here and Ella.
Above Pattipola, the highest station on the line at almost 1,900 metres, it can be surprisingly cool. Mist rolls through the cuttings and the train disappears into short tunnels, to the delight of everyone hanging out of the doors. Near Ohiya the path to Horton Plains begins, a high plateau of grassland and cloud forest that ends at the cliff known as World’s End.
Left or right?
There is endless debate about the best side of the train. The honest answer is that both sides have their moments, because the line changes direction constantly. Many of our guides swear by the right-hand side. In open second class you can stand by the door and switch sides as the views change. Hold on tight at the door, and don’t lean out near tunnels or bridges.
Photographing from the train
The best pictures are taken from the open doors of second class as the train leans into a curve and you can see the engine and carriages against the tea slopes. A wide angle or your phone camera is all you need. Don’t lean far out, and watch for posts, tunnels and bridge railings. The light is softest in the morning and late afternoon. Delays of an hour are common, so we never plan fixed appointments after the train – and if a train is cancelled, your driver simply takes you on by road.
Life on board
Part of the joy of this journey is life on the train. Vendors hop on at stations selling corn on the cob, samosas and sweet tea. Families share their food, children wave from the houses along the line, and tiny stations with flower beds and brass bells look as if time stopped decades ago. Bring water and a few snacks, a light jacket for the higher sections and some small notes for the vendors.
The descent to Ella
From Haputale the line drops towards Ella through some of the most dramatic scenery in the country, with views across the plains to the south coast on a clear day. Just before Ella the train crosses the Nine Arches Bridge, built from stone and brick without steel around 1921 – supposedly because steel was needed elsewhere during the First World War. Its nine arches stand around 24 metres above a valley of tea and jungle. If you want to watch a train cross it, walk from the village in about thirty minutes; every café owner in Ella knows the timetable, and the light is best in the morning.
Arriving at Ella’s tiny station in the late afternoon, with the smell of rain and woodsmoke, is one of the best moments of any Sri Lanka holiday.
Staying in Ella
Ella is a small mountain village that has become one of the most popular places on the island. Stay at least one night: hike Little Adam’s Peak in the morning, walk to the Nine Arches Bridge at midday, and visit Ravana Falls or a tea factory in the afternoon. In the evening, sit in one of the cafés on the main street and watch the mist drift into the valley.
The Ella to Kandy train
Everything here works in reverse, too. The Ella to Kandy train climbs first and then descends towards Kandy, and the views are just as good – many guests who start their tour on the south coast take the train from Ella towards Kandy or Nanu Oya instead.
When to ride
The train runs all year. The clearest views are usually from January to March. In summer it can rain on the western side of the hills while Ella stays dry, and morning mist only adds to the atmosphere. More important than the season is a reserved seat, especially between Christmas and Easter.
The train on our tours
The train ride into the hills is included on most of our tours, with reserved seats while your driver takes the luggage on to Ella. On our small group tours you ride with your group; on private tours we choose the stretch that fits your route best.
