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Welcome to part two of our blog: Sri Lanka’s Hill Country by Train. In part one we take you on a spectacular rail journey from Kandy to Nuwara Eliya where we stopped for some hiking in Horton Plains and World’s End National Park and explore a tea plantation and surrounding countryside. In this post we continue the journey by First Class ExpoRail to the end of the line and the pretty village of Ella.
Nuwara Eliya to Ella
“I’m guessing by the time we return to this town they will have sealed this road!” I joked with our driver as we bumped down the dirt windy track to the station to meet our 2:30pm train to Ella. “No” he replied “It will still be the same in 10 years!” We were a little early when we arrived and we hoped that maybe we could pick up some lunch here but no such luck, only snacks. We did have to visit the ticket office and exchange our printed reservation for a real ticket as instructed by the website. The ticket officer looked at us bewildered and politely told us that his machine can’t print off an Expo Ticket. It seems we were not having much luck with rail tickets, maybe we will have better luck from now on with buses.
As the train rolled up, it was easy to spot the green Expo carriage tacked on the end. We were ready to board but was met with another road block when the expo conductor refused to let us on with our printed reservation, he wanted the real ticket. Once again our patience was tested with the shoddy administration system as we explained to him that the ticket booth told us they didn’t have the means of printing off the Expo Ticket. We had proof of our reservation, surely that was enough! A young New Zealand couple that also had the same issue joined in with our argument. In the end, our roadblock consulted with the platform manager who verified the ticket printing issue so our uncooperative conductor had no choice but to let us on the train. We left our bags in the outdoor viewing carriage and made our way to our comfortable seats. It was all very nice, we had airline style recliner seats, air-conditioning, clean toilets and food/beverage service.
For next 2.5 hours we enjoyed the comforts of 1st class train travel and with that spent most of our time in the outdoor viewing carriage only popping back to our seats for a sit down, cuppa and our meal. The scenery in my view was little less spectacular compared to the Kandy to Nuwara Eliya leg. There was less open views and more cutting through canyons and cloud forest. What we did enjoy was all the tunnels we went through, some of the tunnels were that narrow that any thought of hanging out the open windows would most definitely end in tears. As we neared Ella, the canyons and forest opened up to rolling countryside peppered with temples and small villages, it was all so lovely. The whole Expo Rail experience was very enjoyable and we would do it again in a flash.
Arriving in Ella
Ella is the end of the line for the train and its very pretty train station was only a 5 minute walk from the village. On reaching the junction of the main road we made the informed decision of turning right when we should have turned left! This became apparent when after about 10 minutes of walking there was nothing but bush and the odd house. A couple of locals came towards us and we asked them if they knew Aurora Bungalows. We were met with grins and the famed head wobble which I’m still never sure to this day means yes or no! We tried again but they really didn’t seem to understand us so we gave up in frustration. The map in our guide book didn’t indicate where the accommodation was so I called them and just as we thought we should have made a left back at the junction and not a right. As we trekked our way back towards the village centre, we were met by our accommodation host sporting a big smile. Had we made the correct turn we would have been settled into our bungalow by now, the accommodation was only a couple of minutes from the junction. Doh!
Ella is a small quaint village set amidst a beautiful landscape of lush green hills and tea plantations. It’s laid back and relaxed vibe makes it more of a favorable stop than any other town in the hill country. Our pleasant, simple and cheap accommodation Aurora Bungalows for the next two days was ideally located close to town. Our bungalow for only $30 a night was set back from the main road up on a hill and the owner and his wife are reputed to cook up some very delicious home cooked food.
There are a few things to do in Ella. The most popular are climbing Ella Rock, a stroll up the leisurely trail to Little Adams Peak as well as a visit to nearby tea factories. We decided because of my respiratory problems we would skip Ella Rock and walk the much easier trail of Little Adams Peak which we would embark on tomorrow. For the rest of the afternoon we walked the length of the village checking out the cafes/restaurants and shops. I liked Ella, it was very laid back and small and the setting was just lovely, I could easily spend a few days here. We decided not to eat out that evening at one of the many restaurants but try our host’s home cooked food. The multitude of different curried dishes of rice, vegetable and meat with pickles and sauces was simply delicious and washed down well with a pot of good Sri Lankan brew or in Vaughan’s case – a beer.
Little Adams Peak
We had a whole day so after a very filling delicious breakfast of egg hoppers, sambol pickle, pancakes, lady finger bananas, freshly squeezed juice and large pot of tea we were ready to walk off the calories to the top of Little Adams Peak.
The real Adam’s Peak a 2243m conical mountain also known as Sri Pada (sacred footprint) is a legend amongst the devoted. The rock formation near its summit is reputed to be that of either Buddha, Shiva or Adam depending on what religion you aspire to. Every year, typically around April, devoted pilgrims trek to its summit for sunrise to venerate the holy spirit. It’s a popular mountain to climb, whatever the reason, and one we would have liked to have done if I was in better health but for now we are content to take on Little Adams Peak.
The trail to Little Adams peak was the other side of the village past a tea plantation where we watched the Tamil tea pickers busily moving between the rows of bushes. Their village was close by and I was a little sad to see how basic it looked, these people really are the poorer end of the population. As we followed the path up, stunning views of Ella Gap were bestowed upon us. The road that snaked through the gap was the road to the south coast which we would take tomorrow by bus.
On our journey to the top of the peak we picked up a personal guide in the shape of a black and white border collie dog. The dog walked with us all the way to the top of the peak. There was a couple of ways to the peak: a set of stairs or a rugged track. We decided to take the stairs up and track down. The views from the top were stunning, we were truly rewarded with vistas of the lush hilly green countryside and Ella Gap. From the top we spotted a thatched roof resort and decided on our way back we should check it out. Our company expanded when a brown dog decided to join us. We saw the dog at the bottom but he didn’t follow us up but must have changed his mind! We took the rougher track down and judging by the amount of overgrown vegetation its seldom used. We said goodbye to both our dog friends when they joined in with new people heading up to the peak. I can only think the dogs are either strays or belonged to the village and love the company of people walking the trail to the peak.
The 98 Acres Resort and Spa oozed with expense but was beautiful with its patch stonework and thatched roofed rooms overlooking the valley. We had a look at the menu in the restaurant/bar and decided a coke was really all we could afford. As we sat and enjoyed our cold refreshing beverage a couple of lizards kept us amused with a mating ritual. The orange male showed quite keen interest in the much blander coloured female. If there is one thing I have really enjoyed about Sri Lanka and that is the abundance of wildlife I have seen, there is no shortage of birds, mammals and reptiles.
Back on the track we met a group of tea pickers sorting a large pile of tea leaves they had just picked. We stopped to take a photo before moving on towards town.
We decided that we would find a nice place back in Ella for lunch and Chilli Cafe with its extensive menu and recommendation from the guidebook was an obvious choice. We took our time enjoying beer and good feast of pasta and pizza. On our walk back to the guesthouse we passed what look like a locals cafe and watched the chef working the chopping knifes at full speed in preparation of Kottu Roti. The dish made up of chopped Godhamba Roti,vegetables, egg and/or meat and spices is the most famous of all Sri Lankan dishes. We had already tried this very tasty dish a couple of times already but we had never actually seen it be prepared it was fascinating to watch. I didn’t take photos but I did film it. At only two dollars for the dish it was already decided where dinner was going to be later.
Did you like the photos? if so then you can view the full gallery in our Sri Lanka Trip Photos
Have you travelled through Sri Lanka’s Hill Country? If so we would love to hear your thoughts in the comments below..
In our next installment, our journey continues with a nightmare bus ride to the south coast. We spend a few days enjoying Sri Lanka’s lovely beaches, whale watching, explore historical Galle and a very interesting encounter with a Swedish expat on our train journey back to Negombo.
