I am making a departure from my usual way of writing, normally based on an article for a day's visit, by recounting this time in the form of an article, our experience of the train in Sri Lanka, often presented as a must.
In our case, this was done in 2 stages, with a first journey between Ella and Nuwara Eliya, then a 2nd section between Nuwara Eliya and Kandy, the first stage among the cities that were part of the cultural triangle of Sri Lanka.
Act 1: Journey between Ella and Nuwara Eliya
Well, you could say that the trains in Sri Lanka are better than those in Thailand. For this trip, we took the first train of the day, at 6:39 a.m. So we were up at the crack of dawn, but it's not so bad, because it's cooler and the morning light is superb.
We'll take a tuk-tuk to the train station with our luggage, 150 rupees. This train ride was one of the moments I was most looking forward to on this trip, and I wasn't disappointed! The railway runs along the mountains, sometimes passing through forests, sometimes through tea plantations that make the country world-famous, all overlooking superb valleys.
At a distance of around 60 km, it will still take around 3 hours to make the journey to Nanu Oya, with a few stops at local stations and a cruising speed that at least allows you to admire the landscape.
Act 2: Journey between Nuwara Eliya and Kandy
A little jump back in time. It was on our fifth day that we left the tea plantations of Nuwara Eliya to visit the ancient capitals of the "cultural triangle," starting with Kandy. Along with Polonnaruwa , Anuradhapura, and Sigiriya , these are all cities built during the height of Buddhism's expansion in the Kingdom of Sri Lanka , more than 1000 years ago.
For this part of our trip, we had also opted for the train, more practical and probably safer than a bus ride (especially in the mountains…). And there too we were not disappointed.
The route once again winds through the tea plantations that dominate the central mountains of Sri Lanka. The journey cost us 320 rupees for two people, almost as much as the tuk-tuk ride from our hotel to Nanu Oya station…
Please note that this journey takes 4 hours.
Have you tried the train in Sri Lanka? Good experience?
