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 in time. It was on our 5th day, we were leaving the Nuwara Eliya tea plantations to reach the ancient capitals of the “cultural triangle”, starting with Kandy. With Polonnawura, Anuradhapura et Sigiriya, these are all cities built in the midst of the expansion of Buddhism in 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 passes through the tea plantations which dominate all the central mountains of Sri Lanka. The trip cost us 320 rupees for 2, 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?
6 Comments
Hello,
I am planning a trip to Sri Lanka for this summer (end of July, beginning of August) there are 4 of us and we plan to take the train from Nuwara Elia to Ella, is it necessary to book the tickets or is it not a problem to buy them on site at the last minute? Do you have any idea where I could find the timetables?
Thank you for your photos and your stories, we feel like we're there (and we can't wait!!)
Emilie
Sorry for the late reply! It is not necessary to book tickets in advance unless you want to be in the so-called observation car (at the back of the train I think) in which case you can book your ticket when arriving in Colombo or Kandy depending on your preference/order of visit. You will find the timetable on the official website Sri Lanka Railways, note that Nuwara Eliya corresponds to Nanu Oya station (so you won't have Nuwara in the list...)
Enjoy your stay in Sri Lanka!
Beautiful photos!!!!
I'm going to Sri Lanka in February for a fortnight. I'm hesitating between 3 nights in Nuwara or 3 nights in Ella. Which did you prefer?
Knowing that the journey between Kandy and Ella is at least 7 hours, from what I've read! maybe a two-night stop in Nuwara and then 2 nights in Ella would be more judicious?
Thank you for your reply if you ever read my comment.
say.
Of course! I always read the comments 😉 thanks for the compliment.
To answer you, we only stayed one night in Ella as you have read and I think that is enough, so I would rather do 3 nights in Nuwara.
The journey certainly takes 7 hours but the time flies with all this beautiful scenery passing by!
I really like the pictures in your article it's a really good article 🙂
Thank you, that's a pleasure!