Ella is a single street of cafés, guesthouses and yoga signs, wedged into a gap in the mountains with a view straight down to the southern plains. It has become very popular, and on some evenings the main road feels like a backpacker high street. Walk twenty minutes in any direction and that disappears completely.
The walks
Little Adam’s Peak — 45 minutes up a well-made path through tea, with a series of false summits and a genuinely spectacular view over Ella Gap. Do it at sunrise.
Ella Rock — around four hours return along the railway line and then up through eucalyptus. The route is poorly signed; take a guide or a good offline map, and ignore anyone who tells you the path is closed and offers to show you another one for a fee.
Nine Arch Bridge — a 30-metre viaduct built without steel during the First World War, when supplies ran out. Twenty minutes downhill from town.
The train
The Kandy to Ella line is the reason many people come. The best section is between Nanu Oya and Ella, roughly four hours through tea estates and cloud forest. Reserved second class is the seat to have. Standing in the doorway is a Sri Lankan tradition; hanging out of it for a photograph has killed several tourists. Hold on.
