Bandarawela

General information about Bandarawel

Bandarawela is a small town in central Sri Lanka at an altitude of about 1200 meters above sea level, 200 kilometers from Colombo and 125 from Kandy (Bandarawela on the map). The city is small, its population is only 8 thousand people, but it is the second most important and largest city in the province Badulla. It is a trading town, and on Sunday mornings there is a large food market.

For tourists, Bandarawela is almost unremarkable, but it is a convenient starting point for accessing other cities and attractions. It is also a major transport hub, which will be useful when traveling through the mountainous part of the center of Sri Lanka.

As in most other cities of mountainous Sri Lanka, in Bandarawel tourists enjoy wonderful views of the surrounding mountain landscapes and tea plantations. Perhaps Bandarawela itself is not even inferior to other popular resorts, and in some ways it is even more convenient: the fact is that the city is located below the popular tourist Nuwara-Eliya, so it is a little warmer here. And if you do not want to freeze in the winter months in Nuwara Eliya, because there the temperature can drop at night to zero degrees, then you can choose this town as a base point for exploring the mountainous Sri Lanka.

But you should be prepared for the fact that there is practically no infrastructure and entertainment created specifically for tourists. There are only hotels, and there are not a few, tuk-tuks for trips around the area, as well as the ability to book individual tours to nearby attractions, and that's it. Within the city you can visit several Buddhist and Hindu temples, mosques and churches, there is nothing else of interest. All points of interest are located outside the city and in neighboring towns Ella, Haputale, Horton plateau.

You can find and book accommodation in Bandaravel on these sites or through the search form. All sites have a Russian interface and Russian-language customer support, a lot of reviews from real guests.

• 🛌 Search for hotels in Bandarawel on Yandex.travel
• 🛌 Search for hotels in Bandarawel on Trip.com (💥 our choice)
• 🛌 Search for hotels on Ostrovok.ru

Hotels in Bandarvela on the map

How to get to Bandaravela

Bandarawela is an important transportation hub. Here is the railway station of the Colombo-Badulla branch line. Accordingly, you can get there without changing trains from Colombo, Kandy, Nuwara Eliya, Haputale, Ella, Badulla and other cities of this branch. See train schedules and prices here - https://eservices.railway.gov.lk.

Also in Bandarawel there are several bus stations (stops) from which you can leave/come to Ella, Nuwara Eliya, Badulla, Haputale, Welimada, Wellawaya, and even Colombo. Of course, from Colombo it is better to go here by train, but to move between the small towns of Badulla district, including Ella, Haputale, as well as Nuwara Eliya, you need to change buses here. Buses run very often, do not adhere to the schedule, are inexpensive. Each direction has its own bus station/stop, and to figure out which one you need, it's best to ask for help from local residents or bus drivers.