Ella attractions - what to see

There is absolutely nothing to see in Ella itself, all the interesting places are in the vicinity. The list of attractions is not so big, but the glory of these places for some unknown reason extends far beyond the borders of Sri Lanka. There are no historical and cultural attractions here, mainly natural beauty: observation decks, mountains, waterfalls, caves, tea plantations. There are many scenic walking routes just around the area and to the surrounding villages, or you can walk along the railway to one of the stations, and return to Ella by train. Also from Ella You can go to neighboring cities during the day and get acquainted with their sights. See: attractions of Badulla, attractions of Haputale, attractions of Nuwara-Eliya, The Horton plateau and the end of the world, Bandarawella.

There are no travel agencies in the usual form with prices for excursions and low prices in Ella. Excursions are offered in hotels, restaurants and cafes, at distributors on the streets, and usually this is an individual guide on foot, or just a tuk-tuk ride to your chosen attractions. But you can get acquainted with most of the interesting places of Ella yourself during a walk. Thus, Mount Ella rock, the small peak of Adam, The Nine-arched bridge of Demodara, the cave and the ancient temple of Ravana are usually visited in the form of an easy hiking trip. Also, individual walking tours with guides are conducted to them, which in principle is also interesting and worth the money. Ravana and Danhinda waterfalls, Dova temple, Demodar railway loop and other places can be reached by bus, train for a mere penny, or by tuk-tuk and rented motorbike.

In addition to sightseeing, you can take cooking classes, massage and spa treatments. As for evening entertainment in Ella, they are represented here by bars, restaurants, and even a couple of clubs with modern music. Surprisingly, the main street of Ella is one of the most touristically developed in all of Sri Lanka, although not very comfortable for walking. And when you get tired of sitting for a beer in the bar, you can go to Dreamclub – something like a club of interest, where you can play board chess, checkers, billiards, badminton, football, etc.

Below is a list of the most popular and interesting attractions and entertainment in the vicinity of Ella, indicating opening hours, costs, and ways to get to them. You can print this list (pages adapted to print on the printer) and use it as a guide. Our map with attractions is also available for printing. You can customize the map to your needs by disabling the display of unnecessary elements on it, and then print it out. For self-navigation, you can download from maps of Ella points in KML/KMZ format.

Mount Ella Rock

This is one of the two peaks between which Ella is located. Climbing it is one of the most popular entertainments among tourists who prefer an active form of recreation. Here you can walk along the tourist route along trails through the forest, tea plantations, rice fields. On the mountain there are several viewing platforms with spectacular views, a cave temple, and at the very beginning of the climb you can see the beautiful and large waterfall Small Rawana Watefall. No mountaineering or climbing skills are required to complete the route, and children and the elderly can do it. The journey will take about two hours one way. Do not forget to take a supply of water, good shoes and a raincoat. Learn more about Mount Ella Rock and how to get to it here...

Adam's Little Peak

Little Adam's peak (Little Adam's Peak or Mini Adam's Peak) is much lower than its older brother, Big Adam's Peak, but locals believe that the two mountains are very similar in appearance, for which they gave their mountain such a name. Its height is 1141 meters, and it is only a hundred meters above the level of the city. The Ascent is very easy and takes at most one hour in one direction, and only the route will need to go about 3 kilometers from the center of Ella. At the top there is a viewing platform, from where the views open to all 360 degrees. Learn more about Little Adam's peak here...

Ravana Falls

The waterfall with a height of 19 meters is one of the most popular in the vicinity of Ella, it is visited by almost all tourists. Although it is not very high, it consists of several levels and pools in which you can swim. Very popular as it is one of the few places near Ella where you can swim. Indeed, the moderately cool water in the pools is very refreshing, and therefore on weekends and holidays there are so many locals and tourists that it is simply not crowded. Learn more about Ravana falls and photos here...

Demodar nine-arch bridge

Demodara Bridge or "nine Arch Bridge" (Nine Arch Bridge) is located on the railway track between Ella and the railway station in the city of Demodara. It was built during the colonial period in 1921 entirely of brick, stone and cement without the use of metal and concrete, and became for Sri Lanka a real engineering miracle of the time. It is still in use and all trains towards Badulla pass through it. A walk to the bridge along the railway tracks will be a small interesting adventure. Learn more about the nine-arch bridge here...

Railway loop Demodar

In the tiny village of Demodara near Ella in the direction of Badulla there is a railway station and a loop Demodara (Demodara Loop). This is an engineering solution so that on a small section of the track the train can overcome a steep ascent or descent. When traveling in a loop, the train travels in a tunnel under the tracks and then travels in a loop around a mountain on a gentler slope.

If you really have nothing to do in Ella, You can get to Demodara by train, and then walk along the railway tracks along the loop and tunnel, and after the tunnel also on the Iron Bridge of Demodara. Go through the loop will have a little more than one kilometer, and to Ella along the tracks another 8 kilometers. As always in this part of Sri Lanka-magnificent views are guaranteed. Along the way in Demodara you can visit the Tea Factory and Demodara Estate Tea Center, which is a 5-minute walk from the railway station on the main road. Learn more about the Demodara loop here...

Tea factories

In the vicinity of Ella there are several tea factories that tourists can visit ostensibly in order to get acquainted with the production and cultivation of tea. In fact, the real purpose of such visits is to attract foreigners to branded tea shops operating in factories. Nevertheless, it is necessary to visit at least one such factory during a trip to Sri Lanka, and to buy expensive branded tea or not, decide on the spot, no one will force you to do it. Some factories allow you to visit production and even plantations, and in some you can see only a symbolic museum with tools for production at the store. See more about tea factories and a list of factories near Ella here...

Spice garden

This small spice garden is almost in the heart of Ella. During the visit, you will walk around the plantation, which grows both familiar and well-known spices, and those that most have not even heard of. The tour is in English, takes 15 minutes at most. There is also a shop where you can buy spices grown in the garden, as well as cooking lessons for an additional fee.

Ravana cave and ancient temple

Rawana Ella Cave and Rawana Ella Temple are two attractions that are visited jointly with one ticket. There is nothing to see in the cave itself – this is an ordinary small dark cave, even rather just a grotto about 30 meters deep, but a kind of entertainment is the climb to the cave itself, if you do not have time to walk around the neighborhood. For the locals, the cave is also a cultural site, since according to the ancient Indian epic Ramayana, it was in this cave that Ravana kept the kidnapped wife of Rama Sita imprisoned. Nearby is the Buddhist ancient cave temple Rawana Ella Temple. Inside, there are frescoes on the walls and ceiling dating back to the period of the Kingdom of Kandy. Learn more about Ravana cave and temple here...

Cave temple of Dov

Dova Rock Temple is a very ancient Buddhist temple with history. It houses a twelve-meter statue of the Buddha, carved directly into the rock, the creation of which is attributed to the Sinhalese King Walagamba. According to legend, the king hid in this place from the Tamil invaders in the 1st century BC, and during this time carved a statue in the rock and created a temple. ie, it turns out that the temple is more than 2000 years old. Inside the cave of the temple there are several more Buddha figures and frescoes. The statue carved in the Rock is located on the territory of the temple, but the cave with frescoes is very easy to miss: the entrance to it is in one of the buildings of the temple. Learn more about the temple of Dov and photos here...

Zipline (trolls)

The longest and fastest extreme rope descent is in Ella on the slope of Little Adam's peak. At a speed of 80 kilometers, you can overcome 550 meters and a height difference of 82 meters in a matter of seconds.

Dunhinda Falls (also Dunhinda, Danhinda Falls)

This waterfall, although not one of the most picturesque, is definitely one of the most powerful and full-flowing in Sri Lanka. Its height is 63 meters, and it consists only of a single threshold, from where a powerful stream of water falls. There is a legend, according to which, at the bottom of the pool at the base of the waterfall are hidden treasures that are guarded by the spirits of the princess and her lover. Due to the difference in social status, they could not stay together in life, and chose to commit suicide by throwing themselves into a waterfall. And now they have nothing left but treasures that they won't let anyone near. Learn more about the danhinda waterfall and photos here...