How to get to Ella, transportation

Ella is located in the mountainous part of the country, 200 kilometers from Colombo and the main international airport of Sri Lanka-Bandaranaike (Ella on the map). Public intercity transport to Ella is not very well developed, but there is a railway station, which can be directly reached from Colombo, Kandy, Nuwara Eliya, Badulla and other cities in the central mountainous part of the country. Bus service is very poorly developed, but with a transfer during the day by bus you can get from almost any, even the most remote point of the country, you just need to leave early and plan the transfer correctly. Here for a start, briefly about the ways to get from different places in the country:

• From Colombo it is best to travel by train directly or with a tourist stop for a few days in Kandy, Nuwara Eliya or other cities along the route. There is no direct bus from Colombo to Ella, but you can transfer via Kandy or Nuwara Eliya.
• From Negombo you can get through Colombo (with a transfer by train), or through Kandy. From Negombo to Kandy there is a direct bus and in Kandy it is possible to change by train or bus.
• From Kandy there is a direct bus number 10 but goes for a very long time along the serpentines. Departs three times a day in the morning, and two night buses in the evening. It is better to go by train (at least 4 trains a day, 5-6 hours on the way), especially since this section of the road offers the best views.
• From Nuwara Eliya Nuwara Eliya is not far away, only 50 kilometers away. There is a direct bus at least 7 times a day, but if possible, even this short route is best done by train. Every day there are at least 5 trains from Nanu Oya station, 3-4 hours on the way.
• From Unawatuna, Mirissa, Matara and other cities of the South it is not necessary to go through Colombo, it turns out a big detour. There are three buses daily from Galle and seven daily from Matara, respectively, to go through these towns.
• From Trincomalee there is one night bus daily.

And now in detail about all the ways, how and on what to get to Ella yourself:

✈ By plane

The country's main and only international airport is Colombo Bandaranaike airport (airport on the map), and it is through it that tourists get to the country and to Ella. There is not even a local airport near Ella, so when you arrive in the country you will have to travel from the airport by train, bus or taxi.

Direct flights and transfers from Moscow and other cities of the Russian Federation and CIS countries are operated to Colombo airport. Direct flights are operated only by Sri Lanka airlines, but it is more expensive to fly than with a transfer in another country. Therefore, if you want to save money, it is better to buy a transfer flight, especially since there are many options with very short connections. Pick up flights to Sri Lanka, including transfers at the best price, you can use the search form from the best Russian search engine Aviasale:

How to get to Ella from the airport

Ella is 200 kilometers from the main international airport of Bandaranaike, and can only be reached by land by train or bus with a transfer to Colombo, or directly by taxi. Theoretically, it is still possible to fly by helicopter to the helipad next to mount Little Adam's peak, but these are very expensive private charter flights.

A direct taxi ride from the airport to Ella will cost from $ 120. You can leave cheaper if you order a car using the Pick Me or Uber application. A trip through the application will cost from 10000 rupees (29.74, see Sri Lankan currency and Exchange Rate), but again there is no guarantee that there will be a free driver willing to take you that far for money at App rates. Another inexpensive taxi or minivan can be ordered at https://12go.asia.

A much more reliable and comfortable way to get to Ella from the airport or other cities in Sri Lanka is to order a tourist transfer from Kiwitaxi. You can book a trip in advance online, and the driver will be waiting for you on arrival and will meet you at the airport with a table. But for such service and comfort you will have to pay almost twice as much as when searching for a car on the spot. You can order a transfer from Kiwitaxi using the search form:

If your budget does not allow you to go by taxi, then you can get there for very little money by train or bus, but you will have to make transfers, and several by bus. Therefore, it is best to go by train. Here's how to do it:

• Airport to Ella via Colombo

  From the airport, you must first take a bus or taxi to the Colombo Fort Railway Station. The cheapest way to get there is by regular bus number 187, which goes to the final stop right across the street from Colombo Fort Railway Station. On this route No. 187 there are both state buses and private ones, including minibuses. Travel costs from 100 rupees. Buses run approximately every 30 minutes from 06:00 to 21:00, a journey of an hour to two. At night, about once an hour there are private minibuses, but they do not go to the railway station but to their stop, which is located 10 minutes walk from the railway. All buses depart from the parking lot across the street from the terminal exit (parking 187 buses on the map). For more information, see to get to Colombo.

• Airport to Ella via Kandy

  Getting through Kandy makes sense if you want to stay in the city, because it is the cultural capital of the country, and one of the most popular tourist destinations (see guide to Kandy). From the airport, Kandy can be reached directly by bus from Avariwatta bus station, two kilometers from the airport (Avariwatta bus station on the map). It can be reached by tuk-tuk for 100 rupees (bargaining), or on foot for 20-30. Direct buses No. 245 to Kandy depart from this station approximately once an hour during the day. The journey is 3 hours, cost from 140 rupees. If you do not plan to stop in Kandy and go straight to Ella, then you can reach the railway station on foot, it is located right next to the bus station (see map of Kandy with bus stations).

🚆 By train

It is best to get to Ella by train, as this route is considered one of the most picturesque in the world. Along the way, from the train window you will enjoy wonderful views of mountains, hills, tea plantations, waterfalls. There are even special observation cars for tourists with large windows (Observation Deck), and if possible, buy tickets in such a car.

Direct train connections are available from Colombo, Kandy, Nuwara Eliya (from Nanu Oya station), Badulla, Haputale and many other cities along the route. There are direct trains both from Colombo to Badulla with or without a stop in Kandy and direct trains only from Kandy to Badulla. There is also a night train, but when riding it you will not see the amazing scenery. From the beach resorts of Sri Lanka to Ella by train will have to get with a transfer to Colombo. The schedule and cost of the second and third class can be found on the official website https://eservices.railway.gov.lk.

Tickets for first class and the observation car must be purchased in advance, usually several weeks in advance. You can do this at https://12go.asia, but sometimes there sales are interrupted, check. If you can not buy a ticket in the first class, you can go in the second or third. Tickets for these classes are sold an hour before departure, and they are always there as they are sold regardless of availability. Therefore, there is a chance to go without a seat standing or sitting on the floor.

The train station in Ella is right in the center of the town (Station on the map), you can get from it to any place and hotel on foot.

Read more about traveling by train in Sri Lanka...

And here are the train and bus schedules to Ella available for online booking:

🚌 By bus

By bus, you can get to Ella from other cities in the mountainous part of Sri Lanka, and some cities on the south coast. Buses run very slowly, the roads are difficult and pass along serpentines. For this reason, we do not recommend getting to Ella by bus, unless it is a short commute between the cities of the province.

There is no bus station in Ella. The buses run along the Main Street and make one stop in the very center at the intersection at the bus stop (stop on map). There is also a small blue booth in which there is a schedule for the departure of buses to distant destinations. And sometimes there are police officers on duty who are happy to give information about where, when and how to take the bus, as well as where it is better to make transfers to get to the desired city or resort. Here is the schedule of departures of buses from Ella as of May 2019:

• Matara. 06:30 , 08:40, 09:20, 11:00, 12:00, 14:45, 15:30 , 16:40.
• Galle. 07:10, 09:35, 11:30 , 12:10, 21:40.
• Trincomalee. 17:50.
• Sara (to transfer to Trincomalee, Ballycaloa, Arugam Bay). 06:30 , 07:40, 09:15, 17:30.
• Kataragama (Kataragama, you can transfer to Yala National Park). 12:40, 14:00, 14:25, 15:30.
• Monaragala (Monaragala to transfer to Arugam Bay). 07:00, 07:45, 09:00, 13:00, 13:10, 15:30 , 16:45.
• Tanamalvila (Thanamalwila). 08:45, 18:20, 19:00.
• Maligavila (Maligawila). 10:35, 18:15.
• Kandy. 10:30 , 22:15, 23:10.
• Nuwara Eliya. 07:30 , 08:30 , 09:00, 11:00, 11:20, 12:00, 14:05.
• Embilipitia (Embilipitiya). 15:05, 15:30.

There is no exact schedule of buses from other cities to Ella, but we managed to collect this information:

• From the central part of mountainous Sri Lanka. Buses from Badulla, Bandarawela, Haputale, Wellawaya and other towns nearby run frequently during daytime off-schedule.
• Trincomalee. Bus from Trincomalee passing through Ella to Hambantota. Departs once a day at 19:00 from Trincomalee, and at 17:50 from Ella to Trincomalee.
• Kandy. Three buses a day: one in the morning, two at night in the evening.
• Nuwara Eliya. Seven buses daily in the morning.
• Matara. Eight buses daily in the morning (last about 16 hours).
• Galle. Five buses before lunch, one night.
• Apara (to get to Bangalore, Trincomalee with transfer, Arugam Bay). Three buses in the morning from 6 to 9 o'clock, one in the evening at about 17 o'clock.

Transport, how to move around Ella

Ella, a very small town, its main tourist street can be walked in 5 minutes. Nearby attractions such as Little Adam's peak, Mount Ella Rock, Nine arch bridge, temple and Ravana cave are usually also explored on foot.

More distant attractions and neighboring towns and villages can be reached by buses, which quite often pass through the city center along the main street. They can get almost anywhere and very inexpensive, travel costs from 44 rupees. The only drawback is that you can spend a lot of time waiting and the trip itself.

Another way to travel is by train. By train during the ndj from Ella You can go to Haputale, Badulla, Bandaravella, Demodara and other towns nearby. There is, by the way, one of the types of active entertainment from Ella: take the train to the nearest town, and return by train along the railway along very picturesque routes. Just carefully plan your train travel time. It is best to start them early in the morning.

Most of the freedom of movement and comfort is given by renting a tuk-tuk with a driver. Using tuk-tuks for short trips is expensive, but hiring it for a trip for the whole day, and even vspladchinu is much more profitable. Usually a tuk-tuk can accommodate up to 3 adults. You can hire a tuk-tuker from 5000 rupees (14.87 USD) for the whole day, but you need to bargain and discuss the route of the trip in advance, the price will depend on it. Tuk-tuks can be used for long-distance travel. For example, for a tuk-tuk from Ella to Kandy, they ask 7,000 rupees.

In Ella, you can easily rent a low-power motorcycle (Motobike). There are a lot of places to rent, mostly you can find near cafes and shops along the main street. The standard price is 3200 rupees (9.52 USD) per day, the auction is not accepted. As a pledge, they usually do not ask for anything, the contract is not concluded, they can only ask to take a picture of your rights or passport.

In theory, to drive a motorcycle in Sri Lanka, you need at least an international license (International Driving Permit), which are presented with a national driving license. If they are not, then you can get a temporary permit on the spot and on the basis of ordinary Russian (national) rights in Colombo, but you must have an open category "A". In practice, the tenant is not interested in the question of whether tourists have rights at all, so some tourists rent a motorcycle at their own risk without rights. Read more about renting motorcycles in Sri Lanka and what rights you need here...