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Sri-LankaGeneral information about Ella
Ella (Ella, also Elle) is a town in Badulla province in central mountainous Sri Lanka 200 kilometers from Colombo, 130 from Kandy and 50 from Nuwara Eliya (Ella on the map). It is located at an altitude of 1040 meters above sea level, and along with Nuwara Eliya is one of the most popular high-altitude resorts of the central part of the island.
In fact, Ella is a small village, but it is so popular with tourists, mainly independent travelers and backpackers, that an excellent tourist infrastructure and atmosphere has been formed here, several hundred hotels have appeared, there are cafes, restaurants and even some entertainment for tourists. But first of all, Ella is visited because of the natural attractions around, many tourist routes through the mountains and hills, waterfalls, viewing points and other places with spectacular views of the mountains, tea plantations and even the ocean, which is 35 kilometers away.
Holidays in Ella
Rest here is mostly calm, without noisy entertainment and Late-Night festivities. Tourists come here for one or two days to climb one or two neighboring peaks, see waterfalls, visit a cave temple, walk along the railway tracks to the demodar bridge. Rarely does anyone stay here longer. Also from Ella it is convenient to visit the small towns Haputale and Bandarawela, the provincial capital Badulla, and Horton Plateau National Park, Although this is not the most convenient starting point for the latter. Here you can also undergo massage and spa treatments according to ancient Ayurvedic recipes, take training in culinary courses. The best spas in Ella are Hela Osu Suwapiyasa and Lanka Grand Herbal Spa.
Tourist infrastructure in Ella
The city is unexpectedly developed and touristic. The main street of the city for a couple of hundred meters is literally packed with bars, restaurants, cafes, souvenir shops and boutiques, there are even a couple of nightclubs. But if you look from the other side, then in addition to cafes and bars there is no entertainment here. The main street (A23 highway) and other streets of the city are completely unsuited for leisurely walks and recreation: there are no sidewalks, it is dirty, huge puddles form after the rains. Carelessly strolling here is simply dangerous, you can get under the wheels. Besides, there's no lighting. Therefore, if you are not a fan of sitting in the evening for a glass of beer, then there will be absolutely nothing to do here, even just nowhere to walk in the evening.
In the center there is a Bank of Ceylon with an ATM, and a separate HNB ATM, currency exchange. Hotels have Wi-Fi. Shopping in Ella is very modest, mainly tea shops and souvenir shops. There are two supermarkets near the main T-junction. There are many options where to eat, most cafes and restaurants are located in the center along the main street. But what's bad, now there are almost no inexpensive cafes for locals, everything is focused on tourists with fairly high prices by Sri Lankan standards.
Excursions and accompanying guides are offered mainly in hotels, there are practically no separate travel agencies with inexpensive group excursions. For trips to attractions, you can rent a bicycle or scooter (Motobike), hire a tuk-tuk with a driver.
There are a lot of hotels in Ella, You can easily choose your taste and price. Hotels are mostly simple, no higher than four stars. The only option equated to a five-star hotel is a private villa Nilara Resort Ella, and at affordable prices even for a budget tourist. It is better to book accommodation in advance so as not to waste time searching on the spot. Learn more about hotels in Ella here...
You can find and book accommodation in Ella on the following websites:
- 🛌 Search for hotels in Ella on Yandex.travel
- 🛌 Search for hotels in Ella on Trip.com (💥 our choice)
- 🛌 Search for hotels on Ostrovok.ru
Weather in Ella, seasons, when to go
Ella is suitable for visiting all year round. It's a Mountain Resort, and it's a little cooler than the beach resorts, but not as cold as it gets in Nuwara Eliya. The temperature at night can drop to 15 degrees, so warm clothes will not hurt.
The rainiest months are October and November. In these months, you can also relax quite comfortably in Ella, but there is a high probability that the beautiful landscapes for which they come here will be hidden by clouds and mists.
Tourist seasons in Ella by month, when is the best time to go
| Jan | Feb | March | Apr | May | June | July | Aug | Sept | Oct | Nov. | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
* best time to visit;
acceptable time to visit;
not recommended time to visit
Current weather in Ella and forecast
Attractions and entertainment in Ella
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 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 sights 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.
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.
Learn more about all the attractions and entertainment of Ella with an indication of opening hours, costs, and ways to get to them here...
How to get there, Transport
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 where you can directly reach 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.
Transport to move around the city is not needed, everything can be bypassed on foot, including nearby attractions. For trips around the area, you can use buses or trains, hire a tuk-UK driver or rent a motorbike.
G details about all the ways, how and how to get to Ella on your own and about transport here...
Useful tips
- Currency exchange. In Ella, You can easily exchange currency, but the rate is not the most profitable, even lower than at the airport, and much lower than in Colombo. If possible, it is better to come here with the exchanged rupees.
- Flashlight. In Ella, as in the whole of Sri Lanka, there is practically no street lighting. In the evening, be sure to carry a flashlight.
- Warm clothes. But even in the middle of summer, in the evening and after the rains it is cool.
- Souvenirs. Here you can buy standard consumer souvenirs, but there is one unique place – a vintage postcard store. They can simply be viewed as in a museum, and purchased.
- Free card. Ella. A booklet with a free map and a description of Ella's attractions in English is available free of charge at the reception at the railway station.