Ella

Ella (also spelt 'Elle') is a beautiful small town on the southern edge of Sri Lanka's Hill Country. It is popular with tourists and makes a great base from which to explore the surrounding countryside.

Remote view of Little Adam's Peak

It's in the middle of beautiful countryside, with small vegetable plots in the valleys, tea plantations on the hill slopes and forests on the tops.

The climate throughout most of the year is typical of the high Hill Country, with a hot sun by midday, but a moderate air temperature. It will often rain in the afternoon, but only for an hour or so. A sweatshirt, or light jacket is needed at night. In December it can rain a lot! Heavy rain causes a few problems including tea harvesting to be suspended, dirt trails can turn to mud, and the emergence of leaches on greenery including along hiking paths and in tea plantations.

There's not much to do in Ella itself; though it is can be quite busy with tourists. The centre of town is a combination of some small shops, lots of small sized hotels and restaurants, and some bars. It's a base for exploring the surrounding country. Instead of staying in Ella, you may find it more comfortable to stay somewhere a kilometre or more from the centre.

Ella has a small post office and multiple banks with ATMs. Track bashers (rail enthusiasts) should particularly enjoy the line to Badulla, where at the village of Demodara it does a 360-degree loop before crossing over itself.

There are plenty of tuk-tuks around, but the best way to get around is to rent a scooter (most guest houses do this) or walk.

• 🌍 Little Adam's Peak. A much easier hike than its big brother, It is situated to the east of the town center. Walk along the main road for 20 minutes to reach the path, cutting across tea plantations before the final climb up. Great views on Ella Rock and Rawana Falls. You can see the Newburgh Tea Estate on the other side (north). During high season, expect to following and being followed by tourists throughout the path. There is a zip line near the bottom of the trail, available for a fee, though it won't save you time.
• 🌍 Newburgh Green Tea Factory. A bit further down Passara Road (after Little Adam's Peak path), and 30 minutes from the town center. Quick visit of the tea factory, including green tea tasting at the end. Rs500/person 
• 🌍 Nine Arch Bridge. Famous beautiful rock bridge east of the town center. 45 minutes walk from the town center (Passara road, same as Little Adam's Peak and Newburgh Estate), then take a left to walk down to the bridge via a paved road and concrete stairs. Alternatively, walk along the train tracks from Ella railway station (but be careful to listen for approaching trains). If unsure, ask the locals, but not tuk tuk drivers, as they will want to take you along an expensive, circuitous route that will take you to near the bridge at track level. Can be a bit crowded with tourists, come early to enjoy the fresh air. Check the time tables to be able to see a train pass while you are there (but there will be around 4 trains passing between 10am and 1pm). The bridge and Little Adam's Peak can be combined nicely, from the bridge it's is another 5km walk to the peak. Free. (updated Aug 2024)
• 

  Rawana Falls
  🌍 Ella Rock. A more strenuous exercise than Little Adam's Peak. About 2 hours (each way) along the railway track (south of Ella) and through the tea plantations, for stunning views across the countryside. The first 1.5 km is along the railway track so keep an ear out for oncoming trains although they travel slowly. The locals who live near the bottom of Ella Rock have come up with the following idea: they obliterate existing tracks up the hill and create new ones every now and then. Tourists following guidebooks get completely lost, and suddenly, a local appears offering to guide them. Use an app that is based on Openstreetmap (Osmand, maps.me, komoot …) and follow the trails marked as Footpath to Ella Rock (or Footpath to Ella Rock (shortcut) for a shorter, but steeper track) and try to avoid walking to closely to the villagers' homes in order not to disturb them. Rs. 930 (for foreigners). (updated Aug 2024)
• 🌍 Rawana (Ravana) Falls. About 5km away on the road south through Ella Gap. They're quite spectacular, especially during or after rainfall. Take your swimming costume for a refreshing dip, but beware of the touts selling tourist junk. You can catch frequent buses for about Rs50, or better still walk (but catch a bus back up the hill). About half-way down the road you can stop off for a look at the small temple and a cave above it where, according to local legend, Sita was kept as a prisoner before being rescued by Rama. You are also quite likely to meet families of langur monkeys by the roadside. (updated Mar 2023)
• 🌍 Dhowa Temple. 
• 🌍 Ancient Rawana Buddhist temple. 

• Have an authentic Ayurveda Massage at one of the local massage places in town. Expect to pay around Rs1000 for one hour of massage.
• 🌍 Ella Organic Tea Garden, 5km south of Ella centre just off Kithalella road, ☏ +94711344503. 9:00, 11:00, 13:00. Visit one of the few organic tea growers in Sri Lanka. You will get a short tour of the tea plantation, being introduced to several spices and fruits that grow there. After that, learn how the different types of tea are made and taste them all. Rs. 3,000 per person. (updated Aug 2024)

The home cooking in the guest houses and hotels is probably the best food in town. You can find a lot of tourist-oriented bars, cafes and restaurants on the main street.

• Down Town Rotti Hut, right in the center of town you can't miss it. Nice cold beers and good quality Kotthu Roti's. Recommend the beef!
• Rawana Hotel Perched on a hill top with views down the valley, book a dinner with the owners before 3PM. If you come late the owner might not be able to serve you. For Rs400-500/person you will be served an explosion of flavors—about 8 small dishes with each order. If you are not staying here, you must eat here. Do you want to reproduce the meals? -- ask the cook for lessons! This might be your best meal in Sri Lanka.
• Ella Tavern serves hot meals, but the quality is very poor. It's quite a dingy place that tends to be frequented by local alcoholics. Stop in for a chat with the locals. Strong (8.8%) for Rs200 or take a bottle home for Rs230. Not ideal for unaccompanied women.
• Ella Holiday Inn opened in 2005 at the Wellawaya Road junction in the centre of town is a good place for meals, snacks and drinks, sitting on the verandah looking out at life on the main street.

See "eat" above.

• Anasa Wellness Resort, ☏ +94 77 246 8030, sales@anasawellnessresort.com. (updated Apr 2019)

• Take the train to Badulla, Haputale, Nuwara Eliya (Nanu Oya railway station) or Kandy

Don't walk in the countryside in shorts and sandals or flipflops, especially after it's been raining. There are lots of leeches that hang on to the vegetation by the side of tracks waiting for a nice juicy mammal to walk by.

It is advisable to take some Dettol with you, and spray it on the offending leech, which will drop off. It is not advised to scrape or pull a leech off as you may leave the leech's teeth inside the bite which will be very itchy until you have the teeth removed with a needle or tweezers (without being removed, they stay inside the bite for weeks).