Main street
First-timersCafés, bars and most hostels, with everything walkable.
Ella village guide
Things To Do In Ella
A village in a gap in the hills, with tea plantations, Little Adam's Peak, the Nine Arch Bridge with trains crossing it, and the liveliest traveller scene in the hill country.
47
Hostels in the city
8.7
Average, from 7,615 reviews
Nine Arch
The famous bridge
June 2026
The hill line reopened to Nanu Oya
Yala
Leopards nearby
The hill country hub
Ella is a small village in a gap in the hills, where the train from Kandy ends its most scenic stretch. It has become the backpacker hub of the hill country, with cafés, guesthouses and walks through tea estates in every direction.
The Nine Arch Bridge, a colonial railway viaduct in the jungle, is its famous image.
Two or three days is right, and Yala National Park and the south coast are a few hours away.
Where to stay
The main street has the cafés, bars and most hostels, and everything is walkable from it. Passara Road, heading east, is quieter and closer to Little Adam's Peak and the Nine Arch Bridge. The hillsides around the village have guesthouses with views over Ella Gap, but expect a steep walk back at night.
Passara Road
QuietGuesthouses towards Little Adam's Peak and the Nine Arch Bridge.
The hillsides
ViewsGuesthouses above the village looking down Ella Gap; a steep walk back.
Orange labels are neighbourhoods, dots are the 12 top-rated hostels. Map data from OpenStreetMap contributors.
Things to do
Things to do in Ella
Little Adam's Peak is the easy classic: a 45-minute walk through tea estates to a ridge with views down Ella Gap. Go at sunrise, before the heat and the crowds. Ella Rock is the harder half-day hike, three to four hours return. The trail is confusingly signposted and locals offer to guide you, so download an offline map before you set off.
The Nine Arch Bridge, a stone viaduct built in 1921 in the jungle between two tunnels, is a twenty-minute walk from town. Several trains cross it each day; check the times at the station and wait at the viewpoint above the bridge, not on the tracks.
Ravana Falls, about 25 metres high, is a short tuk-tuk ride down the road towards Wellawaya. Lipton's Seat, above Haputale, is the viewpoint where the tea baron Thomas Lipton surveyed his estates; go early, before the cloud. For adrenaline, the Flying Ravana zipline crosses the valley.
Evening cooking classes, where you learn to make a full rice-and-curry spread, are one of the best things to do in Ella. Yala National Park, for leopards, is a long day trip via Tissamaharama.
Free things
Free things to do in Ella
Ella's best things are free. Little Adam's Peak, Ella Rock (unless you hire a guide), the Nine Arch Bridge and Ravana Falls cost nothing, apart from the tuk-tuk to reach the falls.
The tea estates around the village are crossed by footpaths you can walk freely, and the walk from Little Adam's Peak down to the Nine Arch Bridge makes a good free half day.
Sunset from the main street rooftops, looking down the gap, costs only the price of a tea.
Food and drink
Eating and drinking in Ella
Ella has more choice than anywhere else in the hill country, aimed at travellers: cafés with smoothie bowls and Western breakfasts, wood-fired pizza and some excellent Sri Lankan kitchens.
The best value is rice and curry in family-run restaurants, often with eight or ten small dishes, and kottu and rotti from the stalls on the main street. Many guesthouses cook a home-style dinner if you ask in the morning. Cooking classes end with the meal you made.
A meal is €3 to €7.
Nightlife
Going out in Ella
Ella has the liveliest evenings in the hill country, though it is still a small village. Bars on the main street, some with rooftops, fill with travellers comparing hikes, and there is usually music somewhere until late.
It is sociable rather than wild, and most people are up early for sunrise hikes.
A beer is €2.50 to €4. Every full-moon day is a Poya holiday, when alcohol sales are banned and most bars close or serve only quietly; check the calendar before planning a night out.
Getting around
Getting around Ella
Ella is small enough to walk everywhere; tuk-tuks wait on the main street for Ravana Falls, the zipline and hotels in the hills.
Trains between Ella, Nanu Oya and Badulla have run again since June 2026, after Cyclone Ditwah closed the line, and they still cross the Nine Arch Bridge. The section on to Kandy is expected back by the end of 2026; until then, buses reach Kandy in about five to six hours. Reserved seats sell out, so book ahead.
Buses run down to Wellawaya, with connections to Tissamaharama for Yala, about two and a half hours, and on to the south coast; a private car to Mirissa takes about four hours.
Costs
What Ella costs
Ella is mid-priced for Sri Lanka, and a little more expensive than Kandy. Dorms start around €8 and a careful day is €20 to €30.
The main walks are free. A tuk-tuk to Ravana Falls is a few euros, a cooking class €10 to €20, and a Yala safari, with jeep, park fees and transport, is the biggest cost, often €50 or more per person.
The currency is the Sri Lankan rupee (LKR); prices here are euro equivalents. There are ATMs on the main street, but carry some cash.
Safety
Staying safe in Ella
Ella is safe. The main risks are on the railway: people walk the tracks to the Nine Arch Bridge and stand on the bridge for photos, and trains come round the curves with little warning. Stay off the tracks when a train is due, and never on the bridge.
On Ella Rock, stick to known paths and start early; people get lost on the side trails. In the wet months, leeches are common in the forest.
Emergency: 119 police, 1990 ambulance (Suwa Seriya, free). Tourist Police: 1912.
Day trips from Ella
Tea-estate viewpoints, waterfalls and leopards.
Yala
Leopards, elephants and sloth bears on a jeep safari.
Ravana Falls
A 25-metre waterfall by the road, linked to the Ramayana legend.
What's on
What is on while you are there
The dry season is the season.
January to April
Dry season
Ella
Clear views.
Mid-April
New Year
Ella
Celebrations.
Hostels
Where to stay in Ella
The top-rated places to stay in Ella right now, live from Hostelworld.
Backpackers Hostel Ella
Dorms from €4 a night
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Bunk Station Hostel
Dorms from €12 a night
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Noname Hostel And Cafe
Dorms from €9 a night
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Beyond Nomad Hostel
Dorms from €13 a night
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Sustainable
Paradise View Hostel
Dorms from €8 a night
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Dream Ville
Dorms from €9 a night
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Pepper Hills Hostels
Dorms from €5 a night
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Ella Escapade Hostel
Dorms from €7 a night
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Sustainable
Gaia Ella Ecolodge and Yoga Center
Dorms from €8 a night
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Sustainable
Tree House Cafe Ella
Dorms from €5 a night
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Tomorrowland Hostel Ella
Dorms from €13 a night
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Sustainable
Avocado Hostel
Dorms from €7 a night
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When to go
January to April is driest.
Jan
Good
Feb
Dry
Mar
Dry
Apr
New Year
May
Good
Jun
Good
Jul
Good
Aug
Good
Sep
Good
Oct
Rainy
Nov
Rainy
Dec
Busy
Bar height is temperature. Colour is how busy it gets:
quiet
busy
peak
Average highs. Cool evenings.
What your trip will cost
Pick how you travel. Per person per night, in euros.
Prices are in rupees locally; these are euro equivalents.
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- Beds—
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- Getting around—
- Doing things—
Ella travel questions
The ones we get asked most.
When does a train cross the Nine Arch Bridge?
Several times a day in each direction. Ask at Ella station or your guesthouse for the day's times, and arrive early, as trains often run late.
Is Little Adam's Peak hard?
No. It is about 45 minutes up through tea estates on a good path, with steps at the end. Ella Rock is the harder hike.
How do I get to Ella?
By train from Nanu Oya, since the line reopened in June 2026, or by bus from Kandy, five to six hours. Through trains from Kandy are expected to return by the end of 2026.
Can I see leopards?
Yes, on a jeep safari in Yala National Park, about two and a half hours away via Tissamaharama. Yala has one of the highest densities of leopards in the world; early-morning drives are best.
How many days do you need?
Two or three: one for Little Adam's Peak and the Nine Arch Bridge, one for Ella Rock, and one for a day trip.
When is the best time to visit?
January to April is driest, with the clearest views. Ella is visitable all year, but afternoons can be wet from October to December.
Is it cold?
Cool in the evenings at about 1,000 metres, but much warmer than Nuwara Eliya. A light layer is enough.
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