12 Best Things to Do in Ella: What We Loved, Skipped and Would Do Again

The best things to do in Ella are: hiking Ella Rock or Little Adam’s Peak, walking on Nine Arch Bridge, riding the scenic train, visiting a tea factory, and slowing down in town. There we go, we spoiled everything in just one sentence.

We loved Ella, it’s one of the most easy going places in Sri Lanka. The atmosphere and the lively bars, with that same rustic Sri Lankan charm, make us come back every time.

Ella is one of the few places in Sri Lanka where we wanted to slow down. It’s adventurous, but relaxing at the same time.

Our legs were sore from all the hiking up and down hills, but it was a beautiful pain. In Ella, no two days feel the same — there are so many things to do in Ella.

If you’re searching for what to do in Ella, I can tell you straight away: this town earns the hype, but not for the reasons most guides tell you.

We’ve now been to Ella across two separate trips to Sri Lanka, and this time we made sure to actually live it, not just tick it off. So this isn’t a recycled list. It’s what we did, what we’d change, and what I’d personally skip.

Is Ella Worth Building Your Trip Around?

Yes, but you need to slow down to get it right. On our first visit, we stayed “just a little” as I wrote in my own notes, and it wasn’t enough to understand the place.

But it would be a pity to leave with a bitter taste, so we filed this little mountainous town right in the “I want to return someday” file. That someday came just a year later.If you want to see our perspective, check out our guide where we list reasons why Ella is worth your time.

We booked a hotel within walking distance of the strip and gave ourselves real days there, not a rushed overnight stay. It’s also really well connected to the rest of Sri Lanka — the South Coast, the hill country, and the capital, Colombo. It’s easy to get around by tuk tuk, but also ideal if you want to rent your own vehicle.

While we built this Ella travel guide, we had plenty of time to reflect on the full picture of the townown. Ella is basically one long road going downhill through the mountains, and that’s it. It’s small. But the rolling hills and the easygoing cafe culture gave us the same feeling we only got twice before, in Sa Pa in Vietnam and in Pai in Thailand. That’s a big compliment from us, and we don’t hand it out for free.

Ride the blue train Kandy to Ella

You’ve probably seen the photos already: people hanging out of open train doors with tea fields blurring past. I have to admit, we have done that too. It’s less dangerous than you’d think, once the train slows down. Definitely it’s one of the best things to do in Ella, even if you are travelling the opposite way from Ella to Kandy. We have an entire guide on how to take the tickets for the blue train.

We travelled in second class and preferred it for the open windows and more social atmosphere, but the best class depends on whether you value comfort, a guaranteed seat, or photography. Train services can be delayed, so avoid planning a tightly timed connection after arriving in Ella.

Hiking Ella Rock: The Route Most Guides Get Wrong

If there’s one section of this guide worth reading properly, it’s this one. Most things to do in Ella lists tell you to hike straight up from town. We didn’t. Our guide suggested the Pekoe Trail Stage 15 instead, starting from Mekella and descending into Ella, because the elevation drop is far kinder that way.

The maths matters here: hiking straight up from Ella town to the viewpoint means climbing about 300 metres of steep, rocky path.

Coming from the Mekella side, through the eucalyptus and pine forest, you’re only dropping about 120 metres to reach the highest point. We started at 8.21am and didn’t finish until 1.14pm, and weather in the wet season genuinely dictates whether you’ll see anything at all. Read our guide to Ella Rock Hike.

Little Adam’s Peak: The Easier Win

If Ella Rock sounds like too much commitment, Little Adam’s Peak is the most popular hike in Sri Lanka for a reason. Both are a memorable part of our journey to the valley. I still have vivid memories of the Ella gap, the valley formed by Ella rock and Little Adam’s Peak, on a clear day from our hotel window.

Little Adam’s peak is an easy hike, which takes about 1 to 2 hours round trip, is well marked, and doesn’t require any guide. The hike is scenic too, more relaxed than Ella Rock, and it passes through tea estates on the way. The best way to plan this hike is to actually factor in time to stop for a proper cup of tea along the trail.

This is definitely the one to recommend to anyone nervous about hiking alone or short on time.

Nine Arch Bridge Deserves More Than a Quick Photo Stop

We have been there twice, and still will go back next time we are in Sri Lanka. The Nine Arch Bridge sits tucked between green hills and it’s popular for photos either from the track, sitting on top of the bridge, or from the tea bushes on the side. We reached it by tuk tuk.

The road is dusty and steep, so we don’t recommend walking. These tuk tuk drivers are mad, driving fast in such narrow spaces.

On one of our trips we missed catching a train crossing it, so we made a point of timing it better on a later visit.

Ella Cooking Class

While we didn’t take a cooking class in Ella itself, we’ve done about four across our longer trips to Sri Lanka. There was always something new to learn, unique spices we didn’t know we could use to cook. Every time we were followed with passion preparing traditional dishes.

We’ve learned how to prepare dahl and prawn curry step by step, and once, at an eco lodge near Sigiriya,we got into soup, rice, and tapioca preparations that genuinely surprised us.

Across our multiple trips to Sri Lanka we’ve run cooking sessions in at least three different regions now, and the format is consistent everywhere: fresh spices, a hands-on demo, then we eat what we made.

Ella has its own version of this, and it’s worth doing here too, especially since the hill country brings slightly different produce to the table than the coast. If we were adding it to our next Ella stay, we’d book this traditional Sri Lankan cooking class in Ella ahead of time, since small-group sessions like this tend to fill up fast in high season and it’s exactly the kind of experience that turns a good trip into a memorable one.

Tea Factory Tour Near Ella

Sri Lanka runs on tea, and Ella sits right in the middle of that story, so a factory visit genuinely earns its place on this list. We toured the Uva Halpewatte factory on our second trip to Ella. It was a unique experience, and definitely much better than the first tea factory we visited in Nuwara Eliya.

They set a slow pace, answered every single question, and let us pick our own leaves straight from the bushes. It wasn’t just a gorgeous panorama and a delicious cup of tea — it was an overall memorable experience.

We were shoulder to shoulder with local workers in every phase of the tea production process. Some of us couldn’t take photos or film, because of the secret process. Watching the leaves go from picking to drying to smashing to final packaging over three days was genuinely one of the more interesting industrial processes we’ve seen on any trip.

We visited on our second trip and found it more memorable than our earlier tea-factory visit in Nuwara Eliya because we could ask questions, see the setting and spend time in the fields. That is our personal comparison, not a universal ranking.

Ravana Falls

We could see the huge cascade of water falling down from miles away while we were on the road to Ella. It was our welcome. Ravana Falls is a proper roadside stop, not a hidden gem, sitting right beside the A23 Ella-Wellawaya road, about 6 to 8km south of town.

The fall cascades from roughly 25 metres down, creating a pool that’s worshipped by locals. Genuinely, you can’t miss it from the road, which is why it’s always busy.

Our honest tip: don’t just pass by, go back and visit it properly. Get a tuk-tuk out early, budget around 500 to 800 LKR one way, or catch a local bus heading toward Wellawaya from Ella’s bus stop for as little as 30 to 50 LKR. We’d go early in the morning or skip the midday rush entirely. It’s a five-minute photo stop, not an all-day activity, so don’t overbuild your expectations.

Flying Ravana Adventure Park and Sky Walk

While we didn’t do this activity, it’s high on our list for when we’re back in Ella. On our first day, walking through the main junction, the tuk-tuk drivers kept shouting the name of Flying Ravana, and we got curious. After all, it’s one of the most popular activities in Ella. The Flying Ravana Adventure Park sits on a hillside off the A23, roughly 3km outside Ella toward Wellawaya.

It runs daily, roughly 9am to 5.30pm.

There’s also the separate Sky Walk nearby if heights and glass platforms are more your thing than flying through the air on a cable. A tuk-tuk out there runs about 300 to 400 LKR one way, ten minutes from town. If I’m honest, I’d go for the earlier afternoon slot, around 2.30 to 4pm, both for the light and to dodge the morning rush of tour buses.

Safari at Udawalawe National Park

This isn’t technically in Ella, but if you’re staying in the area, it’s close enough to be one of the best day trips you can bolt onto your itinerary, and it’s genuinely one of my favourite things we did on the whole trip. We’ve been there twice, and never disappointed. 

We didn’t actually do it as a day trip, but based ourselves in Udawalawa. We did two safaris in this specific area, out of four total in Sri Lanka. Just 5 minutes after entering the park area (not even the paid park entrance) we spotted a wild elephant by the shore of the reservoir.

It was close enough to get a photo with our own car in frame to show how easy the encounters are here, no expensive jeep tour required for that particular sighting.

If Udawalawe feels too touristy or you want something quieter, we’d suggest Wasgamuwa National Park or Urulu Eco Park, as a more intimate experience.

We did a proper 4×4 safari there later on the same trip and it took nearly two hours before our first elephant sighting, but once it happened, we were surrounded, we counted what felt like hundreds scattered through the reserve rather than clustered around one lake like at Minneriya. It’s the less-visited, wilder version if Udawalawe’s crowds put you off.

Pottery Class Near Udawalawe

Right by the national park entrance, we spent an afternoon at Craft Tunnel, a pottery retreat and restaurant run by Master Potter Ajith Perera. He started the project decades ago to empower women in a farming community with limited income beyond seasonal cane cutting.

Today he trains around 200 women in traditional wheel-thrown, low-fire pottery from their own homes.

The masterclass costs just 10 dollars per person, lunch included, and Ale had a go at the wheel herself (no real success, but a good laugh).

It’s the kind of stop that adds real substance to a day that would otherwise just be a safari and a drive.

Cafe Chill Is Touristy, but We’d Still Go Back

Here’s the quick truth: Cafe Chill is 100% aimed at tourists, and every table around us on our visit was foreign too. But we’re not going to pretend we didn’t enjoy it.

We arrived hungry, rain hammering down, and had to shuffle inside from the balcony because we were getting soaked at the edge. It’s one of the best restaurants in Ella, and pinned on every traveller map, ours included.

I had a juicy fried burger with fries and a local sauce, Ale went for a beef burger, and we split both. About £10 per person for burger and drink, which isn’t cheap by Sri Lankan standards, but it’s honestly mid-range for what’s one of the trendiest spots on the strip. Skip it if you want purely local food, but don’t feel guilty if you crave a proper burger after days of curry.

Our Ella Ritual: Barista and Island Gelato

We’ll be honest, half our favourite Ella memories happen in a coffee shop. The barista sits at the junction where the road splits toward Namunukula and Passara, and we actually wrote a chunk of our trip notes from a table there, laptop open, caramel macchiato in hand, fast wifi doing its job. We first found this exact spot on our previous trip and made a point of coming back. Next door is Island Gelato, which we’d somehow missed the year before. We made a pact to return the next day, and we did. Sit on the top floor balcony if you can — the view over the street is genuinely one of our favourite quiet moments in Ella.

Take a day trip from Ella

This section is meant to show how central Ella is within Sri Lanka. The Uva region is underrated and little known, yet it’s lush and green, with valleys, mountains, waterfalls and hikes. Despite narrow roads, congested traffic and long travel times, you can fit in incredible experiences just by using Ella as a base.

These are some of the best day trips from Ella you should plan:

• Pidurnagala hike (while best hiked at sunrise, it’s great also for sunset)
• Sigiriya (It’s a Unesco world heritage site, better give a full day to this!)
• Horton Plain
• Nuwara Eliya (lakes, colonial style, gardens and tea fields)
• Diyaluma Falls

Where We’d Actually Stay in Ella

We stayed  within walking distance from the main strip specifically so we didn’t need tuk tuks for every coffee run, and it made a real difference to how relaxed the whole visit felt.

While our boutique hotel – Eckho Ella – is not a budget friendly option, it is still a valid one if you can splurge a little bit. Our room faced Ella Gap, and we woke up both mornings loving the view. At night, there’s complimentary use of their hot tub, and there’s an early-morning yoga class by the garden.

If budget is a concern, we have stayed in a cosy little cocoon for a fraction of the price. The thought of that is that they are a bit far from the main strip and you need to account for transport every time. Our suggestions for a £20 per night budget are: 

Best restaurants and cafes in Ella

La Mensa: While we prefer this spot for breakfast, the food is overall delicious. They offer traditional Sri Lankandishes, andserve each dishwith a big smile. The staff are friendly, and we weren’t the only ones to appreciate it. It’s built on two levels, and the view from the top of the strip at night makes the atmosphere much more cosy.

The Barn by Starbeans: After travelling for three months in Sri Lanka, we craved western food more than once, especially pizza. If you’re craving it too, there is only one place in Ella – The Barn. Warn you prices aren’t cheap, but the pizza is great, dough near to perfection and cosy atmosphere. We’ve also used it for a couple of hours working with a coffee during the day.

Raha Ella Sri Lanka: Is the traditional Sri Lanka restaurant. What attracted us in the first place is the window filled with samosa right at the entrance. The menu is polished for tourists, but the ingredients are genuine and prepared with love. The sweet and savoury chicken was good, but pricey for Sri Lankan standards, we paid 2,100 LKR each.

Razon Bar & Restaurant: Still in town, the restaurant is very refined. We did eat lunch on the day we arrived before rain struck and we were there for a couple of hours waiting to stop. We had chicken again, you can’t go wrong, and definitely didn’t want to end up on their westernized menu which also includes pasta on it. To be honest it isn’t the best restaurant in Ella town, but the one that delivers when you are tired and want some comfort food. The service is slow though, so adapt to Sri Lankan standards. 

Things to know before visiting Ella

Best Time to Visit Ella

December to March is the best time to visit Ella. We went in March on one trip and it was perfect, not a drop of rain the whole stay. Central hill towns like Ella and Nuwara Eliya follow a different pattern than the coast, so definitely, as a word of advice and experience, don’t plan your Ella days around what the beach weather is doing.

Our second visit landed us there in the wet season instead, and I won’t sugarcoat it: fog rolled in most mornings by 9am, and it cost us the view from the top of Ella Rock.

If hiking is your priority, aim for December through February when mornings stay clearer for longer. April and September to October also work well as shoulder months, sitting between the two monsoons with fewer crowds and cheaper rooms.

How to Get to Ella

The train is obviously the best way to reach Ella, we have done it, and the journey was smooth. We’ve ridden the Kandy to Ella train twice now, and honestly, it might be the one journey in Sri Lanka where the ride outshines the destination. Second class costs 600 LKR, third class 300 LKR, and both get you open windows and real interaction with locals.

Book your seats in advance through 12Go if you want first class, since the official rail site kept telling us everything was sold out. If you’re coming from the south coast like we did on our long trip, driving in is also completely doable, we had a driver, which made our life much easier. We passed by Udawalawa via Wellawaya in about two hours with a snack stop at the bus junction along the way. Check this option for the same route.

If you are on a budget, buses run multiple times of the day, and there is an easy, cheap connection to Colombo too. Again 12Go Asia is the best resource for transportation.

Remember buses to Colombo arrive at Makumbura bus stand outside the city (so you need to account for an extra tuk tuk ride), while vans get right in the centre of Colombo behind Pettah Market.

How Many Days You Need in Ella

Two nights minimum, three if you actually want to hike. On our first trip we stayed “just little” as I put it in my own notes, and it wasn’t enough to understand the place at all. This time we booked walking distance from the strip and gave it real days instead of a rushed overnight, and the difference was night and day.

Here’s the honest breakdown: one day covers Little Adam’s Peak and wanders the strip. A proper Ella Rock hike via the Pekoe Trail eats a full morning into early afternoon, five to six hours door to door.

Add a day if you want Nine Arches at the right time for a passing train, and another half day if Ravana Falls or the tea factory are on your list. Three full days lets you do all of it without racing the clock, which is exactly what I’d tell a friend to book.

Quick 4 Day Itinerary in Ella

We’ve recently seen a pattern that Ella is becoming more of a destination to slow down and enjoy the many things to do, rather than just another place to explore for a couple of days and move on. Honestly, if you have time to spend in Ella, do, and plan accordingly. This is the Ella itinerary you should follow to have the best time.

Day 1: Arrive by train or road, check in somewhere walkable to the strip – Read our where to stay in Ella for more about that. use the afternoon for a slow first look at town. Lunch at Cafe Chill, coffee at Barista, wander toward 360 Ella at night, the most active place to spend a night with a couple of drinks in Ella.

Day 2: Early start, 6am if you can manage it, for the Ella Rock hike. Walk on the train track and stop for a cup of tea. Descend into town by early afternoon, then recover with gelato at Island Gelato, right next Barista Cafe shop and deserved shopping. Ella Tea shop for locally sourced tea, stick no bills, for curious and original stamps Sri Lanka inspired.

Made in Ceylon is a brand that spread far off Ella, and we found it in Unawatuna, which has interesting ceramics.

Day 3: Little Adam’s Peak in the morning while it’s still cool, then Nine Arches Bridge timed around a train crossing. Afternoon free for Ravana Falls or the tea factory, both easy half-day additions from town.

Day 4: Slow morning, one more coffee at your favourite spot, then move on to your next stop. Travelling through Sri Lanka is hard, so plan accordingly and depart early to make the most of daylight and frequent transportation. That’s genuinely the pace we’d repeat.

What we’ll do differently next time

I’d start the Ella Rock hike earlier, before 7am, no matter how tempting the breakfast spread is. I’d also spent one more evening actually inside 360 Ella, the spot for tourists that I only admired from a distance because we were too tired to get involved that night. Definitely on my list for next time.

My honest overview: Ella isn’t undiscovered anymore, and I’m not going to pretend it is. But the combination of the train ride in, the Pekoe Trail’s quieter alternative route up Ella Rock, and that easy cafe culture at the Barista junction makes it one of the few towns in Sri Lanka where doing less, slower, was actually the better move for us.