Did you know the place where the demon king Ravana had hidden Goddess Sita? Have you ever been on any scenic train journey? You think about these questions as we take you all to the beautiful place called Ella.
In case you don’t know who we are………..
We call ourselves Travel Freaks……..
Let’s begin this blog with a quick recap…..
1. How much did we explore in Sri Lanka?
After a fantastic day at Nuwara Eliya, we enjoyed the chilling weather the previous night. It was time for us to move to our next destination, Ella. Guess what! We will travel by the iconic train from Nuwara Eliya to Ella this time. However, before we bid adieu to this beautiful place, we explored two more spots we missed the previous day.
Many of you who have been following us guessed it right. If you haven’t read our previous blogs, check out here to know more about our Sri Lanka Series, you will get an idea of what to explore and how to explore. If you need any help, we are just a click away.
Returning to our story, we started a bit late at around 9:00 AM after a delicious breakfast at our Water filed Bank Road stay. We had baked roti, dal (lentils), coconut chutney, bread, banana and tea.
Our driver cum guide, with his ever-smiling face, was ready to take us on another exciting journey in Nuwara Eliya. We were off to Moon Plains, where one can get a 360-degree view of Nuwara Eliya town.
Now hearing the term 360-degree view, you all might be eager to know……..
2. How was the journey of the Moon Plains?
It took us a little over half an hour to reach. The road leading to the entrance of the Moon Plains was narrow, with dense trees on both sides of the road. When we reached, a few cars parked, as it was early hours of the day. The sun can also be seen playing hide and seek. Given the rain we witnessed the previous evening, we prayed for sunny weather.
The ticket cost was 600 LKR per person. You also need to hire a safari jeep to get to the spot where you can get a clear view of the Nuwara Eliya town with the surrounding hills. The Jeep safari cost 5000 LKR for six persons. We were thrilled to reach the final viewpoint. The ride was bumpy, and be careful while seated in the jeep.
When we reached the top, we could get a clear view of the Sanjivani hill from the epic Ramayana, Pidurutalagala, the tallest peak of Sri Lanka and the Nuwara Eliya town. There was an elevated platform where we got a nice view to capture snaps. It was a pleasant experience for us to start the day.
We suggest our readers plan Moon Plains during sunrise or sunset; you will enjoy it a lot.
After a little over half an hour, we returned to our car. We moved on to the next spot that we missed the previous evening.
Hope you got it by now; we were going to Gregory Lake for a fun-filled activity. Now you would like to know…..
3. How did we enjoy Gregory Lake?
We were excited to visit Gregory Lake. We missed exploring the previous evening due to the rain. We reached Gregory Lake within half an hour. As we got off the car, we saw a speed boat; our adrenaline rushed to an extreme level. It was an instant decision to take a speed boat ride that was long pending on our to-do list.
The entry ticket to Gregory Lake was 500 LKR. We rushed towards the counter to take the speed boat tickets. It was hardly a 5 to 7 minutes ride, costing us 7000 LKR for six. We were thrilled and excited to experience such a ride. There were jet scooters and paddle boats available. You can also opt for those depending on your interest.
The area adjacent to the lake had a park for kids and many fast food stalls. Most of the visitors were enjoying themselves with their friends and family members. We felt like spending an entire day sitting by the lakeside, mesmerized by the beauty. Unfortunately, we had to leave by 11:30 AM as we had a train to catch from Nanuoya (the local name of the Nuwara Eliya Railway Station) to Ella.
Given that we mentioned Railway Station, you might be curious about…….
4. How was the Nuwara Eliya Railway Station?
It was hardly half an hour’s ride from Gregory Lake to the Railway Station. One must go downhill from the road level to reach the station complex. Our driver would drive the car directly to Ella, where he was supposed to meet us when we reach by train.
As we reached the station complex, it felt like we sat in a time machine taking us 100 years back. Everything seemed nostalgic, be it the ticket counter, timetable or the platform’s look. We loved the ambience of the railway station.
We booked the 12:45 PM train. The train had three reserved compartments, and the rest were unreserved. We requested our driver to book before we arrived in Sri Lanka. Hence, our ticket was in the second-class reservation that cost 2000 LKR. First-class reservation costs 3000 LKR. We would recommend our readers prefer the second-class compartment train journey over the first-class train journey; you would enjoy it a lot. However, unreserved compartments were way too crowded that you could not even imagine, especially at the weekends. Thankfully, despite being Sunday, the reservation saved us from such a rush.
As we waited for the train, we could see the excitement among all the travellers waiting to board the train. We were no different. Finally, the train arrived 15 minutes late at 1:00 PM. We quickly boarded the train and in 5 minutes, the train departed.
Now that the train departed, there might be an eagerness to know about…….
5. How was the train journey to Ella?
Our eyes were glued to the outside beauty as soon as it departed the Nanuoya station. Soon, the train made its way along numerous picturesque locations. We tried to capture such moments through our lens. In the meantime, a few passengers started enjoying the journey by dancing, sitting on the door and putting their heads out of the window and whatnot! We were so happy with this journey that it was really difficult to explain in words.
The route includes passing through several tunnels. It felt scenic. There were snacks and tea sellers on the train. It was a two- and half-hour ride. We tried to capture the moments as much as possible. However, it can’t match what you see through your eyes.
When it was 3:30 PM, the train attendant informed us we were about to reach Ella Railway Station. As we got off the train and made our way out of the station, our driver cum guide was already waiting for the past 40 minutes.
We hopped into the car towards our first destination in Ella, the famous Nine Arch Bridge.
Wait! You might think like…..
6. What was so special about the Nine-Arch Bridge?
The road leading to the Nine-Arch Bridge was quite narrow. It took us about half an hour to reach.
Auto Rickshaw drivers always try to influence the travellers that the road was so narrow that only they would be taking them near to the bridge. In reality, the road was narrow; still, four-wheelers could be driven close to the nine-arch bridge.
After getting off the car, we walked about 150 meters to the bridge. On the way, we quickly stopped for coconut water. These yellow coloured coconuts are only available here in Sri Lanka and is a must try.
Nine Arch Bridge, also known as Demodara Nine-Arch Bridge, was built during the British era of the early 20th Century.
It was one of our favourite destinations. Finally, it was like a dream come true. As it was Sunday, the place was crowded. We spent about half an hour and tried to capture the beauty of the place. A lush green background on the backdrop, with the hills and tea plantations, makes it an Instagram-able spot for travellers.
We enquired from the locals about the train timings. Unfortunately, we had to wait another two hours, which was difficult given the time constraints. As a result, we indulged ourselves in various poses to capture snaps and enjoyed the evening. It was fun, though.
We recommend that our readers check the train timings before arriving at the Nine-Arch Bridge. You will enjoy it further if you catch a glimpse of the passing train.
Overall, this is a must-visit spot for travellers visiting Sri Lanka.
With many memories, we returned to our car for one last waterfall of Sri Lanka, the Ravana Waterfall.
Do you remember the question we asked at this blog’s beginning? Yes, you got it right.
7. Why was Ravana Waterfall different from other waterfalls in Sri Lanka?
The distance was about 10 km, which took us about half an hour to reach our last destination.
As we reached the spot, we spoke to a few locals about the history of the place. Locals believed it was where the demon king Ravana kept Goddess Sita after abducting her. The locals also believe that there is a cave somewhere behind the waterfall. All the stories created an atmosphere of mystery near the waterfall.
We did observe monkeys trying to snatch food and water bottle from the visitors. There were a few souvenir shops close to the waterfall. It was a beautiful place to spend an evening.
We thought it was better to return to our stay as dusk approached. Many of you might want to know about any other places in Ella. Yeah, there is an Ella Rock, where you can get a panoramic view of the small town of Ella. Another one is Little Adam’s Peak. It’s also a viewpoint. Due to our time constraints, we could not complete these two.
Yeah, all of you might want to know….
8. Where did we stay in Ella for the night?
We stayed at Hotel Hillcrest in the Kithai Ella area. The area is well known for its scenic beauty; we loved our hotel’s ambience, room and the view from the balcony. Our room had a balcony to see Ella Rock and Little Adam’s Peak. The hotel also had a small restaurant at the top where we had our dinner. It was a delicious dinner, to be honest, after a fantastic day.
With memories to cherish for a lifetime, we went to sleep early as we had an early morning departure to our last destination, Colombo, before we bid adieu to this beautiful country.
Wait, we are not going anywhere without this last question……
9. What kind of help are we going to provide?
Let us inform you that we prepare itineraries not only for anywhere in India but also for Asia. We have been travelling since we were toddlers. So here in our blogs and stories, we will give you a glimpse of our journey and help you plan your trip.
Read about our Uzbekistan blogs.
Read about our Kazakhstan blogs.
Read about our Singapore blogs.
Read about our Vietnam blogs.
Read about our Cambodia blogs.
Read about our Bali blogs.
Read about our Kuala Lumpur blog series.
Read about our Sri Lanka blogs.
Read about our Nepal blogs.
Read about our Char Dham blogs.
Read about our Ladakh blogs.
Read about our day trip to Hyderabad.
Read about our Madhya Pradesh blogs.
Read about our Andaman and Nicobar blogs.
Do follow our Instagram handle @mindfulllofvacations and watch for the next destination story of Sri Lanka. For any query related to any trip, drop a mail at @mitkau007@gmail.com.
by mitkau