Ella is one of the most famous hill country villages in the tropical island of Sri Lanka. Ella town itself is surrounded by the beautiful hills of the Central highlands; covered in rolling green tea estates, the tall trees of cloud forests. There are a lot of things to do in Ella. Make time for easygoing walks through tea plantations to viewpoints, waterfalls and stunning views. Don’t miss out on Sri Lanka’s best home-cooked food as well.

Walk along the nine-arch bridge in Ella

This is now a famous bridge that is located just outside of Ella Town and in the same way as Little Adams Peak. You might find several different paths to the nine arch bridge. It usually takes around 30 to 45 minutes on foot if you use any of these paths.

The best viewpoint is located amongst the hills. This place lets you look over the bridge; with a clear view of the nine arches. You can grab a king coconut from a cafe and wait for the train to pass.

Here is a train time table. (Note: Trains are not always on time and may tend to change due to other reasons.)

Climb to Little Adams Speak

Little Adams Peak in Ella, however, is the nephew of the larger peak ( Adam’s Peak) to hike with your training gloves on. It is not as exhausting to hike; and, at just 1141m of height, can be climbed by even an inexperienced hiker. The views are straight out of a fantasy movie and the view over the valley is stunning.

The entire hike both ways, including taking photographs, and getting a more quiet spot is possible when you walk down and up to the next hill, there is no actual path but you can get there with a bit of hiking will take approximately 3 hours.

Hike to Ella Rock

The climb up to the rock is quite strenuous, and there are several routes up. This means that you may miss the easier ones and take one of the tougher ones up; making your hike harder. Alternatively, if you are an experienced hiker, the climb up Ella Rock allows you to challenge yourself if you feel like it.

Once you get up to the summit; you will be faced with stunning views of the surrounding landscape. This includes views of Little Adam’s Peak and a clear view of the Ella Gap. The Ella Gap is a space between the mountains as an arrow flies; that gives a fantastic view to the southern coast.

It takes 2 hours to hike from bottom to top. It can be done with a guide or on your own but please make sure you asked the directions from someone you trust, like your guesthouse or Hotel manager.

Join A Cooking Class

Ella is not only a great place to enjoy the food, but it also offers many options for learning to cook like a Sri Lankan, too. Learn about the ingredients and create some delicious Sri Lankan food with super tasty flavors.

Visit a tea Factory

Sri Lanka is famous for tea so visiting at least one tea factory is a must. At Halpewatte Tea factory, they do a guided tour in English and show you from plant to finished product how tea is processed.  The tour of the factory costs around 560 rupees per person and goes for around 30 minutes. After the tour, you have to option to buy some tea as well. The factory is located out of Ella town. Walking won’t be a suitable option, so take a Tuk Tuk which takes around 30 minutes.

Take fresh Shower at Ravana falls

Ravana Ella as the locals call the Ravana Waterfalls can travel by a vehicle. It’s 6km from the Ella town and just off the main road. This beautiful waterfall is approximately 25m and has a legend surrounding it. It would be dangerous during the rainy days and guards will just keep an eye on safety. Ravana Falls has become a very popular site with both locals and foreigners stopping by to enjoy this piece of nature and a cooldown in the water.