Before our last visit to Sri Lanka we spent quite a bit of time researching accommodation options for a short trip into the highlands. We weren't sure that we had made the right choice when we picked a small guesthouse on the outskirts of Ella for two of the three nights involved. In the event, it was perfect*. The room was great, the owners very friendly and helpful, and the food was fabulous.
We loved having our meals at a table just outside the room. The views from there were stupendous—especially in the morning sunshine.
The fog just lifting from the forest below on the second morning added to the visual appeal.
Ella is situated at an elevation of just over 1000 metres at the southern end of the central highlands and is surrounded by lush countryside. Below is a photo of Ella Rock, an instantly recognisable landmark just outside the town.
Arguably the most famous local attraction, however, is the 'Nine Arch Bridge', a railway viaduct built in the 1920s. Over recent years a photo of the bridge with a train crossing it has become the must-do thing for visitors to Ella and a number of guesthouses have sprung up at spots where you can take the shot from above. It seemed a silly enough thing to do, so after consulting the railway timetable we set off just after breakfast.
The building on the right of the photo is one of the new guesthouses and the crowd by the tunnel entrance was there simply to see the train passing—there is no station here.
We had already planned to take a train for parts of our return journey back to the west coast. More specifically, we had timed our return trip so that we could take the twice-weekly Odyssey tourist train. Its main appeal for us was that this train stops at various points along the route to allow passengers to take photos at attractive locations, such as waterfalls and viewpoints.
By embarking at Demodara, the station just before Ella, we not only had the train virtually to ourselves for a bit, but also got a 10-minute stop right on the Nine Arches Viaduct.
You are actually allowed to get off here, but we were concerned that the '10 minutes' would be cut short and we might be left behind to take close-up photos of the train disappearing into the tunnel!
*) The guesthouse where we stayed was the 'Royal Mount'. It is run by Manaranjana Basnayake and his family - the phone number is 0094-71-375-5984.
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