Renowned globally as one of world’s most scenic train rides, the train from Kandy to Ella is often high on the list of priorities for most backpackers when visiting Sri Lanka. Despite being warned away from the trip by a particularly dissatisfied tourist official in Kandy, we braved the tourist trap that is the train ride from Ella to Kandy and lived to tell the tale. Read on to avoid making the same mistakes we did.

UNDERSTAND

I get it. I really do. How can a mere train ride be worthy of your precious time overseas? As a commuter at home, when I’m overseas I tend to avoid spending anything close to excessive time on public transport. However, the train ride from Kandy to Ella is something genuinely special, something truly remarkable, and something distinctly misunderstood. Initially built by the British in 1864, the railway from the hill country about Ella to the lowlands near Kandy was originally established to transport tea leaves and goods back towards the capital. Over a century later, this railway is now one of the main arterial routes that allow both locals and foreigners alike to travel between the major cities of Kandy and Ella in Sri Lanka. The route the train takes is stunning, often mesmerising, and genuinely life-altering. Expect to see roaring waterfalls, towering cliff-faces and rolling tea fields. If you’ve made up your mind to go by rail from Kandy to Ella (which you definitely should), you’ve got two choices ahead of you;

1) Book a first class berth well over a month in advance (book via https://12go.asia/en/train/kandy/ella)

2) Decide on the day that you’d like to catch a train to Ella and go from there.

HOW TO

If, as I hope you have, you have chosen option 2, then follow the following guide for how to catch the train to Kandy.

1) Don’t catch the train from Kandy itself. I repeat, do not catch the train from Kandy. This was my big mistake. Despite sounding counter-intuitive, you actually want to get on the train at Peradeniya, which is a nearby station. The train from Kandy to Ella is ludicrously popular with tourists, and the carriages will be immediately packed out with hordes of backpackers and locals alike alike once it arrives at Kandy station. If you get on at Kandy I can guarantee that you will be forced to stand for the duration of the journey. I caught the train from Kandy, and was relegated to standing for the entire 8 hour train ride. The novelty of doing so wore off after an hour or so. What you should do first of all to avoid this is by catching a tuk-tuk from Kandy to the nearby station of Peradeniya Station for one of the following times.

Peradeniya    8.32 am          10.55 am        12.31 pm

Kandy           8.42 am          11.03  am        -

Ella 3:15 pm 05:28 pm 06:23 pm

2) Buy a ticket at the main office in Perediniya Station to Ella. A one way fare will cost about $1.50 USD. This will quickly become the best money you have ever spent.

3) Get on the train heading back to Kandy. A bit of a confusing this is - you’ll want to catch the train from Perdeniya station in the opposite direction, back to Kandy, where everyone on the train will promptly get off. Now you strike. As they are all disembarking, grab yourself some seats on the train and post up. Definitely opt to sit on the right hand side of the train, as the best views will be coming from there.

4) Watch as close to 6 million tourists get on the train here at Kandy and struggle to find a seat. It’s a genuine spectacle. Feel amazingly smug that you found a perfect spot and get prepared for one of the best train rides in your life.

5) Sit back and enjoy the ride, you’re in for an unforgettable ride.

MY EXPERIENCE

Despite knowing better, I did none of the things described above. I simply caught the train from Kandy station and posted up in the baggage area of the train. I intermittently stood and sat on the floor for the first hour of the train ride, cramped in amongst a german backpacker whom hadn’t opted for deodorant and a local soldier, on his way home for the weekend. Shortly after taking off, the train picked up very slow momentum. I mean, barely above walking pace. Standing there in the stifling railway carriage I quickly began to wonder about whether I should have walked to Ella. However, after an hour or so I was able to move through the train a little easier, and was shortly enough able to secure a place in the stairwell between carriages. Here, bliss awaited. The empty stairwell provided me a perfect experience to dangle my legs out of the moving train, poke my head out, and feel the rushing wind as the train began to pick up speed. I’m not sure whether I was particularly lucky on the day, or whether this was the norm, but I seemed to be one of the only people on the train interested in sitting here. What awaited was 5 hours of blissful viewing of rushing tea fields, rolling green hills and distant mountain ranges. We passed through rainforest, by tiny villages and through a series of tunnels. each new corner taken by the train opened up to another stunning vista. I try to avoid statements such as ‘breathtaking,’, but man, some of the sights passing before me genuinely snatched my breath away. My experience riding the rail between Kandy to Ella actually became one of the more memorable days in Sri Lanka. Despite poor beginnings at Kandy station, sitting there in the stairwell afforded me some of the most amazing vistas that I ever laid eyes upon.

TIPS

• Don’t do as I did. Get on the train at Perediniya. Seriously.

• Pack plenty of water. The train gets really hot and stifling at points, so you’ll be wanting water.

• Bring some food. There will be vendors getting on and off the train as you go, however, packing your own might be a good idea, especially if food hygiene is your thing.

• Bring sunglasses. This is a must, as the glare coming through some of those carriages is going to be colossal.

• In second class, the windows and doors are open the whole way which is great for photos, but not heaps helpful if it rains, so pack a raincoat. While it didn’t rain on the day that I caught the train, if it had, I would have been drenched. Stay safe out there folks, pack a raincoat.

• There are overhead racks for backpacks and smaller bags. However, if you have a sizeable pack you may need to store it behind the last row of seats or in the entrance way. Don’t be a dick and take up space in the stairway or entryway.

Walk me through it, what are your ideas on catching the train from Kandy to Ella? Let me know below!