ELLA ELLA – AY AY AY!

HEADING TO ELLA

We left Uduwalawe, with the intention of getting a bus to Ella. At the bus stop was a tuk tuk driver who was trying the hard sell to get him to take us there instead.

He was heading that way anyway, so we were able so strike up a deal. After a lot of haggling I got him down to 2,700 Rupees (around £14), which was a cracking deal as it’s a 100km drive up to Ella.

It was definitely the right move. It was great fun to take a tuk tuk ride for that distance, rather than the hot, cramped buses. Also, the views on the way to Ella were incredible, especially as we started to get up into the hills.

On the way we were able to take a quick stop off at Ravana falls to take a look around.

And here’s our tuk tuk driver, who took us all the way to Ella.

A ROOM WITH A VIEW

We arrived in Ella and checked into our hotel, which was situated right on the cliff face, overlooking the valley and Ella rock, opposite. Awesome views.

That first night we took a look around town and had dinner and a load of drinks in this place called Chill cafe. A great venue. I’d thoroughly recommend it, if you’re in town. Great food. Huge portions and top cocktails.

The main part of Ella town is fairly small, but it has a really nice feel to it. Lots of bars, guesthouses, restaurants and shops, as you’d expect from a tourist area.

 

CLIMBING ELLA ROCK

Probably the main thing to do in Ella is hiking. There are two main hikes – Ella Rock and Little Adam’s Peak. We smashed both.

Ella rock is the most challenging of the two hikes and we tackled this first.

It’s a really cool trek and if you’re in Ella you really must do it. The views are stunning.

The trek starts off from the train station, walking along the railway lines for about 45 mins until you exit to the farming and jungle areas.

After leaving the tracks we walked through farming areas until this guy came along and offered to help show us the way.

It’s not necessarily very easy to find the route to Ella rock, so you’ll often see the locals keen to show you the way.

They’re not doing it out of the goodness of their hearts though. They will ask you for money, in exchange for the help. Our guy asked for 1,000 Rupees. We gave him 500 and told him that was all we would give him.

There are two routes up to Ella rock, the quick, hard way or the slower easy way. We took the hard way and at this time of day and considering the heat, it was tough going.

If you’re doing this on your own, you may be lucky enough to occasionally see a sign pointing you in the right direction, but they’re very few and far between.

Taking the quick way we had to wander through some fairly dense jungle at times.

Getting half way up to the summit, there’s a good opportunity to pause and take in some of views of the valley, before completing the steep hike to the top.

Like I said earlier we took the harder route on the way up and I wished I’d have known about the easier route to the summit. This last hike up was pretty tough, but the views were worth it!

We sat here and looked out on the view for around an hour before heading back towards Ella town.

We took the longer route back, which was a more gentle meandering downhill than the way we’d came. If I was to do it again I would have probably taken this route up and the short route down! Still, at least we saw both sides of things.

When we got close to Ella town the heavens opened. Serious torrential rain. Rivers were running through the streets.

We managed to hide out in a cafe for it to pass and considered ourselves lucky we’d left the summit when we did.

It was a great trek to the summit of Ella rock. It took around 4-5 hours overall and although it was tough going at points it’s well worth it. I’d recommend going early though to avoid the heat.

LITTLE ADAM’S PEAK

The other trek we did while in Ella was to Little Adam’s Peak.

This one is a far shorter trek. Maybe 45 mins each way and far less strenuous, until you reach the end, when it gets a bit intense.

Heading up from town, we first walked up through a market street.

As we headed out of town and along the trail the views were instantly pretty special.

As we looked back at Ella rock, that we’d climbed the day before, the mist started to descend. Quite a sight.

As we walked on we passed a number of large tea plantations. The field workers who saw us were keen for me to take a picture of them, so I happily obliged. After I’d taken the picture, they typically wanted me to give them money. For what exactly?? I refused, but I got some great shots.

As we got past the tea plantations there was a steep climb to the top.

The fog had become really dense now and we couldn’t make out the views up here, which was a shame, but the atmosphere added by the fog was intense.

 

LEAVING ELLA

After a few days in Ella we were moving on again.

It’s a great town and one that surely has to be on any backpackers hit-list in Sri Lanka. The landscapes, the climate, the restaurants / bars all make it a perfect destination for a stop-off for a couple of days.

Our next stop was Kandy and we planned to get the train, which I’d heard was one of the iconic train journeys.

Read on for Kandy!