A Day in Ella Sri Lanka

It was another day of adventure for my friend and I. After hiking at Horton Plains National Park, we decided to spend a day in Ella and explore the small town. Ella is a beautiful village on the eastern edge of the Hill Country in Sri Lanka. The town is in the middle of a beautiful countryside. It is blessed with lush greenery and cascading mountains.

Ella has become a favourite destination for tourists and backpackers because of its unique location. It is surrounded by hills covered with cloud forests and tea plantations. The town also has a cooler climate due to its elevation. But it can also get hot especially during midday.

Ella is also a spectacular place for hiking. The town is a great base to explore the surrounding hills. There are some places to visit from town with amazing views to enjoy. One is Little Adam’s Peak.

Little Adam’s Peak

Little Adam’s Peak is a popular attraction among tourists for hiking. It got its name from the famous holy mountain Adam’s peak because of the similar shape. Adam’s Peak though is more challenging. Climbing to the top of Little Adam’s Peak offers a beautiful view of endless valley, tea plantations and waterfalls. It takes two hours to complete the hike.

We started around 10:00 AM. Our driver dropped us off at the starting point and told us that he’ll come back for us after two hours or so. Hiking is fairly easy at the start. The path is easy to find, where  signs are clearly marked. It was an easy stroll along a well-made path that goes through beautiful lush green tea plantations. The second part though is taxing because of the steep stairs. We had a hard time continuing the climb also because of the heat. But when we reached the top, we were rewarded with an awesome view.

We also plan to hike the adjacent mountain, where some of the hikers go after reaching the summit of Little Adam’s Peak. But then, we decided not to go there anymore because we were already feeling tired. It was already noontime and the sun was on its peak making it also hard for us to walk under the sun. We just spent our time at the summit to rest and take some photographs.

Nine Arches Bridge

The main reason we went to Ella is because of the Nine Arches Bridge. I saw a photograph of the bridge online. I felt amazed with it so I also wanted to have the same.

The Nine Arches Bridge is one of the iconic bridges in Sri Lanka. It is also known as The Bridge in the sky. The bridge is a 99.6ft high. It is located in Demodara, between Ella and Demodara railway stations.

There are several paths to follow to reach the Nine Arches Bridge. Our driver brought us to the nearest starting point so it would already be easy for us to hike down. We started hiking from the main road and followed the path and signs. It just became challenging on the latter part of the trail because we entered through a forested area. But actually there’s no need to worry because the trail is still visible.

My friend and I reached the bridge in less than an hour. I was in awe seeing the picturesque bridge. I didn’t waste my time and I asked my friend to take a photograph of me on the bridge. We also waited for a train to pass by. Luckily, we were able to catch two, which was actually really nice to see.

It was already late afternoon when we were able to get back to the main road. We enjoyed taking photographs of the bridge that we lost track of our time. Since we didn’t have anything in mind to visit in Ella, we decided to go back to Nuwara Eliya after.

Ella cannot be ignored when it comes to beautiful surroundings and scenery. It has a number places to see and enjoy a spectacular view. We were glad that we spent our day to see Ella. We had a great adventure hiking Little Adam’s Peak and seeing the iconic Nine Arches Bridge.

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