There are faster ways to cross the hill country. None of them matter.
The Kandy to Ella train takes around seven hours to cover what a car does in three and that is entirely the point. The line climbs slowly out of Kandy into tea country, and from there it’s a moving postcard: emerald estates stitched across the slopes, pickers in bright saris, waterfalls appearing and vanishing, clouds drifting through the open doors.
A few things we tell every guest:
Sit on the right side heading to Ella for the best of the views (and be ready to swap locals will tell you the left has its moments too).
Reserved seats sell out weeks ahead in season. This is where we earn our keep we book them the day your dates are confirmed. Second class reserved is the sweet spot: windows that open, none of the scrum.
Don’t ride the whole line if time is tight. The most beautiful stretch is Nanu Oya (Nuwara Eliya) to Ella about four hours of the best of it.
And bring nothing important in your hands. You will be leaning out of that doorway. Everyone does.
Since 1991 we’ve sent thousands of travellers up this line, and it is still the thing they talk about first when they write to us after the trip.
