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View all Ella toursElla All-Inclusive Private Day Trip with the Train, Ella Rock and the Zipline
The fullest private Ella day: Little Adam's Peak, Ella Rock, the Demodara Loop, a leg on the hill railway, the Nine Arch Bridge, Ravana Falls and the zipline.
Highlights
- Both Ella walks in one day, with a guide for the unsigned Ella Rock route
- The Demodara Loop, where the railway spirals under itself
- A leg on the hill railway rather than just a view of it
- The Nine Arch Bridge and Ravana Falls
- A private booking, so you can drop whatever you do not want
Ella All-Inclusive Private Day Trip with the Train, Ella Rock and the Zipline: Key Facts
| Price | From $57 per person |
|---|---|
| Duration | 9 hours |
| Languages | English |
| Tour type | Guided Tour |
| Booking | Direct with the local operator — no OTA markup |
Choose from 3 available options
All Inclusive Unforgettable Day Trip Tour by Scooter
All Inclusive Unforgettable Day Trip Tour by Tuk Tuk
All Inclusive Unforgettable Day Trip Tour by Car/Van
Full description
This is Ella with nothing left out, and it is a long day. Two walks, a train leg, a viaduct, a waterfall and a zipline, run privately so the order can shift around the weather and the day's actual train movements.
Little Adam's Peak opens it at first light — 45 minutes up a stepped path for the view through the Ella Gap. Ella Rock is the harder one, three hours return over unsigned estate paths, and it is the reason a guide earns their fee here: the junction where the route leaves the railway has no sign and several plausible alternatives.
The Demodara Loop is the piece almost nobody sees. The railway spirals a full circle to gain height, passing under the station it just left, and it is a genuine curiosity from the era when this line was built.
A short train leg puts you on the hill railway rather than beside it, and the Nine Arch Bridge — 91 metres of stone built without steel during the First World War — comes next.
Ravana Falls and the zipline over the valley close the afternoon. If that sounds like too much for one day, it probably is; the private booking means you can drop whichever parts you want.
Ella is a village at 1,040 metres in the southern hill country, reached by the train from Kandy that most people rate the finest railway journey in Asia, and its sights are all within a few kilometres: the Nine Arch Bridge, a brick viaduct of 1921 in a gorge of tea, which a train crosses several times a day; Little Adam's Peak, a 40-minute walk through tea to a ridge; Ella Rock, a harder three-hour climb; and Ravana Falls on the road down to Wellawaya. Mornings are clear and afternoons in the wet months bring cloud into the gap, so the walks are done early. Tuk-tuks are the transport, and every guesthouse can find one.
Tour Itinerary
The schedule below is a suggested plan and can be adjusted to suit your preferences.
Little Adam's Peak
Pickup and the walk up for sunrise.
Ella Rock
The longer walk, with a guide at the unsigned junction.
Demodara Loop
The railway spiral.
Train leg
A short ride on the hill line.
Nine Arch Bridge
The viaduct, timed for a train.
Ravana Falls and zipline
The cascade and the ride over the valley.
Drop-off
Back at your hotel.
Detailed Itinerary
Hotel pickup
A long day. Say in advance if you want to drop a section.
Ella Rock
Three hours return on rough, unmarked ground. Moderate fitness and proper shoes.
The train
Timings shift with the day's actual services, which run late routinely.
Ella
Drop-off at your hotel.
Includes
- Private vehicle with an English-speaking driver-guide, hotel pickup and drop-off in Ella, guiding on both walks, all driving.
Excludes
- Train tickets, the zipline fee, entrance fees, meals and drinks, gratuities.
Important information
Meeting point
Hotel pickup in Ella; the exact address and time are confirmed after booking.
Know before you go
- Free cancellation available up to 24 hours before the activity starts
About this activity
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Traveler Reviews
Overall it was the best trip in Sri Lanka! Our driver Nuwan was simply the best! He made our trip exciting and extremely interesting. He shared a lot of information about the places we visited and he was willing to customise our trip based on our needs. Couldn’t have asked for a better driver!
Nuwan was very nice and allowed us to see lots of beautiful things around Ella and gave us good explanations. We recommend Nuwan, a very accommodating and kind man.
it was a fantastic tour, Nuwan was a good guide, thanks again for this beautiful day!!
Nuwan was a great guide, and very fun to hang out with all throughout the day! Highly recommended, especially the motorbike option!
Great day with Pathum who guided us through Ella. Super guide and especially super photographer who gave his best to make us beautiful pictures. He was able to make us discover the city in TukTuK while bringing joy and fun on this day. He gave us some insight into Sri Lankan culture. A super fun guide with always the smile that takes the time to explain the history of the country and he even bought us an ice cream. Thanks, Pathum, for the music in the Tuktuk, for the driving lesson and for the great tour.
We had a fantastic day exploring the highlights of Ella with our amazing guides, Nuwan and his brother. They were friendly, knowledgeable, and made sure everything ran smoothly from start to finish. The itinerary was packed with beautiful sights—from the misty Ravana Falls to the scenic views at Kithalella View Point. The train ride from Demodara to Ella was a true highlight, offering stunning views and a fun cultural experience. We especially loved visiting the iconic Nine Arch Bridge and hiking up to Little Adam’s Peak. Nuwan and his brother took some beautiful photos of us, and made the whole day feel personal and special. We truly appreciated their warm hospitality and would highly recommend this tour to anyone visiting the area!
Amazing day trip with my guide, Nuwan. He was constantly paying attention to me and asked me what I would do. Because I’m not quite well, we made a different day plan. Lovely views, lovely lunch, lovely guide ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
super trip with a very nice and sweet tuktuk driver. We loved our adventure experience today. The tuktuk driver goes above and bevond to make us happy. The traintour was great. unfortunately only 1 very misbehaving tourist.
This tour was a great experience to go all around Ella. Our tour guide Nuwan was simply amazing and very friendly. He accommodated everything to us, we were able to get great shots and views. We even got a special treatment on the Demodora train! Definitely worth it if you are visiting Ella
The best tour in Srilanca. Nuwan was the perfect guide! One of the best in my life. He show us Little Adam’s Peak helped and show where we should take a photo, after that we went to Demodara loop to see a train, He knew when the train go, after that we had amazing trip by train with two stops on 9 arches bridge. He help us a lot in makeing a photos. After that he invited us for own house for dinner. That was pure pleasure to meet his family and eat home made jackfruit carry in familar atmosphare. After that we decided to visit a temple and Rawena Waterfall. Nuwan is great guy, ask him for wcerything he knows where to buy tea, arak, change a money and much more :-) He was more than perfect! That was the best one day tour in my Life!