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View all Ella toursElla Rock Guided Hike with the Nine Arch Bridge and Ravana Falls
A guided climb of Ella Rock — the harder of the two Ella walks and the one people get lost on — followed by a Buddhist temple, the Nine Arch Bridge and Ravana Falls.
Highlights
- Ella Rock with a guide, on a route where the critical junction is unsigned
- A wide summit view back over Ella and the Gap, far emptier than Little Adam's Peak
- Walking the railway line, which is how locals reach the trailhead
- The Nine Arch Bridge and Ravana Falls in the afternoon
- Three hours of real walking rather than a stroll
Ella Rock Guided Hike with the Nine Arch Bridge and Ravana Falls: Key Facts
| Price | From $37.04 per person |
|---|---|
| Duration | 8 hours |
| Languages | English |
| Tour type | Guided Tour |
| Booking | Direct with the local operator — no OTA markup |
Full description
Ella Rock is the walk that needs a guide, and this is why: the route starts along the railway from Ella station, runs southwest for about twenty minutes, and then leaves the line at a junction with no sign, several plausible paths and only one correct answer. From there it crosses estate land where the tracks branch constantly.
People get lost on Ella Rock every week. Locals appear at the junctions offering to guide you and then ask for money, which is sometimes helpful and sometimes a shakedown, and arriving with neither a guide nor an offline map is how visitors end up wandering tea slopes for four hours.
The walk itself is not technically difficult — three hours return, a long uphill on rough ground through tea and eucalyptus, ending on an open summit ridge with a wide view back over Ella and the Gap. It is a considerably better walk than Little Adam's Peak and a considerably harder one.
The rest of the day is the town's easier sights: a Buddhist temple, the Nine Arch Bridge and Ravana Falls, all of which need no navigation at all.
Start at first light. The ridge is exposed, there is no shade, and by mid-morning it is hot.
Tour Itinerary
The schedule below is a suggested plan and can be adjusted to suit your preferences.
Meet in Ella
Pickup and the walk to the station.
The railway section
Twenty minutes southwest along the line.
The climb
Through tea and eucalyptus to the summit ridge.
Ella Rock summit
The open ridge and the view over the Gap.
Descent
Back down to town.
Temple and bridge
The Buddhist temple and the Nine Arch Bridge.
Ravana Falls
The cascade south of town.
Detailed Itinerary
[{"time": "06:00", "title": "Start", "description": "First light. The ridge is exposed and hot by mid-morning."}, {"time": "06:30", "title": "On the line", "description": "Locals use the track as a footpath. Trains here are slow and infrequent, but stay off the sleepers and do not wear headphones."}, {"time": "07:00", "title": "Leaving the railway", "description": "The unsigned junction where people get lost. This is what the guide is for."}, {"time": "09:00", "title": "The summit", "description": "Open grass with a big view. No shade and nothing to buy."}, {"time": "14:30", "title": "Ella", "description": "Finish in town."}]
Includes
- An English-speaking hiking guide, hotel pickup in Ella, the guided walk, transport to the afternoon stops.
Excludes
- Meals and drinks, entrance fees where they apply, gratuities, personal equipment.
Important information
Meeting point
Hotel pickup in Ella, or meet at Ella station; confirmed after booking.
Know before you go
- Free cancellation available up to 24 hours before the activity starts