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Ella to Kandy Transfer with the Hill Country Train Ride and Nuwara Eliya

Top rated
3.9
Activity provider: AsiaByLocals
Ella to Kandy Transfer with the Hill Country Train Ride and Nuwara Eliya
Ella to Kandy Transfer with the Hill Country Train Ride and Nuwara Eliya 2
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Ella to Kandy with the famous hill train built into the transfer: ride the scenic section by rail while your driver takes the luggage, then continue by road via Nuwara Eliya and Ramboda Falls.

Highlights

  • The Ella to Nanu Oya train, along the contours of the highest tea estates
  • The Nine Arch bridge crossed on the way out of Ella
  • Your driver takes the luggage by road and meets you at the station
  • Nuwara Eliya, a tea factory and Ramboda Falls on the road section
  • Drop-off at your Kandy hotel at the end of the day

Ella to Kandy Transfer with the Hill Country Train Ride and Nuwara Eliya: Key Facts

PriceFrom $64 per person
Duration8 hours
LanguagesEnglish
Tour typeGuided Tour
BookingDirect with the local operator — no OTA markup

Choose from 1 available option

Ella to Kandy Transfer with Train Ride and Nuwara Eliya Tour

Ella to Kandy Transfer with Train Ride and Nuwara Eliya Tour. Departure times and inclusions exactly as the operator off...
8 hours
English
Pickup
$100
Free cancellation

Full description

The Ella to Nanu Oya railway is the best train ride in South Asia and the most common mistake people make with it is treating it as transport. It is slow, it is often full, and it goes to a station rather than to a town — but for two to four hours it runs along the contours of the highest tea country on the island, crossing the Nine Arch bridge on the way out of Ella, with the doors open and the valley dropping away below.

This transfer solves the practical problem. You ride the scenic section unencumbered while your driver takes the luggage by road and meets you at Nanu Oya. From there the day continues as a normal guided transfer: Gregory Lake and the colonial centre of Nuwara Eliya, a tea factory, and Ramboda Falls on the descent, before dropping into Kandy in the evening.

It is the best of both — the ride without the logistics, and the stops a train cannot make.

Tour Itinerary

Itineraries are customisable as per your request

The schedule below is a suggested plan and can be adjusted to suit your preferences.

7:30 AM

Pickup in Ella

Collection and the short run to Ella station.

8:30 AM

The train

The scenic section to Nanu Oya.

11:30 AM

Nanu Oya

Your driver is waiting with the luggage.

12:00 PM

Nuwara Eliya

Gregory Lake and the town.

1:30 PM

Tea factory

The process and a tasting.

3:00 PM

Ramboda Falls

A stop on the descent.

5:30 PM

Kandy

Drop-off at your hotel.

Detailed Itinerary

07:30

Hotel pickup, Ella

Timings depend on the day's train schedule, which the operator confirms in advance.

08:30

Ella station

The Nine Arch bridge is a few minutes out of the station.

11:30

Nanu Oya station

About 10 km from Nuwara Eliya town.

13:30

Tea factory

Closed on poya days.

17:30

Kandy

Drop-off at your hotel.

Includes

  • Private air-conditioned car with an English-speaking driver-guide, hotel pickup in Ella, the road section with all its stops, drop-off at your Kandy hotel, luggage carried by road throughout.

Excludes

  • Train tickets, which are bought separately and are subject to availability, meals and drinks, entrance fees, 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

Free cancellation
Cancel up to 24 hours in advance for a full refund
Secure payment
Complete your booking safely with Razorpay. Full refund if you cancel 24h prior. Read more
Duration 8 hours
Check availability to see starting times
Live tour guide
English
Wheelchair accessible

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Main Tour Price
Starting from $64
$64
Tour Type
TransferTrain JourneyPrivate Tour
Need a custom booking or have a larger group?Contact Support via WhatsApp
Free cancellation
Cancel up to 24 hours in advance for a full refund
Secure payment
Complete your booking safely with Razorpay. Full refund if you cancel 24h prior. Read more

Traveler Reviews

3.9/5
based on 24 reviews
Guide
3.9/5
Value for money
3.9/5
Verified reviews from travelers on this operator’s experience
5
I
Isabelle
August 14, 2026

Really great service from start to finish. The driver picked us up in front of our guesthouse and dropped us off at Haputale train station (this is the only downside because I was planning to leave Ella by train). He was waiting for us at the train exit, and then we hit the road with a stop to eat by the lake (he asked us if we wanted to eat and let us choose what to eat). The stop at the tea factory is included and there is no surcharge; the tour is in French! He stops whenever we want for photos. In short, great!

5
A
Arne
August 12, 2026

Our guide Kasun was excellent and very knowledgeable. Highly recommended.

5
K
Karin
July 21, 2026

Everything worked out great. The train ride was very nice, and the visit to the tea factory and Lake Gregory was also excellent.

5
P
Patrick
May 19, 2026

Wre traveled from Ella to Kandy, but not as originally planned due to last year's devastating cyclone. So we had a a scenic tran to start from Ella to Ambewela which is amazing especially today with the sun shining and the windows open in 3rd class which really is the best class. Do try and book the right side of the train for the most it has to offer, but the left is plenty good enough it just means getting up in a couple of places to get the pictures. Once at Ambewela our private car was waiting for us and was easy to spot as we had been sent pictures of our vehicle. We then had a lovely drive through to Kandy with a stop at the lake, Waterfall and a tour of a tea factory plus plenty of stops along the way to take some truly stunning pictures of this beautiful part ofbthe island. Our driver Hiran was super showing us all the sites answering all our questions and his English is top drawer and very polite.

5
S
Stacey
May 19, 2026

Great tour with all the key spots. The train ride was incredible! Would definitely recommend

5
S
Sophie-Charlott
May 6, 2026

It was great. The driver made our trip really special, he was such a nice guy. We‘ve seen really local sides of Sri Lanka thankfully to this offered tour. It was amazing, would definitely do it again and recommend going with this company.:)

5
J
Jesus
April 30, 2026

Both the train journey and the subsequent tour were a fantastic experience; Shehan is very professional.

4
S
Sara Luciana Monteiro Pinto
August 7, 2026

The activity went well, and the driver/guide was very friendly, helpful, and kind to us. We are sorry that the train was very crowded, very chaotic, and that it was 2 hours late.

4
E
Eske
May 19, 2026

Our driver was really great, super punctual, had a great car, drove very carefully, and was able to provide good information. We also liked the process itself; it went smoothly, and the communication was flawless. Unfortunately, you shouldn't expect too much from the visit to the tea factory. The guided tour lasted a maximum of 10 minutes, and only the bare essentials were explained by the staff there. The waterfall could also only be viewed from the road, so unfortunately you couldn't climb on it or take a closer look at it. Nevertheless, due to the fact that the train from Ella to Kandy does not go through, it was a practical and appropriate thing to do.

Frequently Asked Questions

It runs 8 hours.
Hotel pickup in Ella; the exact address and time are confirmed after booking.
Private air-conditioned car with an English-speaking driver-guide, hotel pickup in Ella, the road section with all its stops, drop-off at your Kandy hotel, luggage carried by road throughout.
Train tickets, which are bought separately and are subject to availability, meals and drinks, entrance fees, gratuities.
Reserved seats open 30 days ahead and the good ones go within hours. If they are gone, second- and third-class unreserved carriages are always available on the day — you may stand for part of it, and the views from the doorway are the ones people remember.
Private air-conditioned car with an English-speaking driver-guide, hotel pickup in Ella, the road section with all its stops, drop-off at your Kandy hotel, luggage carried by road throughout.
The duration of the Ella to Kandy Transfer with the Hill Country Train Ride and Nuwara Eliya is typically 8 hours. We recommend arriving 15 minutes before the scheduled start time for a smooth check-in. Your guide will meet you at the designated meeting point and ensure the experience runs on schedule while remaining flexible to your pace.
For most experiences, we highly recommend an early morning start. This allows you to avoid the midday heat, bypass the largest crowds, and capture the best lighting for photography. Your guide can advise on the optimal timing based on the season and specific attractions included.
Yes, once your booking is completed via our secure payment gateway, you will receive an instant confirmation email with your tour details, meeting point address, guide's name, and direct contact information. You can also view and manage your booking through your AsiaByLocals account dashboard.
Yes! All our private tours are fully customizable. Whether you want to add extra stops, skip certain locations, change the pace, or adjust the start time — simply let your guide know in advance or on the day. We aim to create a personalized experience tailored to your interests and energy level.
We offer free cancellation up to 24 hours before the scheduled start time for a full refund. Cancellations within 24 hours may be subject to a partial charge depending on the tour type. Weather-related cancellations for outdoor and boat tours are handled on a case-by-case basis, with full refunds or free rebooking offered when safety is a concern.
Most of our experiences are family-friendly and suitable for children of all ages. However, some tours involving extensive walking, water activities, or early morning starts may be better suited for children aged 5 and above. Please check the specific tour description for age recommendations, or contact us for personalized family itinerary advice.
After booking, you will receive detailed meeting point instructions via email. Most tours include complimentary hotel pickup within the central area. For tours without pickup, your confirmation email will include the exact address, Google Maps pin, and your guide's phone number for easy coordination. Guides typically arrive 10 minutes early and will message you on WhatsApp.
We accept all major credit and debit cards (Visa, Mastercard, American Express), PayPal, Apple Pay, and Razorpay for Indian cards. All payments are processed through a PCI-compliant secure gateway with 256-bit encryption. You can also pay in multiple currencies — the price is automatically converted to your local currency at checkout.
Yes, all AsiaByLocals guides are licensed professionals who have been rigorously vetted through background checks, skill assessments, and customer reviews. Many hold government-issued tourism licenses, university degrees in history or cultural studies, and have years of experience leading tours for international travelers. Every guide maintains a minimum 4.5-star rating to remain active on our platform.
Be at the gate for the 6am opening, so leave Nuwara Eliya around 5am. World's End faces south and clouds over by nine or ten as warm air rises off the plain — arrive at eleven and you see a white wall. See our Horton Plains guide.
The town sits at about 1,900 m and drops to around 10°C at night, and few hotels have heating. Horton Plains at 2,300 m regularly sits near freezing before dawn, with ground frost from December to February. Bring a genuine warm layer — most visitors underestimate this.
No — they close on poya days, the monthly full moon and a public holiday in Sri Lanka. If your free day is a poya, take an estate walk with a plucker instead. Plucking happens in the morning; by afternoon the slopes are empty.
Mostly leaf size, not quality. OP is a long wiry whole leaf, BOP is smaller and broken, and fannings and dust go into teabags because the higher surface area brews fast. Bigger leaf is slower tea, not better tea. Explained in our Ceylon tea guide.
At a factory, not a tourist shop. Factory shops carry the higher grades that never reach a visitor shelf; the boxed tea on the main streets is usually fannings at visitor prices.
Nanu Oya, about 10 km and a 20-30 minute drive from the town. Nuwara Eliya has no station of its own, and tuk-tuk fares at Nanu Oya rise sharply the moment a train arrives.
A 20-25 minute walk downhill from Ella town through tea and jungle — uphill on the way back. A tuk-tuk to the Demodara side is quieter and saves the climb. It is free, with no ticket and no official viewing area. See our Nine Arch Bridge guide.
Roughly every two hours, but Sri Lanka Railways runs 30-90 minutes late routinely, so any blog quoting exact times is quoting a timetable rather than reality. Ask at Ella station on the morning — staff will tell you what is expected and how late it is running.
Little Adam's Peak for almost everyone — 45 minutes up a stepped path for arguably the better view, out through the Ella Gap. Ella Rock is three hours return, largely unsigned, and people get lost on it regularly; take a guide or an offline map. Compared in full here.
Reserved seats open 30 days ahead and sell out within hours from December to March. Unreserved 2nd/3rd class is sold on the day and always available — you will stand, which is where the open doorways are. Send your luggage ahead by road if you have a driver. See getting to Ella.
January to March for the clearest Ella Gap views. June to September is dry but hazy from the Uva wind; October to December is wet. The real risk is cloud, not rain — at 1,000 m the view can be inside a cloud on a dry day, and mornings are clearer than afternoons in every month. See best time to visit Ella.
Two nights, which gives you two dawns — Little Adam's Peak on one, Ella Rock or a tea morning on the other, with the bridge mid-morning on day one. Our Ella 2-day itinerary sets out the order.
Do everything before nine in the morning. The Gap view is clearer in the morning in every month, Little Adam's Peak has a queue by nine, and the Nine Arch Bridge has hundreds of people on it by ten.
Time it for a puja — 5.30am, 9.30am or 6.30pm. Those are the only windows when the upper relic chamber opens and the hevisi drummers play; outside them you are visiting a beautiful building rather than a ceremony. Take socks: shoes come off at the gate and the stone courtyard gets painfully hot. Full detail in our Temple of the Tooth guide.
February for the clearest weather, or July-August, which is drier here than most people expect and covers the Esala Perahera. Kandy sits between Sri Lanka's *two* monsoons and catches some of both, so it has no long dry season — but it also never has a season that is a write-off. See best time to visit Kandy.
Reserved seats open 30 days ahead and sell out within hours from December to March. Unreserved 2nd/3rd class is sold on the day and always available — you will stand, which is where the open doorways and the famous photographs are. Sit on the right-hand side going south. Note there is no Nuwara Eliya station; the stop is Nanu Oya, 10 km away. See our Kandy to Ella train guide.
July or August — but the dates move every year with the lunar calendar, so any guide naming a fixed week is guessing. It runs ten nights and ends on the Nikini poya. Book accommodation on the route six to twelve months ahead. Details in our Esala Perahera guide.
Sigiriya and Dambulla (2.5 hrs each way) is the best of them. Kitulgala rafting is 2 hrs, the Knuckles range and Pekoe Trail stages are day hikes from here. Ella, Galle and Yala are *too far* — 4-6 hours each way. See day trips from Kandy.
Two nights. One full day for the town — Bahirawakanda, Peradeniya gardens, the lake and the evening puja — and a second for a hike, a village day or the cultural triangle. Our Kandy 2-day itinerary lays it out hour by hour.
The centre and the lake circuit are walkable. For anything up a hill or out of town, take a tuk-tuk — roughly LKR 100-150/km on the meter, and ride-hailing apps price it automatically with no negotiation. See getting around Kandy.
Starting from$64