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View all Ella toursTissamaharama to Ella Guided Transfer with Buduruwagala and the Waterfalls
The climb from Tissamaharama up into the hill country after a Yala safari, with the rock-cut Buddhas at Buduruwagala, a spice garden and Diyaluma and Ravana falls on the way.
Highlights
- The climb from the dry lowlands to the hill country in one afternoon
- Buduruwagala's seven rock-cut figures with original paint still on the stone
- A rare Mahayana site, and almost empty after the jeeps of Yala
- Diyaluma at 220 metres and Ravana Falls on the way up
- Arrival in Ella with the next morning free for the dawn walk
Tissamaharama to Ella Guided Transfer with Buduruwagala and the Waterfalls: Key Facts
| Price | From $49 per person |
|---|---|
| Duration | 6 hours |
| Languages | English |
| Tour type | Guided Tour |
| Booking | Direct with the local operator — no OTA markup |
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Tissamaharama To Ella Transfer with Waterfalls & Temple
Full description
Most people reach Tissamaharama for one reason — a dawn safari in Yala — and leave the next day. Heading north into the hill country afterwards means climbing from the dry lowlands to a thousand metres, and this route puts the good stops on the way up rather than driving straight through.
Buduruwagala is the one that justifies it. Seven figures carved into a rock face in the ninth or tenth century, the central standing Buddha sixteen metres tall, with traces of the original stucco and orange paint still visible on the stone. It belongs to the Mahayana tradition, rare in a country that is overwhelmingly Theravada, and it stands in dry scrub with almost nobody there. After the jeeps of Yala it is a considerable relief.
A spice garden near Wellawaya covers cinnamon, pepper, cardamom and the Ayurvedic plants grown in every village garden here.
Diyaluma, Sri Lanka's second-highest waterfall at 220 metres, is visible in full from the road as you climb, and Ravana Falls comes just below Ella.
You arrive in Ella in the afternoon, which leaves the next morning free for Little Adam's Peak at dawn — the way it should be done.
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.
Pickup in Tissamaharama
Collection with luggage, after a morning safari.
Buduruwagala
The seven rock-cut figures.
Spice garden
A guided walk near Wellawaya.
Diyaluma Falls
The 220-metre drop from the road.
Ravana Falls
The cascade below Ella.
Ella
Drop-off at your hotel.
Detailed Itinerary
Hotel pickup
Timed so it works after a dawn Yala drive — say when booking if you need a later start.
Buduruwagala
Shoes off; a small fee at the gate. Unshaded scrub, hot at midday.
Ella
Drop-off in Ella, Bandarawela, Haputale or Beragala.
Includes
- Private air-conditioned car with an English-speaking driver-guide, hotel pickup in Tissamaharama, all stops on the route, drop-off in Ella, Bandarawela, Haputale or Beragala, luggage carried throughout.
Excludes
- The Buduruwagala entrance fee, meals and drinks, spice purchases, gratuities.
Important information
Meeting point
Hotel pickup in Tissamaharama; the exact address and time are confirmed after booking.
Know before you go
- Free cancellation available up to 24 hours before the activity starts