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View all Kandy toursElla Day Trip from Kandy via Nuwara Eliya, Ramboda Falls and a Tea Factory
A long private day from Kandy through the tea country to Ella and back, taking in Ramboda Falls, the Bhakta Hanuman temple, a working tea factory, Nuwara Eliya and the Nine Arch bridge.
Highlights
- The full hill-country road from Kandy to Ella and back in one day
- Ramboda Falls and the Bhakta Hanuman Ramayana temple above it
- A working tea factory, from withering trough to tasting
- Colonial Nuwara Eliya at 1,900 metres
- The Nine Arch bridge at Ella, built in stone without steel
Ella Day Trip from Kandy via Nuwara Eliya, Ramboda Falls and a Tea Factory: Key Facts
| Price | From $130 per person |
|---|---|
| Duration | 12 hours |
| Languages | English |
| Tour type | Guided Tour |
| Booking | Direct with the local operator — no OTA markup |
Full description
Ella is five hours from Kandy by road and doing it as a day trip means a long day — but the drive is the attraction rather than the price of it. The road climbs 1,400 metres through Gampola and Pussellawa, and about halfway up the forest gives way to tea and stays that way for the rest of the journey.
Ramboda Falls comes first, a 100-metre drop beside the road with a short walk to the base. The Bhakta Hanuman temple above it is a Ramayana site, one of a chain across the hill country associated with Hanuman's search for Sita, and it is busy with Indian pilgrims rather than tourists.
A working tea factory follows: the leaf from the withering trough through rolling, oxidation and firing to the grading table, in about forty-five minutes, ending with a cup. Then Nuwara Eliya, the hill station the British built at 1,900 metres, with its racecourse and its cold air.
Ella itself is the turning point. There is time for the Nine Arch bridge — a 30-metre stone viaduct built without steel during the First World War, reached on a twenty-minute walk down through tea — and for Ravana Falls on the way in. Then the long drive back, arriving in Kandy in the evening.
Tour Itinerary
The schedule below is a suggested plan and can be adjusted to suit your preferences.
Pickup in Kandy
An early start for a long day.
Ramboda Falls and Hanuman temple
The falls and the Ramayana temple above them.
Tea factory
The process from leaf to grading, with a tasting.
Nuwara Eliya
The lake, the town and the colonial buildings.
Ella
The Nine Arch bridge and Ravana Falls.
Return drive
The long road back through the hills.
Kandy
Drop-off at your hotel.
Detailed Itinerary
[{"time": "05:00", "title": "Hotel pickup", "description": "Ten to twelve hours door to door. Sleep on the first leg."}, {"time": "07:30", "title": "Ramboda", "description": "The falls are a short walk from the road; the temple is above, shoes off at the entrance."}, {"time": "09:00", "title": "Tea estate and factory", "description": "Factories close on poya days, when an estate walk replaces the tour."}, {"time": "11:00", "title": "Nuwara Eliya", "description": "Gregory Lake, the post office and the racecourse are all close together."}, {"time": "13:30", "title": "Ella", "description": "The Nine Arch bridge is a twenty-minute walk down through tea. Trains cross roughly every two hours."}, {"time": "16:00", "title": "Drive back", "description": "Four to five hours, mostly in the dark on the later stretch."}, {"time": "20:00", "title": "Kandy", "description": "Drop-off at your hotel."}]
Includes
- Private air-conditioned vehicle with an English-speaking driver-guide, hotel pickup and drop-off in Kandy, all driving and stops on the route, fuel and parking.
Excludes
- Entrance fees at the tea factory or any site that charges, meals and drinks, gratuities, personal expenses.
Important information
Meeting point
Hotel pickup in Kandy; the exact address and time are confirmed after booking.
Know before you go
- Free cancellation available up to 24 hours before the activity starts