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Kandy to Nanu Oya Tea Country Transfer with Ella Train Tickets Arranged

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Activity provider: AsiaByLocals
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Kandy to Nanu Oya Tea Country Transfer with Ella Train Tickets Arranged
Kandy to Nanu Oya Tea Country Transfer with Ella Train Tickets Arranged 2
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A guided run from Kandy through the tea country to Nanu Oya with waterfalls, an estate visit and a local lunch, finishing with your ticket arranged for the scenic train on to Ella.

Highlights

  • Train tickets arranged rather than left to you to chase
  • Your luggage taken on to Ella by road while you ride the train
  • Ramboda Falls, a tea estate and factory on the way up
  • A local lunch rather than a tour-bus stop
  • The Nanu Oya to Ella line, over the Nine Arch bridge

Kandy to Nanu Oya Tea Country Transfer with Ella Train Tickets Arranged: Key Facts

PriceFrom $39 per person
Duration6 hours
LanguagesEnglish
Tour typeGuided Tour
BookingDirect with the local operator — no OTA markup

Full description

The awkward part of riding the Ella train is not the ride, it is the arrangement: the reserved seats sell out a month ahead, the station is not in the town it serves, and your luggage has to get to Ella somehow. This transfer handles all three.

The drive up from Kandy climbs through Gampola and Pussellawa, past Ramboda Falls, and into the tea estates. A plantation visit takes in both the field and the factory, which together explain what the whole hill country is for. Lunch is local — rice and curry, at a place your driver eats at rather than one built for tour buses.

At Nanu Oya you are put on the train with your ticket in hand, and the driver takes your luggage on to Ella by road to meet you. That is the piece that makes the difference: you ride the best railway journey in South Asia with a day bag rather than a suitcase, hanging out of the door with everyone else.

The train from Nanu Oya to Ella takes about four hours and crosses the Nine Arch bridge on the way in.

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 Kandy

Collection with luggage.

9:30 AM

Ramboda Falls

A stop on the climb.

10:30 AM

Tea estate and factory

The field and the process.

12:00 PM

Local lunch

Rice and curry on the road.

1:30 PM

Nanu Oya station

Boarding the train to Ella.

Detailed Itinerary

07:30

Hotel pickup

Timings are set backwards from the train you are booked on.

10:30

The estate

Pluckers are in the field in the morning.

12:00

Lunch

Included. Vegetarian by default.

13:30

Nanu Oya

Your driver sees you onto the train, then drives your luggage to Ella.

Includes

  • Private air-conditioned car with an English-speaking driver-guide, hotel pickup in Kandy, all stops, a local lunch, train tickets arranged, luggage taken on to Ella by road.

Excludes

  • The cost of the train ticket itself where not stated, entrance fees, drinks, gratuities.

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

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 6 days
Check availability to see starting times
Live tour guide
English
Wheelchair accessible

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Main Tour Price
Starting from $39
$39
Tour Type
TransferTrain JourneyFood and Drink
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

5/5
based on 7 reviews
Guide
5/5
Value for money
5/5
Verified reviews from travelers on this operator’s experience
5
Á
Álvaro Rodríguez
August 27, 2026

We did the activity with Chira, who picked us up at our hotel and accompanied us throughout the morning. She took us to the visits and told us some interesting facts along the way, which made the trip a much more entertaining experience. We loved enjoying the views of the mountains and tea plantations during the drive. Finally, she helped us buy train tickets to get to Ella and accompanied us to the station. Thank you very much!!!

5
S
Spyros
August 20, 2026

We did the tour with Chirantha. He was really good and we saw everything on our way to Ella and Nanu Oya. We asked for food and fresh juices and he took us to a wonderful strawberry farm for fresh strawberry juice! We saw the Ramboda waterfall (don’t miss it!!!), tea plantations and the factory as well where we tested different types of tea, old post office in Nuwara Eliya. At the end he took us to the train station of NanuOya where he issued our tickets, escorted us to the platform and waited us until the train left from NanuOya to Ella! He also advised us where to sit on the train! He drove excessively safe during the whole trip under difficult circumstances as the rain started from Ramboda until Nuwara Eliya. All in all it is an excursion not to miss!!!! We highly recommend to do it!!!

5
G
Gabriela
August 3, 2026

Because of the weather, we couldn’t visit all the places from the list, but our guide Suresh was perfect and told us many interesting facts about Sri Lanka and he got us the best seats in the train. Company also arrange a Kandy city tour by tuk tuk day before as a gift for free and it was also very good with a friendly guide.

5
V
Verified traveller
August 28, 2026

mon chauffeur et guide,chira, a ete tres bien, vrziment gentil et disponible. il a pris le temps de faire les choses a mon rythme en me laissant profiter des differents spots. merci a lui

5
V
Verified traveller
August 6, 2026

The tour with Ramzan was really great. We made many stops and also looked at many things that went beyond what we had actually booked. Ramzan was a very safe driver. He made sure all day that we had everything we needed and that we were doing well.

Frequently Asked Questions

Private air-conditioned car with an English-speaking driver-guide, hotel pickup in Kandy, all stops, a local lunch, train tickets arranged, luggage taken on to Ella by road.
The duration of the Kandy to Nanu Oya Tea Country Transfer with Ella Train Tickets Arranged is typically 6 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.
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$39