
My favourite place in Sri Lankan was the hill-country village of Ella. It is a great base for some really cool day-time walks through tea plantations, to waterfalls, and secret lookouts where you can get views of the stunning Ella Gap.
We stayed at The Mountain Heavens hotel, and man has that place made the best of the location. The views are like nothing I have ever seen, and I'm from New Zealand! It has big glass windows that look right out over Ella Gap. Seriously, I've never had such a good view while on the toilet!.... which also has big glass windows.
Prasanna, the owner, kindly told us about a few walks we could do. We chose two.
One was Little Adam's peak, which winds up a hill and through villages and tea plantations. There are a lot of steps to the top! When you get to the top you get great views out across Ella Gap.
We stayed at The Mountain Heavens hotel, and man has that place made the best of the location. The views are like nothing I have ever seen, and I'm from New Zealand! It has big glass windows that look right out over Ella Gap. Seriously, I've never had such a good view while on the toilet!.... which also has big glass windows.
Prasanna, the owner, kindly told us about a few walks we could do. We chose two.
One was Little Adam's peak, which winds up a hill and through villages and tea plantations. There are a lot of steps to the top! When you get to the top you get great views out across Ella Gap.
The other was along the train tracks to a Rawana waterfall. Everyone walks along the train tracks to get anywhere. It's pretty fun ambling along with the locals. Just make sure you get out of the way when a train is coming! Don't worry...you'll definitely hear it coming. This is an easy, relaxing walk and a bit off the beaten track, so I highly recommend it.
You can also visit a tea plantation and factory. We went to the Halpewatte Tea Factory and it was so interesting seeing how tea was made, and watching all the ladies picking tea out in the tea fields. It doesn't look like to bad of a job. At least the climate is nice and mild in Ella.
The best part of Ella though, is the main street, which is lined with restaurants and bars, and is strangely vibrant given how small the town is. I guess there isn't really anywhere else to hang out in the evening. The staff in these restaurants are so friendly, and we had drinks, dinner and dessert each in a different place.
To get to Ella, get the train from Kandy. It's so much fun, and I can't imagine a train ride with better views than this one.