Sri Lanka Trip Second Leg: Ella

Hello! Welcome back to Team Tala Travels!

If you are reading this now, then it would probably mean that you are finished reading our blog on the first leg of our Sri Lanka trip, and that you are interested to find out about where we are headed to next. 

Well, you don’t have to wait further! Let’s begin our second virtual travel to Sri Lanka! 

Ella was the second place that Team Tala Travels visited during our 2-week trip to Sri Lanka. Traveling to Ella is just like being in a whole other world after experiencing the beautiful beaches of Unawatuna! Ella is a hillside town that offers breathtaking mountainous sceneries, abundant natural greeneries, and a lot of cafes to choose from – perfect for nature lovers and people who just want to chill and revel in the cool weathers of Ella. There are also a wide selection of tea plantations and factories to visit, plus exquisite waterfalls, and heightened viewpoints where you can see the majestic town of Ella.

But first, let’s talk about how you can get to Ella. 

How to Get to Ella

Drivers in Sri Lanka

If you are like us who went straight to Ella from Unawatuna, then you can get to Ella by car. In our case, we booked a car transfer from Drivers in Sri Lanka and informed the operator about our scheduled transfer. The operator was very professional and reliable. Similarly, the driver was prompt, courteous, friendly, and highly communicative in English. Their car was well-maintained and clean, too. The car ride took us 3 and half hours to Ella. 

Taxi or Bus

If you are coming to Ella straight from the airport, you can either take a taxi or a bus and be prepared for a 4 and a half hour journey to Ella. The cab fare can range from LKR 7000 (USD21.87) to LKR 20,000 (USD62.47) depending on cab arrangements with the driver. Because of possible fare surges or difficulties in bargaining with taxi drivers, I highly suggest that you book a ride from Drivers in Sri Lanka in advance so that you can be assured of a fixed price and a superb travel experience to Ella. We booked all our transfers via Drivers in Sri Lanka as one complete package, that’s why it is hard to itemize how much the car ride is from one point to another. But, for sure, it is much cheaper and more convenient than hailing a cab all the time from one province to another. 

Just a tip though. Once you are near Ella, the roads become curvy. If you or your kids suffer from motion sickness, it is highly recommended to take motion sickness tablets an hour before your trip. In our case, my daughter and I took Nautamine tablets. 

Train

Lastly, you can take the train from Colombo to Ella. This is the cheapest way to travel around the country, and if you are working on a tight budget, you should definitely choose this option. Just be prepared to be onboard for 9 hours or more from Colombo to Ella, which will cost you as low as LKR 2,075, or USD6.48 per person. There are no sure seats on the train, though, as it can be crowded especially during peak seasons.

Where we Stayed in Ella

Team Tala Travels stayed at The Peak, Ella for 4 nights. The Peak is a 3-star hotel that provides air-conditioned rooms complete with a WiFi connection, a closet, a fridge, a flat-screen TV, a private bathroom with hot shower, and a balcony that gives you a beautiful view of Ella Rock. 

You have a choice as to avail of their breakfast, which can be either a Western or a Sri Lankan breakfast. The Western breakfast consists of sausages, bacon, eggs, toast, fresh fruits and coffee or tea. The Sri Lankan breakfast consists of string hoppers, eggs, sambal, bread, fresh fruits, coffee or tea. 

You can also enjoy eating lunch and dinner at their rooftop restaurant. Just a note though that they open their restaurant for outsiders during lunch and dinner, while breakfast is solely for hotel guests only. 

There are many things that we loved about The Peak. One is the magnificent mountain views that guests enjoy at the hotel. The view from the rooftop restaurant, especially during sunrise, is simply amazing! We enjoyed having our breakfast there because of the view that comes with the dining experience. 

Do you see the view behind my daughter as she is making her vlog? That’s the view that we saw every day that we were at The Peak! Majestic! 

We also loved Ella because of their welcoming staff and the great service that they provide their guests. You can go to their 24-hour front desk for help in hailing tuktuks or taxis. 

Team Tala Travels with the staff of The Peak Hotel, Ella

They are also very accommodating when it comes to special requests, such as when we asked them to pack our breakfast during our Ella Rock trip. Mr. Chandra, The Peak’s Manager, even taught Tala how to speak in Sinhala, the language used in Sri Lanka!

Just a tip, though. Bring your own toiletries as they do not provide these to guests. In our case, we bought shampoos and shower gels at a nearby supermarket. 

What We Did in Ella

The highlight of the second leg of our Sri Lanka trip is definitely our 3 Icons Tour, which we booked from Klook. This is called a 3 Icons Tour because for one day, you will be going to the 3 famous icons in Ella, which are Ella Rock, Nine Arches Bridge, and Little Adam’s Peak. The package that we got is complete with hotel pickups and dropoffs, buffet lunch, and a guided tour. We paid a total of LKR 57,669.85 or USD180.29 for the entire trip.

On this day, we were greeted by our guide, Mahesh, at our hotel at around 7 o’clock in the morning. Our first stop: Ella Rock.

Climbed Ella Rock

Ella Rock offers one of the most amazing viewpoints in Sri Lanka. When we found out that kids of all ages can hike with adults (babies are allowed to go on their parent’s hiking carrier), we immediately decided to include an Ella Rock Hike in our itinerary to Sri Lanka.

We all enjoyed it and we had so much fun looking at stable rocks to step on and then climb all the way to the peak. The terrain is not particularly hard, but the challenge lies in going through some steps that are considered big for a 5-year-old, as well as one part with water that will be a bit slippery, but overall safe.  

Tala had tired legs during the middle of the trek, so Emman, as well as Mahesh, took turns in carrying her at some point. But, Tala walked in most parts of the trek and it is her proud moment to tell her friends and teachers that she reached the peak of Ella Rock! 

Tips: 

• Book a guide. We booked a 3 Icons Tour through Klook. It is best to hike Ella Rock with a guide since they already know the trek by heart and they have some serious trekking abilities, especially seasoned ones who have been trekking Ella Rock for years. 
• Wear sporty footwear, ideally one with grooves made for trekking. We got our hiking sandals from Decathlon. The grooves will hold on to rocks and prevent your young ones from slipping. 
• Wear light clothing. The trek will take about 2 hours, and if you do this on a sunny day, it would be really comfortable if you are wearing clothes with light material or dri-fit ones.
• Bring bottled water. It would be better if your young ones hydrate all throughout the trek to prevent cramps. Though there are two rest stations that sell bottled water, fresh fruit juices, and king coconuts, it would be better to bring your own bottled water so kids can drink on demand. 
• Work your leg muscles. Just like any other physical activity, it would be best to prepare your body for an upcoming strenuous activity. Be prepared that you will help your little one with the trek at some point, so that’s another reason to work out your muscles prior to the trip. 
• Expect your feet to get wet. There is one part of the trek with water, so be prepared that your shoes or sandals will get wet. 

Before we headed out to the second part of the 3 Icons Tour, we headed out to lunch first. This lunch buffet is part of the package that we purchased from Klook. We enjoyed eating rice, fried fish, and a variety of Sri Lankan dishes that Emman enjoyed a lot. We were treated to our choice of tea afterwards. Emman enjoyed a milk tea drink, while Tala and I shared a hot green tea. 

Once our tummies were full, we headed to our second stop: Nine Arch Bridge! Mahesh said we have to be there before 1 pm because there is a train expected to pass over the bridge at 1:30 in the afternoon.

Visited the Nine Arch Bridge

The Nine Arch Bridge is a famous tourist spot in Ella because of how its architecture lies across lush greens. It is situated between Ella and Demodara stations and is composed of 9 arches of cement and stone surrounded by mountains of trees. Such a magnificent view! 

To go to the Nine Arch Bridge, you can take a car or a tuktuk to the parking lot of Nine Arch Bridge. Then, there will be a 5- to 10- minute hike to the bridge itself. In our case, we went to the parking space by car and hiked all the way to the bridge. 

Tips: 

• Book a guide. We booked a 3 Icons Tour through Klook. It is best to go to the Nine Arch Bridge with a guide because they know the schedules when trains will pass over the bridge. It is better to take a photo or a video of the bridge with a train over it.
• Expect a lot of tourists. Since this is a famous tourist spot that is free for everyone, expect many tourists to be waiting by the bridge and taking pictures and videos. There are also tourists who wait for hours by the bridge while waiting for the train to come by.
• Bring bottled water. It would be better to bring your own bottled water so you , especially your kids, can drink on demand. 
• Bring money for snacks. There is a store nearby where you can buy snacks and refreshments. They sell freshly baked pastries, as well as chips and coconuts. 
• Be prepared for the rain.  When we went there, it rained just as a train was about to pass. Those who really wanted to take pictures or videos of the train did so under the rain. But for those of us who did not want to get wet, we decided to go to the store and wait for the rain to stop. Luckily, the train moved so slowly that it was still there the moment the rain stopped. 

Climbed Little Adam’s Peak

Little Adam’s Peak is one of the must-see places in Ella. It allows you to enjoy some of the best views in Ella without having to hike and trek for hours. 

We started our trail from 98 Acres Resort and Spa. The trail is mainly composed of well-maintained stairs and paths, which makes this trek simple and easy as compared to Ella Rock. Once you are at the top of Little Adam’s Peak, you will see many platforms and rocks where you can stand for a nice photo. The view is magnificent! 

Tips: 

• Book a guide. We booked a 3 Icons Tour through Klook. It is best to go to Little Adam’s Peak with a guide because they know the trek by heart and they can show you the best platform to stand on or sit on that will give you the best view for a photo. 
• Work your leg muscles. Though this trek is relatively easy compared to Ella Rock, this hike will still work your leg muscles a lot. Imagine going up to the 20th floor of a building purely by climbing the stairs. That’s the work you are expecting to do in going up Little Adam’s Peak!
• Bring bottled water. It would be better to bring your own bottled water so you , especially your kids, can drink on demand. 
• Bring snacks. Bring snacks like nuts or crackers, especially if you are trekking with a little kid who might get easily hungry after moving a lot. 

The trip to Little Adam’s Peak marked the end of the 3 Icons Tour Day. It was already 5:30 in the afternoon when we got back to our hotel. Overall, this day is certainly one for the books! 

The 3 Icons Tour was fantastic! It certainly made us closer to nature and made us proud that, “hey, these 40-year-olds and this 5-year old conquered Ella Rock!”

If you want to see how these three icons, watch the Youtube video below. Don’t forget to subscribe so you will see more of our videos!

We are Team Tala Travels and we rock! 

Where we Ate in Ella

There are many cafes and restaurants lining up the streets of Ella. We wanted to try as many cafes as we can, that’s why we decided to devote one full day in our Ella trip entirely for cafe hopping. 

So, this part of our blog is all about the different cafes and restaurants that we tried in Ella. 

Rainbow Cafe 

Rainbow Cafe is the first cafe that we went to on our cafe-hopping day. We got intrigued by the warm ambience and inviting facade that it exudes from outside. The cafe has a total of 4 floors and has a wide seating capacity. 

The food in Rainbow Cafe is superb! We ordered Aubergine Katsudon, which is one of their fusion dishes from international cuisines. This dish consists of crispy eggplants with Japanese katsu sauce and served with rice and mixed vegetables. We also ordered Oatmeal Pancake, which is a pancake made from oatmeal and banana topped with seeds, vegan chocolate and honey. The food was superb! For our drinks, we had Ruby, a hibiscus red tea drink, plus hot Americano. 

Aside from the yummy food that we ate, we also enjoyed our stay at Rainbow Cafe because of the board games and cards that guests can borrow from the cafe. We enjoyed playing dominoes after finishing our meal.

If you have a chance to go to Ella, do not forget to include Rainbow Cafe in one of the restaurants that you will dine in! 

Isle of Gelato

We headed next to Isle of Gelato. Isle of Gelato is famous all over Sri Lanka for its homemade gelato. They offer a wide variety of flavors, including vegan options. You can ask for a sample if you are not sure about the taste of their unique flavors. Though it may be a bit pricey, it is worth a try! 

Dream Cafe

After getting ice cream, we decided to go to Dream Cafe. This is just a few meters away from Isle of Gelato and is just across Rainbow Cafe. We got interested in trying it because of the cozy couches that face the road. Sitting here made us feel that we are truly tourists that are enjoying the view of a completely different location. I had a pot of coffee, Lion beer for Emman, and French fries for Tala. 

We enjoyed the vibe here, though I cannot say that I recommend their coffee. After a series of experiences wherein we did not like the coffee served to us, we concluded that indeed, Sri Lanka is a tea country, not a coffee country, and it is better to order tea instead of coffee while in here. 

But still, we recommend Dream Cafe to anyone visiting Ella! 

Chill Cafe 

Chill Cafe, as the name implies, is one of the cafes in Ella that gives you a chill and laid back experience. It is a stylish cafe by the roadside that has been made popular to foreigners and tourists because of its colorful menu, excellent service, and chill ambience. 

Our favorites here include chicken fingers, chicken fried rice, and pick of the bunch – a dessert that includes crispy banana fritters topped with vanilla ice cream and honey. 

We decided to go next to Chill Cafe because we wanted to experience its ambience at night during the day. We initially went here during our first night in Ella, but we did not stay for long because we had to rest already. Emman and I ordered an order of Sri Lankan coffee for each of us. Little did we know that they serve their coffee in a pot, enough for 2 coffee cups. So we each had 2 cups of Sri Lankan coffee at 8 in the evening! Good thing Sri Lankan coffee is not as strong as Arabica or Robusta coffee, so we were still able to sleep well that night. 

Overall, our experience at Chill Cafe was indeed a chill one! You should definitely come here when you visit Ella! 

One Love Restaurant and Cafe 

The last one that we visited during our cafe-hopping day was One Love Restaurant and Cafe, which is a big restaurant that spreads to over 3 floors. There are many seating options that range from normal chairs to swings, to divans, and to couches. One Love has a warm and welcoming vibe that gives an atmosphere of love and care – as its name suggests. 

Since this is the last cafe that we visited during our cafe-hopping day, we just had dessert and coffee here. Though we did not try most of their menu, we still recommend going to One Love Cafe for their ambiance and overall vibe. 

This marks the end of our cafe hopping day! We hope that you can visit one of these cafes when you visit Ella in the future! 

In a Nutshell

So, this marks the end of the second leg of our Sri Lanka trip! Our Ella trip is definitely a memorable adventure trip for Team Tala Travels! We will never forget how we bravely trekked Ella Rock and Little Adam’s Peak, how we enjoyed the breathtaking view at the Nine Arch Bridge, and how we loved exploring the cafes in Ella! 

And now, time to go to the third leg of our Sri Lanka trip! Excited to know where it is? Click subscribe so you will be notified when my next blog is out! It’s coming very soon!