The Train That Changed How I See Sri Lanka: A Journey from Colombo
I almost didn't take the train. My hotel in Colombo had arranged a private car to Ella — six hours, air conditioning, door-to-door. Sensible. Efficient.
But then a Dutch traveler at breakfast said: "Take the train from Kandy to Ella. It costs two dollars and it'll ruin every other train ride you ever take." She wasn't exaggerating.
The Starting Point: Colombo
Colombo is not the Sri Lanka of postcards. It's a humid commercial capital with traffic, construction, and a harbor skyline that's rapidly modernizing. But it has character if you look for it.
Gangaramaya Temple — an eclectic Buddhist complex that mixes Sri Lankan, Thai, Indian, and Chinese architecture — sits on Beira Lake. Free entry. The interior museum is a chaotic collection of gifts and artifacts from around the world. Next door, the Seema Malaka floating temple sits on the lake itself, designed by Geoffrey Bawa (Sri Lanka's most famous architect). Serene. Photogenic. Open 5:30AM-10PM.
Pettah Market is the city's beating commercial heart — a covered bazaar near Fort railway station where you can buy spices (Ceylon cinnamon, cardamom, cloves), textiles, electronics, and everything in between. Open 8AM-6PM. The spice stalls are genuinely good — bulk cinnamon here costs a fraction of supermarket prices back home.
Dinner was rice and curry at a local restaurant in Pettah. The standard Sri Lankan rice and curry: a plate of rice surrounded by 4-5 small curries (coconut sambol, dhal, jackfruit, green bean), plus papadam. 450 LKR (~$1.35). This is the meal you'll eat every day in Sri Lanka, and you'll never tire of it because every region makes it differently.
The Road to Kandy
I took the 7AM express train from Colombo Fort Station to Kandy. Second class: 600 LKR (~$1.80). Three hours through lowland palm plantations that gradually gave way to hills. The train follows a river valley, climbing through tunnels and over bridges, and by the time you reach Kandy, the landscape has transformed from tropical coast to green hill country.
Kandy sits around a lake, ringed by mountains. The Temple of the Tooth — housing a relic of the Buddha's tooth — is the city's spiritual center. I spent an afternoon walking the lake path and visiting the temple (1,500 LKR for foreigners).
But Kandy was just the launchpad.
The Kandy-to-Ella Train
The 8:47AM train from Kandy. Second class. 600 LKR. Six to seven hours.
I sat by a window on the right side (mountain side). The doors stayed open the entire journey — passengers leaned out, wind in their hair, phone cameras extended. This is normal. This is expected. The open-door train ride through Sri Lanka's hill country is one of those travel experiences that transcends its own cliche.
For the first two hours: tea plantations. Endless. Rolling green hills covered in waist-high tea bushes, punctuated by Tamil women in colorful saris picking leaves with baskets strapped to their foreheads. The train curves through estates where you can see the colonial-era tea factory buildings — Mackwoods, Pedro Estate — nestled in the valleys.
We passed through Nuwara Eliya — Sri Lanka's Little England, a British hill station at 1,868 meters elevation. The temperature dropped noticeably. Mist appeared.
And then, about five hours in, the Nine Arches Bridge. The train slowed. Everyone moved to the left side. A perfect Edwardian stone viaduct curving through jungle, with a 24-meter drop below. The bridge was built during British colonial rule using only stone, brick, and cement — no steel. When the train crosses it slowly, and you lean out the open door and look down at the arches receding beneath you and the tea plantations stretching to the horizon... I understood what the Dutch woman meant.
Ella Station at 3:30PM. A small town in a mountain gap with views of the southern plains. Guesthouses from 3,000 LKR/night. A turmeric-yellow sunset over the gap that made everyone on the restaurant terrace stop talking.
The Rest of the Island
From Colombo, Sri Lanka unfolds in every direction:
Sigiriya (170 km northeast) — A 5th-century rock fortress rising 200 meters from jungle. Entry: $30 USD. The 1,200-step climb to the summit is demanding — start early to avoid midday heat. The lion's paw entrance, the mirror wall frescoes, and the summit views are worth every step. Allow a full day with travel.
Galle Fort (120 km south) — A UNESCO Dutch colonial fort from 1663 on the southwest coast. Cobbled streets, boutique hotels, art galleries, and rampart walks at sunset. Free to enter. The coastal highway from Colombo takes 2-3 hours. I stayed overnight and walked the ramparts at dawn, alone except for the sea.
Yala National Park (300 km southeast) — The world's highest density of leopards. Safari jeep costs $40-60 USD per person. Also home to elephants, sloth bears, and 215 bird species. February-July is best when water is scarce and animals congregate at waterholes.
The Food
Sri Lankan food is underrated. It shares DNA with South Indian cuisine but has its own identity.
Rice and curry — The foundation. 300-600 LKR at local restaurants. 1,500-3,000 LKR at tourist spots. The local version is better.
Kottu roti — Chopped roti stir-fried with vegetables, egg, and curry sauce on a hot griddle. The rhythmic chopping sound is the dinner bell. ~400 LKR.
String hoppers — Steamed rice noodle nests served for breakfast with coconut sambol and dhal. A Sri Lankan original.
Fresh seafood — At coastal towns, grilled fish from the morning catch. 600-1,500 LKR at local restaurants.
Ceylon tea, obviously, is everywhere. But the real revelation is wood apple juice — a strange, sour fruit blended into a thick drink that tastes like nothing else.
The Practical Bits
ETA (Electronic Travel Authorization) required for most nationalities: $50 USD at eta.gov.lk. Processing usually instant.
The best way to see the island is hiring a private driver/guide: $50-70 USD/day including fuel. They know the roads, handle chaotic traffic, and suggest stops you'd never find.
Dual pricing is standard: foreigners pay more at archaeological sites and national parks. Sigiriya: $30 vs 100 LKR for locals. This is official government policy.
Would I go back? I've already started planning the trip to the east coast — Trincomalee's beaches and Pigeon Island's snorkeling. Sri Lanka is the kind of country where finishing one route immediately makes you want to start another. Nearby Kerala offers a similarly lush tropical experience across the water.
But first: take the train. For practical advice, read our Sri Lanka FAQ. Tea enthusiasts should check our hill country tea guide. From Colombo, all of Sri Lanka is within reach.
