Hill-Country Train
The Kandy-to-Ella line through tea country, one of the world's great rail journeys.
What the Hill-Country Train is really like.
The blue train from Kandy to Ella is widely called one of the most scenic rail journeys on earth, and riding it is a Sri Lankan rite of passage. The line climbs through tea estates, pine forest, tunnels and waterfalls, with the doors open and the green hills rolling past. The Nanu Oya to Ella stretch, including the famous Nine Arch Bridge, is the most spectacular. We book second-class seats or the reserved observation car and time the run for the best light.
At a glance
- Best season
- Year-round (clearest January – March)
- Typical duration
- Half day (rail leg)
- Regions
- 3
Moment by moment
How the day unfolds.
Board at the station
Find your carriage amid the bustle of vendors and pilgrims, and grab a seat by an open door or window.
Where in Sri Lanka.
The corners of the island this experience touches, so you can picture how it threads into the rest of a tour.
Keep exploring
More of the Adventure.
Arugam Bay Surf
Ride the long, peeling right that makes the east coast one of Asia's great surf towns.
Explore
Kitulgala White-Water Rafting
Grade 2–4 rapids on the Kelani River, through rainforest gorges where Lean filmed his river.
Explore
Ella Hikes & Nine Arch Bridge
Little Adam's Peak, Ella Rock and the Nine Arch Bridge on foot from a mountain town.
ExploreAdam's Peak Pilgrim Climb
Climb 5,500 steps through the night to reach a sacred summit at sunrise.
Explore
Knuckles Range Trek
Trek the cloud-forest ridges of a UNESCO wilderness few travellers reach.
Explore
Travel the theme
Tours through the Adventure.
- Boutique
Whitewater & Peaks
6 days · from $1,500 pp
Explore the package - Essential
Surf & Trek Combo
9 days · from $2,050 pp
Explore the package
Every tour is a starting point we tailor around the experiences you choose.
YOUR TRIP, YOUR WAY
Build a trip around the Hill-Country Train.
Tell us this is the moment you want, and how you like to travel. A designer threads it into one seamless, tailor-made journey.