ELLA – NUWARA ELIYA -AMBULUWAWA -SIGIRIYA

This tour takes place every week on Tuesday and Wednesday.

Mountain Train Ride

We  will ride a train along one of the most picturesque railways in the world with views of the famous tea plantations, we will see the century-old nine-arch bridge twice – the first time from the train windows, and later we will go up to it to hear the history of its construction and take many beautiful photos to remember the trip.

Travel on the route Nuwara Elliyya-Ella (2 hours). Second class tickets (if there are no tickets or at your request, we buy first class tickets)

Demodara Bridge or “Nine Arch Bridge”  is located on the railway route between Ella and the railway station in the city of Demodara. It was built during the colonial period in 1921 entirely of brick, stone and cement without the use of metal and concrete, and became a real engineering marvel for Sri Lanka at that time. It is still in use, and all trains to Badulla pass through it.

A walk to the bridge along the railway tracks will be a small interesting adventure. Once you reach the bridge, you can cross it to the other side. On the other side, a little higher, there is a good observation deck, and several more observation decks in the area.

The most interesting action here is the train crossing the bridge. They pass 12 times a day, and a huge number of tourists gather for each passage, so it is better to take a convenient place for photography in advance. A few minutes before the train passes, railway employees try to drive all the tourists off the bridge with whistles, but usually there is always someone left, and the train passes safely.

Little Adam’s Peak or Mini Adam’s Peak is  much lower than its older brother, Big  Adam’s Peak , but locals believe that the two mountains are very similar in appearance, which is why they gave their mountain this name. Its height is 1141 meters, and this is only a hundred meters above the city level. The climb is very easy and takes at most an hour one way, and in total you will need to walk about 3 kilometers from the center of Ella. At the top there is an observation deck with 360-degree views, nothing obscures the view. From the top, you can continue on for about half a kilometer along a trail with several more wonderful viewing points. On the way up, you will pass one of the few entertainments in Ella – ziplines. Here you can go down the rope for a distance of 550 meters and 82 meters down, and this pleasure costs $20 per person.

If you compare this peak with  Ella Rock , then here too there are wonderful views, but mainly of the city, and not so far. It is much easier to climb here, but there are more tourists here.

 They say that Adam and Eve sailed to Sri Lanka at the end of their lives and lived out their long lives here. In the north of the country, you can even see their graves. If you want to visit the top of the mountain where there is a footprint, which each religion considers its own sanctuary, the footprint belongs to Buddha, Shiva or Adam, then you need to go to the Big Adam’s Peak. And climbing the Big Adam’s Peak Sri Pada will not seem like a fun event. The height of Adam’s Peak is 2243 meters

Ravana Falls

Popularly known as Ravana Ella, the falls are a popular tourist attraction in Sri Lanka. Currently considered to be one of the widest waterfalls in the country, the falls are approximately 25 meters high and feature an oval-shaped cascade that is concave into the rock face. During the wet season, the falls become a turbulent and thundering pool, while during the dry season, the flow of water decreases very sharply. The falls are part of the Ravana Ella Wildlife Sanctuary and are located 2 km from  Ella railway station. The falls are named after the legendary Hindu character Ravana from the famous Indian Ramayana. According to legend, Ravana, who was the king of Sri Lanka at the time, kidnapped princess Sita and hid her in the caves behind this waterfall, now known as the Ravana Ella Caves. At that time, the cave was surrounded by dense forests. It is believed that Rama’s consort bathed in the pool of the falls while being held captive by Ravana.

Ambuluwawa Tower: Temple of 4 Religions

Climb the 48-meter high Ambuluwawe Observation Tower, located in the center of the Biodiversity and Religious Diversity Complex. Once at the top, you will find 360-degree views of the surrounding mountains, forests, rivers and towns. Ambuluwawa is surrounded by many mountains, including Sri Lanka’s highest peak, Pidurutalagala, to the east, the Bible Rock (Bathalegala) to the west, Sri Pada (Adam’s Peak) to the south and the Knuckles Range to the north.

“There is only one single place in Sri Lanka where a 48-meter high tower is surrounded on all four sides of the world by a huge number of mountain ranges and hills, some of which are famous: the sacred Adam’s Peak, the mountains Namunukula and Batalegala, the highest Pidurutalagala and the mountain ranges of Hantana, Knuckles and Hunnasgiri”

The Ambuluwawa Tower was built in 2009 and is 48m high. The top of the tower offers a 360 degree panoramic view of the surrounding towns, valleys and rivers, and evergreen forests. The history of Ambuluwawa dates back to the 13th century, during the reign of the Sinhalese King Buwanekabahu IV, when, according to legend, the Ambuluwawa peak was the center of the Gampola Kingdom, but at the moment it does not contain any historical or archaeological sites.

Only here on the entire island in one place are the buildings of the main religious faiths gathered: Buddhism, Hinduism, Islam and Christianity.

Tea plantations and museum

The plantations of Sri Lanka impress with their neat rows of tea bushes. It seems that the whole island is a large tea plantation of Ceylon tea.

Tea is grown in three main areas, based on the landscape features of the country.

● Low-mountain areas located at an altitude of up to 600 meters above sea level;

● mid-mountain areas. Altitude above sea level from 600 to 1200 meters;

● high mountain areas are located at an altitude of over 1200 meters.

Second Day

Sigiriya  – Lion Rock is an ancient ruined fortress with the remains of a palace. The fortress is surrounded by the remains of gardens, pools, and fountains. Sigiriya is also famous for its ancient frescoes depicting the king’s concubines. The fortress was built during the reign of King Kasap (5th century AD), who, fearing his brother’s revenge for the murder of his father, erected this impregnable stronghold. Sigiriya is one of seven UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Sri Lanka.

In addition to the lion’s paws and fountains, Sigiriya has preserved a huge royal throne, as well as alleys and caves; one of them, with traces of ancient painting on the ceiling, is called the “Cobra’s Hood”. Along the Lion Rock stretches the “Mirror Hall” – a stone niche 140 meters long and 40 meters high, decorated with frescoes. The frescoes depict almost life-size apsaras – heavenly half-naked dancers throwing water lilies through the clouds to the ground. The luxurious hairstyles of the “Sigiriya maidens” are decorated with ribbons and jewelry. The women have massive earrings in their ears, necklaces on their necks, and bracelets on their wrists, strewn with precious stones.

“Golden Temple” Dambulla

This cave monastery, which served as a sacred pilgrimage site for 22 centuries, is the largest and best-preserved cave temple complex in Sri Lanka. The Buddhist wall paintings covering an area of 2,100 square meters and 157 statues are of particular cultural significance.

Once in the first of the 5 main caves of the temple, the tourist will see a reclining fourteen-meter statue of Buddha, at the head of which sits the great god Vishnu, and at the feet sits a disciple. In the second, more impressive in size, the traveler is met by a statue made of wood, that same king Walagambaha, his hand raised in a moralizing gesture. In other internal spaces, one can see a stupa, where, according to legend, the queen’s treasures were kept, a ceiling decorated with hundreds of paintings of the meditating Buddha.

Interestingly, the area of the rock Buddhist frescoes and drawings, which even today tell about the life of Buddha, is 2,300 square meters.

The Golden Temple of Dambulla is a unique treasure trove of the Buddhist religion. Visiting it, not only pilgrims who worship Buddha sacredly, but also ordinary travelers who are far from Eastern philosophy, receive peace and pleasure.