Ceylon Lanka Trails Logo

Hill Country Train Journey

The Kandy to Ella line through tea terraces and cloud forest, in a carriage with the doors open.

Overview

The Kandy to Ella line through tea terraces and cloud forest, in a carriage with the doors open.

What you will experience

Best locations

Best season

Year round. Clearest views January to March; the line is atmospheric in mist too.

Safety information

Do not hang out of doorways for photographs, there are tunnels, poles and passing trains. Keep valuables in front of you at busy stations.

Gallery

A train crossing the tea country of Sri Lanka
A peacock displaying in dry-zone scrub
Palms leaning over a tropical beach
A traditional performer in ceremonial dress

Add this to a tour

Hill Country Train Journey

Related tours

Itineraries that include this

Palms leaning over a tropical beach
Grand tour

14 days

Private guided

Fourteen days is the length at which Sri Lanka stops being a checklist. Ancient cities, tea country, the east coast reef, leopards, whales, and a week’s worth of beach.

£1,590

per person

Buddha images inside the Dambulla golden cave temples
Stopover favourite

4 days

Private guided

Four days built around the Cultural Triangle and Kandy: the highest concentration of UNESCO sites on the island, with an elephant safari in the middle.

£395

per person

A luxury villa terrace in the tropics
Signature

10 days

Private luxury

Ten days across the island staying only in houses with a story: Bawa-designed villas, a tea planter’s bungalow above the clouds, a merchant house inside Galle Fort.

£2,390

per person

More things to do

Other experiences

A villager working a paddy field in rural Sri Lanka
A bullock cart, a catamaran across the tank, a clay hearth and a lunch you helped cook.

Year round

A whale surfacing in the Indian Ocean
Blue whales feed within an hour of Mirissa harbour, the most reliable sightings of the largest animal alive.

South Nov to Apr, east May to Sep

Oils and herbs prepared for an ayurvedic treatment
A 3,000-year-old medical system, practised by doctors, in retreats that treat rather than pamper.

Year round

Start planning

When should you do this?

Tell us your dates and we will tell you honestly whether the season works, and where on the island it works best.

A real consultant replies within 12 hours, usually sooner. No deposit needed to get a full itinerary and quote.

Quick inquiry

Tell us roughly what you want

Five fields, one reply from a real consultant within 12 hours.