Rail · KANDY TRAIN JOURNEYS
Every trip has one free day too few. These 9 kandy train journeys justify the slot, priced and timed so you can decide in minutes and get back to the map.
Take the Ella Odyssey from Kandy to Ella at 9:40 am in a reserved second or third-class seat. The special train pauses at scenic viewpoints, waterfalls, mountain ranges, and forest areas for photographs. Mahaweli Tours and Holidays delivers your paper ticket before 7:00 am, with pickup available in Kandy.
Spend two days in Sri Lanka’s hill country with a private or small group tour covering Kandy, Peradeniya Garden, Nuwara Eliya, and a three-hour blue train ride. You’ll visit the Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic, a tea factory, spice garden, and Kandyan cultural show, with hotel, meals, and train tickets depending on the package you choose.
“I got a completely different experience than almost every other review here. My guide wasn’t really a guide at all but more like a private driver. He didn’t really say a word the entire 2 days to me as he didn’t speak english well. But he was a great driver, always on time, and dropped me off and picked me up everywhere like clockwork. I accepted that I basically paid for a private chauffeur for two days which is fine. Still had a good time seeing all the sights, and as promised, they took care of all train tickets, hotel, etc.”
Ride Train 1005, Podi Menike, from Kandy or Peradeniya to Ella in about six to seven hours. You’ll pass tea estates, villages, ravines, and mountain country, with the finest scenery between Hatton and Haputale. Reserved first or second-class seats are available, but hotel transfers, food, and drinks are not included.
Take Train 1005, the blue Podi Menike, from Kandy to Nanu Oya, the rail stop for Nuwara Eliya. The 3 to 4 hour ride passes plantations and waterfalls, with the finest scenery on the Hatton to Haputale section. Choose air-conditioned first class or second class, then collect your ticket at the station.
Take Train 1015, the Udarata Menike, from Peradeniya or Kandy to Ella in about six to seven hours. You will pass tea estates, farms, villages, forests, and tunnels, with the finest scenery between Hatton and Haputale. Choose a first-class air-conditioned compartment or a reserved second-class non-air-conditioned seat. Food, drinks, and hotel transfers are not included.
Start with a 7:30 am Kandy hotel pickup, then board the 8:40 am train to Ella with seats selected for sightseeing. You’ll pass misty mountains, tea estates, valleys, wildflower meadows, villages, forests, and palms. A private air-conditioned vehicle handles your hotel transfers, while train tickets, meals, and personal costs are extra.
This private 13-hour trip from Kandy pairs Ramboda Waterfall, Pedro Tea Factory, lunch, Gregory Lake, and a famous train ride to Kandy. Your English-speaking driver-guide handles the road journey, with Kajun named as one possible guide. Expect long travel time, mountain views, and a relaxed private car.
Take a 2 to 3 hour train from Kandy Railway Station to Colombo Fort for $19.60 per person. Your electronic ticket arrives by email and WhatsApp, and you can check in without paper. Reserved seating is the main draw, but last-minute bookings may lead to schedule or class changes.
You’ll travel from Kandy on a private two-day outing combining a demanding Sri Pada climb with a scenic train journey to Ella. The mountain rises to 2,243 meters and holds a sacred Buddha footprint. Pickup, mobile tickets, flexible planning, and help from Sri Lanka Hill Country Tours, including Jnaka and Ek, are included.
By the kind of train, or by the country the track runs through.
