Rail · KANDY TRAIN JOURNEYS
Every trip has one free day too few. These 4 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.
By the kind of train, or by the country the track runs through.
