4 Day Trip to Ella & Galle

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Hi Folks,

I will talk about our two-day trip to Ella, followed by our transfer to Galle, which we went as a part of our 10 day tour to Sri Lanka. We headed to Ella from the hilly town of Nuwara Eliya. There is a train option for reaching Ella from Nuwara Eliya, which is apparently very picturesque and scenic, but since we were not aware of this earlier, we did not get tickets for the journey. We took a bus to Ella instead. There are many AC buses from Nuwara Eliya to intermediate stations. The locals are very helpful with directions and we were able to reach the entire distance through public buses.

We stayed in a Yoho hotel here. It is located very close to the main bus stand of Ella. We reached at about 12 noon from Nuwara Eliya. We freshened up and around the main bus stand area, which has many cafes and restaurants! It's any traveller's paradise, to sip in coffee, curl up with a book, and sit in a nice cozy corner of the cafes!

Yours Truly in Ella!
We visited the following places in Ella:

1. Ella Spice Garden: This is a small quaint spice garden, at walking distance from the bus stand. It was closed when we walked to it. A small capture of the entrance to it!
At the entrance to the Spice Garden
Inside the Spice Garden, explaining a Traditional Lankan meal!
Traditional Lankan Drinks
2. Kinnelan Tea Factory: This is famous for the varieties of Tea they grow and sell! The lady selling the tea here was very friendly! We bought our tea packets for gifting from here.
Right Opposite Kinnelan Tea Factory
The Various types of Teas!
3. Nine Arch Bridge: We visited Nine Arch on the second day of our stay. We took a bus till the start of the hike. The hike to Nine Arch by foot will take around 30-45 mins. It's an easy hike, with the occasional highs in between. We had a lot of fun to and fro this lovely bridge!
En-route the Nine Arch Bridge Hike

The first view of the Nine Arch Bridge
Some refreshments after the light hike to the bridge!
We were not able to cover Ella Rock, Ravana's falls and Little Adam's Peak due to heavy rainfall when we visited. After returning from Nine Arch at about 12Noon, we started for Galle, in a public bus. It was a long long journey, and we finally reached Galle at around 9pm. We booked a good hotel through a last minute deal in Galle Fort here.

It was the best decision we ever made! The owners here are amazing! They served us very sumptuous Egg Hoppers and Tea the next day morning for breakfast, and helped us a lot with the directions! We woke up early morning to catch the sun-rise at the fort! I cannot thank the owners there for lending me their umbrella on a hot sunny afternoon! It was most needed in Galle! Listing down the places we visited:

1. Galle Fort: Galle is the fort town of Sri Lanka, with the fort being a Unesco World Heritage Sight now. It is a Portuguese constructed place, with very rich history, and is a very happening places to visit! An early morning capture of the Galle Fort gave us these non-crowded pics and memories to cherish!
Sun-rise Silhouette
The Early Morning Joggers @Galle Fort
Brunch @Peddlar's Inn Cafe
The Umbrella!
2. Maritime Museum: This is a naval museum located within the Galle fort itself. It has an entrance ticket for foreign nationals. It was known to have been closed from 2004 to 2010 due to a Tsunami in 2004 which flooded and damaged parts of the museum.
At the Maritime Museum
3. Dutch Hospital Shopping Precinct: This is a heritage building which has been renovated to  a shopping complex. Lines of shops selling antiques, eateries, and a sitting area makes this is a good place to hang-out!
Dutch Shopping!
4. Dutch Reformed Church: Galle fort has many churches to drop it. The day we visited was a Sunday and many churches had their Sunday services going on. It was a really nice setup with the Dutch back-ground, cafes, sea, museums and church!
The Lovely Church!
5. Clock Tower & Cricket Stadium: This is a clock tower at around the entrance of the fort. It has  a hug clock tower, with a viewing point of the picturesque cricket stadium!
The Galle Clock Tower
Over-looking the Galle Cricket Stadium
6. Unawantuna Beach: This is a beach outside the Galle Fort. We took a bus from Galle bus-stand to Unawantuna. It has a turtle hatchery nearby, and there is a whale watching activity that can be done in the day time. Amazing waters, and not very crowded. A nice couple getaway!
Joie De Vivre
7. Japanese Peace Pagoda: On the way back from Unawantuna to Galle, we got down at the walk-way to Japanese Peace Pagoda. It is a good 30 mins walk uphill. We walked slowly up till the Pagoda. There is a huge Buddha statue on top, and offers great views of Galle.
At the Peace Pagoda
We took a bus back to Galle fort and spent a great evening in the numerous cafes in Galle. Do try out the Lankan rice and curry delicacy wherever you get a chance. It is an amazing dish! We took a bus to Kadawathe near Colombo, and took an airport transfer from there.

Our 10 day trip to Sri Lanka was over, without us visiting Colombo!! I always believe it is the hinterlands that are more pristine and un-touched. Colombo will have to wait till some other time!!

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