Ella

Ella is one of Sri Lanka's great favourites. This 5,000-resident village perched 1,040 metres up in the central mountains has established itself in a decade as the essential stop of the tea country. The setting is largely to blame: Ella stretches along a deep valley — the Ella Gap — that opens on clear days to a view stretching to the southern plain and the Indian Ocean 80 km away. All around, round peaks covered in tea bushes, waterfalls plunging into the jungle, and hiking trails that leave the village and climb in a few hours to the surrounding summits.

The other reason for Ella's enthusiasm is the mythical train. The Kandy-Ella journey (7 hours in 1st class observation) is regularly ranked among the world's most beautiful rail journeys by specialised guides. The train snakes at 25 km/h along the mountain flank, crosses 46 tunnels and twenty viaducts, runs alongside kilometres of carefully maintained tea plantations, and passes through landscapes reminiscent of both Scotland and Bhutan. The final segment between Nuwara Eliya (Nanu Oya) and Ella is particularly spectacular — it's also the shortest (2 hours) if you want a taste of the experience without devoting a whole day.

But the train isn't the only attraction. Ella village also thrives on its three iconic hikes: Little Adam's Peak (2-hour loop, accessible to all, 1,141 m summit with panoramic view), Ella Rock (5 hours round trip, more demanding, 1,040 m summit with the region's finest view), and the walk to Nine Arches Bridge — a 1921 colonial stone-cut viaduct nestled in the jungle, where the train passes four times a day in a postcard setting (passing times — 6am, 9:30am, 3pm, 5:30pm — have become famous photo appointments in the backpacking world). Add an exceptional café-restaurant scene for a village this size (the famous Cafe Chill, Matey Hut, Dream Cafe), backpacker prices, and a relaxed vibe that makes many travellers extend their stay by several nights — and you'll understand why Ella has become, in fifteen years, Sri Lanka's most popular stop.