Today, I'm going to be riding on one of the world's most INCREDIBLE train journeys, travelling
for six hours through Sri Lanka's tea country, and dense tropical rainforest climate.
I'll be showing you the breathtaking highlights on this must-see train journey - where the
doors don't even lock, and giving you some little known advice for getting the best possible
seat.
So join me for the stunning ride over misty mountains and past endless tea plantations,
all the way to Ella, on one of the world's greastest train journeys.
Hello and welcome back to another video, today I'm here in Kandy in Sri Lanka, and I'm going
to be making one of the world's GREATEST train journeys, as I catch the Sri Lankan Railways
train from Kandy, over to Ella.
It's going to be a STUNNING journey through the jungle, so let's go!
Today's adventure starts at Kandy's main station, situated in the heart of the large city which
is surrounded by two mountain ranges.
It was originally opened in the 1860s, during the colonial era.
The station's name is clearly displayed in three languages, these being English, as well
as Sinhala and Tamil - the country's two official languages.
Though English is very commonly spoken all throughout Sri Lanka's rail network, and indeed
the country in general.
Heading past the beautiful designs at the main entrance, we are reach the ticket hall.
Here there are five seperate windows, each one covering different destinations.
I'm travelling in a reserved carriage, for which you can buy tickets at counters one
and two.
Opposite this is a fare chart, though be aware that reserved seats will often be considerably
more expensive than the prices displayed here.
Despite the higher price, I'd highly recommend a reserved seat, for the reasons I'll show
you later!
Payment is cash only, so make sure you come prepared.
Though I'd highly recommend reserving in advance on the Sri Lankan Railways website, which
also accepts card, and then collect your ticket from the station.
These trains often sell out - fast!
Most stations in Sri Lanka still have these paper timetables instead of electric screens.
A few stations even have these really charming analogue departure boards, with interchangable
wooden destinations and a manually adjusted clock.
I'll be on the 11:10 service to Badulla, departing from platform 2.
Access to the platforms is restricted to ticket holders, manually inspected at the entrance.
Kandy's five platforms see a variety of train types, running to numerous destinations on
the Sri Lankan mainline.
Rail travel in Sri Lanka is very popular with locals, thanks to its affordable price.
This often leads to extreme overcrowding, for example on this train to Colombo, Sri
Lanka's largest city.
There are a few passenger facilities available at Kandy station, including this dirty and
smelly waiting room.
Waiting rooms are gender segregated.
There's also a special waiting room reserved for foreigners, where locals are not permitted.
As someone who's allowed in here, I really don't agree with segregating passengers in
this way.
You can also find a small shop on the platform, selling a few baked goods, as well as snacks
and drinks.
Lastly, I was actually invited into the signalbox for a look around.
It was really interesting seeing this classic piece of railway design still in full operation
here.
Anyway, my train today is running a little bit late, which is fairly common on Sri Lanka's
rail network.
After twenty minutes of waiting beyond the scheduled departure time, today's ride finally
came into view.
This is a Class S14, the newest generation of diesel units on Sri Lankan railways.
It's formed of eight carriages, and propelled by a power car on each end.
This fleet is similar to the blue Class S12 train we saw earlier, with a few minor changes.
This example was built in 2019, by CRRC Qindao Sifang, a Chinese manufacturer.
I'm travelling in Second Class Reserved today, and boarding is simple.
Just show your ticket to the inspector at the door, and you will be directed to your
assigned seat.
In the reserved carriages, standing passengers are not allowed, so it's usually considerably
less crowded than the unreserved carriages.
My seat today is number 48, a rear facing seat at the window.
Today's route will see us heading south and east, through the heart of Sri Lanka.
We'll also pass through the popular destinations of Hatton and Nanu-Oya.
The journey is scheduled to take five hours and 49 minutes to cover the 164km or about
102 miles.
We eventually end up leaving Kandy nearly 30 minutes late, at 11:39.
Train delays are very common in Sri Lanka, so use common sense and don't plan tight connections,
particularly to flights.
Here you can see a group of people playing cricket, a very popular sport in Sri Lanka.
Believe it or not though, the country's national sport is actually volleyball.
But it's not long before we're coming into our first station stop, just a few minutes
later.
This is Peradeniya Junction, sitting on the three-way split between Kandy, Ella, and Colombo.
From here, we begin to head south into the beautiful Sri Lankan wilderness in which we'll
spend the rest of our journey.
This was my first train ride in this part of the world, so it was really special to
me, seeing the vivid green landscape, thick forest, and mountainous terrain.
And even then, I knew the best bit by far was still to come.
As you probably guessed, this line's challenging geography and rural nature means that it is
mostly single track.
This means that often times, you'll be waiting at stations for oncoming traffic.
This is the return working of the train we're currently riding, the Udarata Menike.
Anyway, let's take a look around the interior here in Second Class.
Seating is in a 2+2 layout, with comfy leather reclining seats.
These are well padded, with good ergonomics.
I certainly wasn't feeling uncomfortable at any point on my journey.
The headrest has padded wings, though it was pretty unclean.
All seats have adjustable armrests, which can easily be folded down for more comfort.
On the seat in front, there is a folding table with a small groove for holding a drink.
However, when not using the table, you can also find a standalone cupholder...that is
if your drink is small enough to fit!
Beside the seat, you'll find a little switch.
This allows you to recline the seat.
Even the seats next to the wall recline a decent amount!
Though if you're worried about the person in front reclining, don't be, as the legroom
is very good.
You can also find a folding footrest in front of you...as well as a storage net for smaller
items.
Proper luggage space can be found in the centre and at the ends of the carriage, as well as
above your seat, in the sizable luggage racks.
As we get further from Kandy and cross over into the Nuwara Eliya region, the scenery
begins to pick up, the route climbing into the hills.
One thing you'll see a lot of on the journey is tea fields, with this small island nation
being the 4th biggest producer of tea in the world.
In fact, Sri Lanka has a higher tea production per person than any other country, by a lot.
The opening windows of my second class coach are just perfect for this journey, allowing
for an incredible view of the passing landscape.
If you're feeling adventurous, then you can also open the doors.
Whilst this is an incredibly fun way to experience the journey, be sure to exercise extreme caution
while doing this.
Despite the low speeds, the potential consequences to not paying attention can easily result
in a quick and unhappy ending to your holiday.
Roughly an hour and a half into our journey, we arrive at Galboda.
This pleasant station serves a tiny village, and is close to the Galboda Falls.
Sadly, this incredible spot of natural beauty is not visible from the train, so I've included
a photo instead.
We've now climbed to well over 1000m, which is still a long way from our highest point
on the journey.
But in any case, the scenery is still incredible, so I'll let you enjoy that for a while.
This station is Hatton, one of the largest settlements out here in the hills.
Many travellers come here to visit Adam's Peak, a nearby mountain, which also serves
as a holy site for multiple religions.
During the pilgrimage season, lasting six months, the station sees around one million
passengers.
Hatton is also well known for its involvement in the tea plantations, with the town first
being founded for the purpose.
Nowadays, nearly 50% of the town's population are employed by the industry.
Let's take a look around the rest of the train.
I didn't film in First Class on this journey, but it looks similar to the one shown here.
First Class even features aircon.
But think about it!
Do you really want to be sitting behind a dirty window with the scenery on this route?
Second Class and Third Class both feature opening windows, so I'd always recommend avoiding
First Class in favour of these two classes.
The only exception to this is if you can't get a reserved seat, as the unreserved carriages
can often be dangerously overcrowded.
Toilets can be found in the centre of the carriage, just next to the doors.
This takes the form of a western style toilet, and whilst not in the best condition, I've
seen worse.
The biggest problem was the strong unpleasant smell.
There was water available, but no soap.
There's also no toilet paper, instead a handheld bidet is provided, and attached to the wall
next to the toilet.
This is definitely a train that you'll want to bring your own hand sanitiser on.
There's also a buffet car, but the doors to the rest of the train are locked from the
reserved carriages, so I couldn't access it.
Occasionally, the catering crew will come through to the carriage though.
Hot drinks and snacks are available, but I just went for some cashew nuts.
Amusingly, these cost nearly twice the price of an unreserved Second Class ticket for this
journey.
As we climb higher and higher, you realise what an impressive piece of infrastructure
the railway line here is.
It opened in stages, with the current section as far as Nanu Oya opening in 1885, facilitating
the transport of tea from the region.
This station is Watagoda, where we pass this classic loco-hauled train on the way to Colombo.
Whilst this train may be old, having Romanian built carriages from the 1970s, it does still
have one major advantage, which I'll show you in a second.
While at this station, various vendors take the chance to swap between trains and change
direction, continuing to sell their goods on the other train.
And here's the big benefit to these older trains; some of them have observation carriages,
which I'd strongly argue is the best way to enjoy the scenery.
This station is Nanu-Oya, a popular destination on the line.
This is thanks to its closeness to Nuwara Eliya, which is home to the country's tallest
mountain - Pidurutalagala.
Rather fittingly, the train is also approaching its highest point.
Currently, we're at around 1800 metres.
In the valley below, you can catch a glimpse of the picturesque Elgin Falls, which are
named after the town in the Scottish Highlands.
Finally, we reach the summit, at 1907 metres above sea level.
From here, it's a slow descent down to Ella.
The previously warm and sunny weather also takes a turn for the worse, being replaced
by thick fog.
Thankfully, this doesn't last long, and by Haputale station, the sun is back out.
As we come towards the end of our journey, it's time to look at how much this trip cost.
I booked my ticket well in advance, about thirty days ahead in fact, which is essential,
as these trains can sell out fast.
I paid 1800 Sri Lankan Rupees for my Second Class reserved ticket, and whilst this is
five times more than an unreserved ticket, I think it was worth the extra money, and
overall great value.
We eventually arrive into Ella some 69 minutes late, at 18:08.
This was a journey I will remember for the rest of my life.
The scenery was some of the best I've seen in the world, and the opening windows and
doors of the train help you to experience that to the fullest.
It was also a comfortable ride, despite being slightly dirty and bumpy.
But as always, let me know what you thought of this scenic journey in the comments, and
for a look at one of India's incredible train journeys travelling through similarly beautiful
scenery, then click up here now.