The Hill Country
The rock face around this remote and little-visited cave temple, which is signed off the road to Wellawaya, is covered in faded Kandyan-era paintings including one of the British Royal coat of arms. Inside, the paintings are in far better condition and completely cover all the walls. There's also a reclining Buddha. It's 21km south of Ella.
On poya days a large number of monks and villagers come here to meditate, but outside these times it's very quiet with just one monk in residence.
28.8 MILES
With herds of elephants, wild buffalos, sambars and spotted deer, and giant squirrels, this Sri Lankan national park is one of the nation's finest. In…
22.11 MILES
The Horton Plains plateau comes to a sudden end at World’s End, a stunning escarpment that plunges 880m. The walk here is 4km, but the trail then loops…
9.02 MILES
The beautiful, 1000-year-old, rock-cut Buddha figures of Buduruwagala are the region's biggest attraction. The gigantic standing Buddha (at 15m, it is the…
12.57 MILES
This beautiful Benedictine monastery once belonged to tea planter Sir Thomas Lester Villiers. To recreate his English lifestyle, he developed some English…
21.37 MILES
Horton Plains is a beautiful, stark world with excellent hikes in the shadows of Sri Lanka’s second- and third-highest mountains, Kirigalpotta (2395m) and…
7.9 MILES
This popular tea factory was built in 1890 by Sir Thomas Lipton, one of the most famous figures in tea history. The tour through the works is an education…
7.71 MILES
The Uva Halpewaththa Tea Factory, 5km north of Ella, runs some of the better tea plantation tours in Sri Lanka. After you've enriched yourself with…
8.57 MILES
Only the bottom third remains of this ruined dagoba, but the setting is evocative and your imagination can run riot with thoughts of how amazing it must…
4.64 MILES
The 19m-high Rawana Ella Falls are about 6km down Ella Gap towards Wellawaya. During rainy months, the water comes leaping down the mountainside in what…
5.67 MILES
The tours at this green-tea factory are pretty rushed and the guide may or may not be informative – some are more intent on flogging leaves. Newburgh is…
5.76 MILES
This cave is associated with the Ramayana story. Located in a cleft in the mountain that rises to Ella Rock, the cave is reputed to be where the king of…
7.12 MILES
The highlight of the charming Dowa Temple, 6km east of Bandarawela, is a 4m-high standing Buddha cut into the rock face. The walls of the adjacent cave…
7.21 MILES
The Lipton’s Seat lookout is one of Sri Lanka's most impressive viewpoints (unless it's misty and cloudy of course, which is why early morning is the best…
8. Uva Halpewaththa Tea Factory
7.71 MILES
The Uva Halpewaththa Tea Factory, 5km north of Ella, runs some of the better tea plantation tours in Sri Lanka. After you've enriched yourself with…