Hill-country train, Nanu Oya to Ella (reserved seat)

What happens

A scenic section of the Main Line: about 2 hours 30 minutes from Nanu Oya (the station for Nuwara Eliya) through tea and tunnels to Ella. Our tours use the train at about 12:30 to 13:00, and we confirm the time when we book. Reserved seats go on sale 30 days before travel and in high season can sell out within hours. We buy yours the day sales open, or as soon as you book if that is later. No class or window seat is promised. Trains are crowded and run late.

What is in the price

On a trip with our car and driver

Booked as part of a tour, a day tour or your own trip with our car, the trip adds:

• Your driver takes the luggage by road and meets you at Ella
• If no seat is left, we tell you, your driver takes you by road instead, and you do not pay for the seat.

Season

Runs all year.

The line between Kandy and Nanu Oya was closed when status pages were last checked on 4 November 2026, after cyclone damage, an October 2026 landslide and the unfinished Peradeniya bridge rebuild, so Kandy to Ella is by road to Nanu Oya, then this train. Engineers' estimate for the rest of the line is December 2026, not a timetable.

Limits

• Tickets are tied to passport numbers and cannot be transferred.
• If no seat is left, we tell you and you do not pay for the seat.

Where it is offered

• Nuwara Eliya
• Ella

Tours with this activity

• Hills and wildlife, 6 daysIncluded · tour, $744 per person for two, 6 days, comfort hotels, shoulder season, tickets included
• Classic Sri Lanka, 7 daysIncluded · tour, $866 per person for two, 7 days, comfort hotels, shoulder season, tickets included
• Classic Sri Lanka and beach, 8 daysIncluded · tour, $1,010 per person for two, 8 days, comfort hotels, shoulder season, tickets included
• Grand tour of Sri Lanka, 10 daysIncluded · tour, $1,230 per person for two, 10 days, comfort hotels, shoulder season, tickets included
• Wilpattu to the south coast, 12 daysIncluded · tour, $1,368 per person for two, 12 days, comfort hotels, shoulder season, tickets included, temple-run sites and one activity paid there
• Complete island, 14 daysIncluded · tour, $1,716 per person for two, 14 days, comfort hotels, shoulder season, tickets included, temple-run sites paid there
• Slow travel with the north and east, 21 daysIncluded · tour, $2,411 per person for two, 21 days, comfort hotels, shoulder season, tickets included, Udawattakele forest ticket and temple-run sites paid there
• Honeymoon Sri Lanka, 9 daysIncluded · tour, $1,268 per person for two, 9 days, superior hotels, shoulder season, tickets included, one activity paid there
• Family Sri Lanka, 10 daysIncluded · tour, $1,053 per person for two, 10 days, comfort hotels, shoulder season, tickets included
• Tea and trains, 6 daysIncluded · tour, $601 per person for two, 6 days, comfort hotels, shoulder season, tickets included
• Luxury Sri Lanka, 10 daysOptional extra · tour, $2,006 per person for two, 10 days, luxury hotels, shoulder season, tickets included
• Budget Sri Lanka, 10 daysIncluded · tour, $804 per person for two, 10 days, simple hotels, shoulder season, tickets included, Udawattakele forest ticket paid there

Read more

• Kandy to Ella train: is it running?

  No: at the 4 Nov 2026 check the Kandy to Ella train was not running end to end. Nanu Oya to Ella runs. Fares, classes, booking and the road options.

• Sri Lanka 7-day itinerary: classic loop, priced

  Seven days covers Sigiriya, Kandy, the tea country, the Ella train and a Yala safari. USD 866 per person for two on Majeste's Classic tour, 7 Nov 2026.

• What to wear in Sri Lanka and temple etiquette

  At temples cover shoulders and knees, take off shoes and hats, never pose with your back to a Buddha; Buddha tattoos have led to refused entry. 7 Nov 2026.