This is the most popular hiking, climbing & trekking destination in the hill country apart from but close to the numerous non touristy destinations. Ella is known as the 2nd Destination in the world for the highest concentration of Oxygen after Switzerland, so it is ‘the’ ideal place for endurance. There are numerous nature trails with fragrant flowers, to hear continuous chirping of birds, medicinal herbs & friendly animals on these awesome paths. Some of them lead to the popular hills such as, the easy to climb ‘Little Adam’s Peak’, Eagle Rock, ‘Mahmevnawa’ – Meditation hill, Illuk Pelessa (Reed Meadow), Makulu Ella (Spider Falls), Ambatanne, Haabetigala (Rabbit Dung Rock), Kurulaangala (Bird Beside Rock), Namunukula & the hard to trek ‘Ella Rock’.
Ella Rock was found by foreign travelers in order to hike challenging hills in their short vacations. It is a 7 km hike from town, the last 2 of which is strenuous, at this ‘halfway’ point at approximately 1100 meters above sea level the climate changes to a nippy 18° C. All of a sudden the vegetation changes to an awesome light green, the sweat disappears & the trail takes one from 1 hill to another & on the way, on the right, one can see a similar view like that of ‘Kashmir Gardens’ & on the left side is the magnificent ‘Little Adam’s Peak’ in all its beauty. Foreign travelers claim that it appears somewhat like an image of ‘Machu Picchu’ in Peru. After the steep climb to the top, one arrives onto a flat meadow of about 2 acres, with clear streams, ancient flower beds, tall trees & a pond for bathing & freshwater creatures.

On the precipices of Ella Rock are the numerous rocks strategically placed to be easily toppled at any advancing adversaries below during wartime. Plenty of viewpoints, from which are the views of the town, all mountain ranges of the ‘Green Canyon’ & the awesome Ravana WaterFalls cascading down from 4 tiers. This flat peak top, like in Sigiriya, is believed to be an ancient palace garden. Locals have their story which indicates that ‘King Ravana lived there building his Aircraft with peacocks’ & flew to hills in the vicinity to test them.

A tranquil little settlement in the central highlands located at over 2400 meters above sea level, past Kandy & Knuckles mountain range besides the highest mountain Pidurutalagala, which is a unique trekking trail amidst the temperate ‘no-sweat’ climate and the adorable modest nature.
Nuwara Eliya is formerly a British Tea plantation & loading station known as ‘Little England‘. Packed with properties built with British architecture, it appears pleasant reflecting foreign influence in the land of devil dancers & spiritual devotees. Paddle a Catamaran on Lake Gregory located besides the green race course and the towering hills surrounding it to kick back & Chill.
Beautifully landscaped Parks, Golf courses, Race courses, ponds, creeks, brooks and lakes in the soothing environment tend to relieve the stressed out visitors coming from busy lifestyles & hustling schedules from other lands.
It is a High Tea country in the misty hills, creating the finest quality tea the BOP ‘broken orange pekoe’ on the planet. Producing the largest quantity of it in the world, in order to enable auctioneers to blend the other lower quality Tea supplied by other lands in Asia & Africa to balance the equation.

White Water Rafting, Abseiling, Camping & Hiking are the predominant attractions of Kithulgala for its location besides the towering Horton Plains National Park at over 2300 meters above the ocean level. Situated in the countryside off the main road to Ella & Badulla, besides the river & gorges that flows from where the water comes gushing out of two hydro power generating reservoirs : Laxapana & Norton Bridge, is ideal for rafting across the nine (9) rapids & rocky gaps downhill to the 3rd largest river in the country.

White Water Rafting is popular & an exciting adventure here at Kitulgala, as one gets to paddle, oar or use the combination paddle & oar rafters, kayaks & canoes to raft over nine rapids in between the lush green forest surroundings of the Kelani River. It is a glorious ride downstream, while the trekkers hike upstream. All the equipment including helmets, wet suits, dry suits, carbon paddles & life jackets etc. are provided by the organizers who train would-be rafters for free.

Being non-touristic, quiet, with access to an abundance of fresh flowing water & large blue/green space, it is an ideal but inconspicuous location for camping. Camping gear can be rented in the neighborhood for a hideaway from all the hustle & bustle of towns, business and highways.

Abseiling is popular here, though it appears like one is ‘climbing’ the rope in images of Abseiling, it’s actually only an exercise of ‘a coming down the rope’. The ropes & supporting ropes are well tied to poles & immovable tree trunks on top of the hill & support staff everywhere from top to bottom to assist, one has to just slide down the precipice back to base coming from top.

It is a solitary, isolated cone shaped hill in the Adam’s Peak Wilderness, on the south western part of the Central Highlands, popularly known as the Sri Pada (footprint of the exalted). It is a popular pilgrimage destination for people of all religions in the country, as the footprint on the peak is claimed by every religion as the footprint of the leader of each of their religions.

Well lighted in the night to enable pilgrims to climb the winding path upwards to approximately 1600 meters above sea level. A large footprint on the top of the peak is believed to be the footprint of the religious leader of each of the faiths of the people of the land. The Buddhists believe that it is the footprint of the Buddha, the Christians & Muslims believe that it is that of Adam – the first human on earth, while the Hindus believe that it is that of Lord Shiva.

At daybreak, when the shadow of the Peak hits the mist of the western sky, a mesmerizing view of the cone shaped hill seems to emulate the shape of a pyramid, which is absolutely mystical & breathtaking. Yet another phenomenon is the magical sunrise, when the sunrises on the east, it appears more real that the sun rises from the western sky & vice versa at sundown, the sunset appears to be happening on the eastern sky. This anomaly indicates that visitors may even opt to climb the peak to see the sunset as it is a spectacular & magical event unique to some destinations including Ella where it happens over Ella Rock & Happytale. So pilgrims & travelers begin their climb in the early hours of the ‘still dark’ morning in order to be able to reach the top of the peak by sunrise to be part of the mysterious phenomena to be explored at daybreak.

The Sri Pada pilgrimage is a seasonal event that takes place between the months of December to May each year, when thousands of local pilgrims flock to pay homage to the sacred footprint atop Adam’s Peak.

So if one wants to travel during the off season for pilgrimage, then one may opt to travel during June & November to experience a tranquil & more relaxed adventure.