One of the most unique experiences in Sri Lanka is to hop on a train as it chugs alongst the coast or through valleys of tea. The British, who ruled the country in colonial times, laid down today’s railway network. The project was established in 1864 with railway routes spread across the island and since then the route from Kandy to the highlands has earned its place as one of the most beautiful train rides in the world.
Starting the journey from Colombo and whizzing past paddy fields, mountains and forests, this railway route takes you to the cultural capital of Sri Lanka – Kandy. Trains that run on this line go all the way to Badulla as well. You can break the journey when you reach Kandy or you could travel all the way to Badulla where the climate is pleasant. This was one of the first railway routes to be established in 1860 and remains one of the most beautiful routes to date.
From all the routes across the island, the train ride from Kandy to Badulla is our favourite and the most scenic, with amazing photo opportunities. This particular section of the train ride can take up to 8 and a half hours so we often suggest doing certain shorter scenic rides that give you the essence of the train experience, usually this would be from Kandy to Nuwara Eliya or Ella. Your guide will drop you off at the train station ahead of the arrival of the train and then advance to be in time to pick you up from your pre-planned disembarking station.
Sri Lankan trains have seating arrangements based on first-class, second class, and third-class. First-class seating often includes air-conditioned cars with comfortable seating and an observation deck so you can enjoy the views. Depending on the train, TV monitors are available for entertainment as well but tickets must be reserved well in advance. Keep in mind that booking first-class tickets in mid-Dec, early January, February, April, July and August is incredibly difficult due to high demand.
Second-class cars offer spacious seating with windows that can be opened. It is ideal for those focused on capturing some spectacular pictures.
Third-class cars are available for anyone at any time with no prior reservation. It might be a bit of a rush getting in and out of the third-class cars but this is all part of the thrilling train ride experiences in Sri Lanka.
Reserving tickets for train travel in Sri Lanka can be a tedious task, that’s why we offer our services to help get your tour tickets as fast and as easily as possible. All you need to do is inform us prior to your holiday along with your passport details and we’ll make the booking for you based on the availability of the tickets.
From time to time, vendors walk across the cars selling local street food like achcharu (a spicy fruit pickle), vade (popular street food kind of like lentil fritters), and also water. However, we recommend that you pack up a few snacks, your own water, hand sanitiser, and a roll of toilet paper just in case you need to use the restrooms on the train.
Contact us for advice on how to include these fabulous rail journeys in to your Sri Lanka trip.
