“Adventure is allowing the unexpected to happen to you. Exploration is experiencing what you have not experienced before.” Richard Aldington
Exciting news! We (me, Ingeborg, and Lian) had our first train ride in Sri Lanka and it was as much fun as riding a roller coaster. 🩷 Hands up and scream!
Train travel is one of the many reasons travelers come to Sri Lanka. They have a very efficient and affordable system.
Tickets for the trains between Kandy and Ella can be difficult to get. This is the most scenic and famous train route in the country so everybody wants a ride plus it’s how the locals get around. Thankfully, the owner of the Kandy Backpackers Hostel in Kandy arranged everything for us. We paid a hefty service fee for the arrangement but I’m happy to pump some money into the economy and to not have to stress about the details. We know of a couple of travelers who had to spend one or two extra days in Kandy because they couldn’t get a ticket. So to pay $12.50 instead of $4 felt worth it to us to keep moving. It may not seem like much to a Westerner but here, that’s an exorbitant amount.
There are three classes to choose from.
First class is assigned seating with air conditioning. Lovely when it’s hot but you can’t open the windows to take photos. Not the best option if that’s your goal.
Second class and the one we (thankfully) had a ticket for since it was our first ride, includes assigned seating but no A/C. This means you have a guaranteed seat and can open the windows and doors to take photos.
Third class is apparently rough. It’s obviously the cheapest ticket, no A/C, and no assigned seat. They basically oversell this section of the train so there is standing room only. Our ride was four hours so I’m glad we were able to get a seat in second class and not have to stand the entire way packed in like sardines. We were able to move around freely.
I absolutely had a blast on this ride. I love train travel. I think it’s a beautiful way to see a country. I wish it was more common and affordable in the US.
I’ll let you watch the video of our beautiful ride on the train so you can experience it for yourself. Enjoy!
Below is a photo of the time clocks they use. Our train was the third clock from the top, platform #2. The locals were so helpful to check on us and make sure we got where we were going. One nice gentleman stood with us on the platform, walked us to our train car, and showed us the best place to sit. ❤️
Another grand adventure in the books! ❤️ Thanks for following along!
Goodnight and much love & gratitude from Sri Lanka! 🇱🇰
To see more photos and videos from my adventures, follow me on social media. Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and TikTok.
We writers and artists need your support. In effort to increase readership and share more stories from around the globe, please like, comment, and share this post, and consider becoming a paid subscriber. Thank you!