The one thing that I associated Sri Lanka with before my trip was the infamous blue train making its way through the mountains with people leaning out the doors for a photo op. All of the photos were stunning and I couldn’t wait to experience the train to Ella for myself. That being said, I was not prepared for the chaos that would come. From ‘blackmarket’ ticket purchases to the hoards of people clambering for a seat, this might not be an experience that’s worth it just for the ‘gram.
What you should know before you go
I don’t think this experience is something you can fully prepare yourself for, but there are some helpful tips that you should know ahead of time.
– Buy your ticket in advance. Ticket sales open up about three months ahead of time and sell out extremely fast, especially over major holidays. Unfortunately, we learned the hard way. All of the pre-purchased tickets were sold out online when we went to buy ours. You can always buy a third class ticket the morning of at the train station, however, you’ll likely be standing the entire time.
– ‘Blackmarket’ first class tickets. Our driver had a contact that could get us into the first class train for 1250LKR (US$7). Keep in mind, a third class ticket is 80LKR and a second class ticket is 150LKR. Basically what happened is we paid to take the seats of other people who had gotten off at the previous stop and there were extra seats that no one would be occupying when the train came to our station. It ended up being okay, but there was a fair bit of mayhem before we finally got seated.
– The blue train only runs on certain hours. If you’re only wanting to take the blue train that you see in all the pictures, make sure you look up when that train is running. Otherwise, you’ll likely end up on a red train instead.
– Be prepared to stand the whole ride. Most people end up standing pretty much the entire time. Looking back at the second and third class cabins, they were filled to the brim with people standing in the aisles and train doors. I could not imagine how uncomfortable the journey would have been if I had to stand the entire way. Also, it’s very unlikely you’re going to be able to see anything if you’re standing, which defeats the purpose of the train ride.
What you’ll see on the train to Ella
Obviously, the views are beautiful and I really enjoyed the experience. However, a big part of my enjoyment was also from the fact that I had a seat and that the aisles weren’t crammed with people. We were told to take the train from Nuwara Eliya instead of Kandy as the scenic route only starts from Nuwara Eliya. I’m so glad we decided to do this as it saved us from spending an extra 4 hours on the train.
Ultimately the decision is up to you and what you think you can tolerate!
