Day 01

• Meet and greet your Tour Leader at the Fort Railway station at 5.00am (transport could be provided to pick you from the hotel)
• Board the train and get yourself comfortable till the time for departure.
• Leave station at 5.55am

Riding across the hill country by train is truly a delightful, fascinating and sometimes awesome experience. This ride will take you, by the famous Muthurajawela marshland, through villages and vast paddy fields, through lush green carpets of tea as far as the eye can see, by tea factories scattered on this carpet, by the numerous beautiful waterfalls, through long dark tunnels, over the wonderful arch bridges built using blocks of stone and cement alone, along narrow ledges of steep escarpments and above all will offer the bewitching view of the bottom of Sri Lanka from top of the country.

This enchanting Rail Ride now a great tourist attraction was initially built by the British based on the coffee cultivation. The initial section from Colombo to Ambepussa was started in 1864 and later extended in sections to Kandy, Nawalapitiya, Hatton, Nanu Oya, Bandarawela and finally finished in 1924 at Badulla. The Coffee cultivation however, was devastated and was replaced by Tea, which became very successful. With the success of Tea the Railway line not only became more and more popular and profitable but also more and more beautiful. But now, with the main road taking over the bulk of the transport business, this railway line is becoming more of a tourist attraction.

reach Baudulla station around 4.30pm.

• Pickup and transfer to the Hotel.
• Evening optional visit to the “Muthiyangana Ancient Temple” believed to visited by the Lord Buddha or at leisure. 
• Dinner & over night at your hotel on Half Board basis.

Day 02

• Transfer to the Badulla railway station after an early breakfast.
• Leaving Badulla at 8.50am.

Important Landmarks

Detailed description of the journey……

No sooner you start the journey from Colombo Fort, there is something interesting to note. Just one km away, on the left side of the line is a small dilapidated building over a hundred and forty years old, which is the original Colombo Fort station, obviously the first railway station of the country.

Muthurajawela a large inland marsh of 1000hctrs, a famous sanctuary for birds is bordered by the rail line for considerable distance.

Around 50km from Colombo the change of environment becomes evident and suddenly you enter a tunnel; a tunnel 125m long and first of 43 you would go through. Do not fail to notice the original station building at Ambepussa.

Start the climb towards Paradise from Rambukkana, go through two tunnels situated close together and stare at a large rock capped mountain called Alagalla through, which you will go in the second longest tunnel of the journey. But before that, don’t fail to note Uthuwamkanda, the hideout of ‘Saradiel’, a famous character dubbed as the Robin Hood of Sri Lanka.

A brief but breathtaking view of the low country is now open for you, followed by another landmark; the Bible Rock, a large rock in the shape of a bible - hence the name, with a 10 acre summit.

Sit tight! You are now traversing the most perilous section of the line cut around a rock with steep slope. Several workers have died and many more were injured during the construction of this section. Going through history you will be, at ‘Balana’. This was supposed to be the only entry point to the Kandyan Kingdom in the olden days. The entry point is so narrow that, the station is situated below the line.

At Kadugannawa you can relax as the track eases out. But before that, note the Tower built in memory of Capt. Dawson who constructed this treacherous section in the main road 30years before the railroad. From Rambukkana you have now climbed 1500ft in less than 13miles.

For the next several hours you will be going through this paradise enjoying all the endless beauty a country can offer. During this time you will, pass the point – Watawala - that gets highest rainfall in the island, pass through several points from where you will get a view of the majestic Sri Padha (Adam’s Peak) and after Hatton go through the longest tunnel - 559m of the line.

At Kadugannawa you can relax as the track eases out. But before that, note the Tower built in memory of Capt. Dawson who constructed this treacherous section in the main road 30years before the railroad. From Rambukkana you have now climbed 1500ft in less than 13miles.

For the next several hours you will be going through this paradise enjoying all the endless beauty a country can offer. During this time you will, pass the point – Watawala - that gets highest rainfall in the island, pass through several points from where you will get a view of the majestic Sri Padha (Adam’s Peak) and after Hatton go through the longest tunnel - 559m of the line.

At Kadugannawa you can relax as the track eases out. But before that, note the Tower built in memory of Capt. Dawson who constructed this treacherous section in the main road 30years before the railroad. From Rambukkana you have now climbed 1500ft in less than 13miles.

For the next several hours you will be going through this paradise enjoying all the endless beauty a country can offer. During this time you will, pass the point – Watawala - that gets highest rainfall in the island, pass through several points from where you will get a view of the majestic Sri Padha (Adam’s Peak) and after Hatton go through the longest tunnel - 559m of the line. As you emerge out of this tunnel you will notice the sudden change of the environment. Large mountains are replaced by small hillocks all covered with tea. You have now entered area of the best tea in the country: perhaps in the world.

After sometime you pass Nanu Oya, the closest point to Nuwara Eliya called ‘Little England’ by the British. A little later lookout for the final but astounding view of Sri Padha before you reach Ambewela.

Now, you are coming to the end of your ‘journey through paradise’ but, not before a few more surprises. Ella will offer you another surprisingly beautiful view of the southern Sri Lanka before coming to Demodara, where you will be given the opportunity to observe couple more interesting things. You will be going over an arch bridge several hundred feet long, built not to cross a river but to connect two mountains. This 85 year old bridge built with blocks of stone and cement without any concrete or reinforcing iron has nine arches,  some as high as 90ft and was dubbed by the British as the ‘Bridge of Nine Skies’. You will then be ridden through a very interesting and a rare phenomenon immediately after the Demodara station – a loop in the rail track. The track leaves the station, goes around a hill behind it and comes and goes past the station under it. Well! All good things must come to an end. It’s now twilight and time for you to disembark at Badulla.