The Most Scenic Train Journeys in Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka's British-era railway is a destination in itself: slow, cheap, and threading some of the most beautiful country on the island. The celebrated main line climbs from Kandy through tea estates, pine forest, and mist to Ella, past the Nine Arch Bridge and the ingenious Demodara spiral loop. The coastal line skims so close to the Indian Ocean south of Colombo that spray reaches the carriages, and the rebuilt northern line runs through the dry-zone plains to Jaffna. Book reserved seats ahead on the hill country stretch, or ride unreserved with the doors open like the locals do.

1. 01

   Kandy to Ella

2. 02

   Nanu Oya to Ella

3. 03

   Colombo to Kandy

4. 04

   Colombo to Galle (Coastal Line)

5. 05

   Ella to Badulla via the Demodara Loop

6. 06

   Colombo to Jaffna (Northern Line)

7. 07

   Colombo to Anuradhapura

8. 08

   Gal Oya Junction to Trincomalee

More collections