From Nanu Oya to Ella - The Epic Train Ride

How many of you love a train ride?

Gazing out of the window to a marathon of changing landscapes, while rocking to and fro along with the comforting chugging sound and the muffled chattering of the co-passengers in the background, a train ride is not simply a means to your destination. A train does not simply take you from one point to another. But if you think closely what happens between those two points is more important and can even be made memorable. Be it a long overnight journey or a short one of a couple of hours, a train is an experience that one must indulge in.

Now if you enjoy train rides, you must make it a point to ride one from Kandy to Ella, in Sri Lanka. Considered one of the world's most scenic train routes, this ride will directly take you along a joyride to a fantasy land.

There are a couple of stations from where you can board the famous Blue Train. I chose Nanu Oya, in Nuwara Eliya district as my boarding point and my destination was Ella. The station here is usually thronged with tourists as no one wants to miss the epic journey. But on a lucky day, this might be just another sleepy platform. For me, it was the latter as I visited the country when it was going through a rough patch in August 2022.

Leaving behind the platform and gradually the town altogether, it did not take long for us to dive into a landscape that is hard to describe in words. If you have seen Hogwarts Express from the Harry Potter series, this is nearly similar to that. With acres and acres of lush green foliage racing to hug the distant mountains the train seems to carry you across a magical land. If you have the heart, dare you to lean out of the doors or you may even choose to simply sit down to catch a glimpse of the bending arches of the track where they disappear just beyond the periphery of your vision, pulling the lolling train boogies behind it.

With a more laid-back speed, this train will allow you to soak in the panoramic view that surrounds you from the large glass windows. Upon reaching the high-arched concrete bridges the train will slow down further letting you gaze into the velvety emerald abyss. It is here that you will realize that this is not a mere train ride but an epic experience of your lifetime.