In late July, Sri Lanka was relatively open and I was lucky enough to be able to go to Ella, one of my favourite places in Sri Lanka. I had been before and seen the famous Nine Arches Bridge, but this time we decided that we would hike up Ella Rock. The hike would be around 14 kilometers, see a rise in elevation of around 600 meters, and ended up taking around 4 hours.

The hike started by actually walking down a hill to the Kital Ella Railway Station. We crossed the tracks and walked over a bridge, before starting the ascent. It was not a simple hike, as there was no proper track or steps. The first 100 meter rise was spent hiking through dense grasses, before we reached a clearing with stunning views of Ella Town and the surrounding areas.

The next part was actually not uphill, as we had to cross a tea plantation, and reached another clearing. At this point we came across some dogs who actually accompanied us all the way to the top.

The final part was the most challenging, as it was very much a steep vertical ascent to the top. The summit had incredible views, but other than that there was nothing there, apart from what looked like an abandoned hut there. We were able to see the town of Bandarawela in the distance as well.

A local resident who hiked alongside us explained that it was actually his juice hut, and he used to get a lot of business. Most people in Ella rely on tourism for their income, and therefore the ongoing COVID pandemic has hurt the town more than other places in the country. In a place that is usually crawling with backpackers, it was strange to see the restaurants, guest houses, and hotels of Ella relatively empty.

The hike down was extremely tedious, as we took a new route through the jungle, before eventually reaching the train station again. Overall, I would say that the hike was moderately challenging, but the experience was enjoyable. There were some great views, and it was good exercise too.

The Learning Outcome explored through this experience would be:

LO2: Demonstrate that challenges have been undertaken, developing new skills in the process