Colombo → Sigiriya → Kandy → Ella
Example · Sigiriya, Kandy and Ella — 7 Days with a Local Guide
7 days · 6 nightsEnglish, German
For your datesand your group
Check trip priceWhat to know before you go.
Researched by Sarisara, with sources.
The Nine Arch Bridge is a railway bridge in the hills near Ella, built entirely from stone, brick and cement, without any steel frame. It carries the railway line between Ella and Demodara stations, on the scenic Kandy-to-Ella route.
The bridge was built during the First World War. Steel that had been set aside for the project was sent to Britain instead, to help the war effort, so Sri Lankan engineers and builders finished the bridge using local stone and imported cement, with wooden supports made from teak. Work finished in 1919, and the bridge opened to trains in 1921. It stands about 91 metres (300 feet) long and 24 metres (80 feet) high, carried on nine stone arches, which is where its name comes from.
What makes it famous today is less the engineering than the view: a passenger train, often painted blue, crossing the curved bridge against a backdrop of green tea hills and jungle. A handful of trains cross each day, usually around mid-morning and mid-afternoon, though the exact times shift and delays of up to an hour are common, so timing a visit around a crossing needs some patience.
The bridge itself is a short, easy walk from Ella town, and several viewpoints around it, on the surrounding tea estate and jungle paths, give different angles on the bridge and the train.
Free entry.
There is no ticket to see or walk across the bridge. One nearby cafe (reported by independent sources as Asanka Cafe) sells seating with a close view of the bridge and the train for a fee — that is a cafe charge, not a Sarisara ticket, and is entirely optional.
No special dress code — wear practical outdoor clothing and shoes with grip.
Not dressed right? There is no dress check here — this is comfort and safety advice, not an enforced rule.
This is a working railway bridge, not a managed attraction, so there is no official opening time or season. Independent sources list approximate daily train-crossing times (around 6:30 AM, 9:30 AM, 11:30 AM, 1:00 PM, 3:30 PM and 5:30 PM), but these change and delays of up to an hour are common — not confirmed against an official railway timetable for this page.
Sri Lanka Railways (the bridge is an active railway structure; the public viewing areas around it are open land and private tea-estate paths)
Demodara, Badulla District, Sri Lanka (between Ella and Demodara railway stations)
Trips, experiences and stays in and around Ella.
Trips
Colombo → Sigiriya → Kandy → Ella
Experiences
It means “may you live long”. It is how we say hello in Sinhala, and how we greet you every time you come back.
One free account keeps your trips, your saved places and your messages with your guide in one place.
Fire dancers light the road before the elephants of the Esala Perahera.
