The Train to Kandy - An Unexpected Journey
Often overshadowed by the Kandy to Ella train, the train journey between Colombo and Kandy is a treasure not to be missed. Read on to hear all about our experience.
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Train journeys vary massively in enjoyability, ranging from the insufferable (we’re looking at you London Underground summertime commutes) to the sublime. Sri Lanka is famous for having one the most beautiful journeys in the world - the legendary Kandy to Ella train. After our fun, but crowded and hot journey from Colombo to Negombo, we were not expecting much from our travel day from Colombo to Kandy. The line has not got the fame of its glamorous sister, but it is safe to say we were surprised by what awaited us….
It was finally time to leave Negombo. The elections had come and gone and things had remained (largely) peaceful, so leaving our safe poolside retreat of St Claire’s we set off. Our destination, the ancient capital of Kandy.
The first problem we encountered was the lack of a train between Negombo and Kandy. Frustratingly, we needed to double back on ourselves and return to Colombo before catching the train through the mountains to Kandy. So resigned to a long, cramped and hot travel day, we slouched off, bags on our backs to Kattuwa railway station.
We arrived at a nearly empty platform, Kattuwa railway station is hardly Kings Cross! Consisting of a single platform, the station is surrounded by jungle with what appears to be an overgrown line running alongside it. The train tracks themselves seemed to be more popular with local people, goats and occasional Tuk Tuks, than with scheduled trains. However the platform quickly began to fill up with Saturday shoppers, families and commuters waiting for the train to Colombo. Two tickets to Colombo set us back the vast sum of 110 LKR (25p or $0.31).
The bustling Kattuwa railway station
When the train pulled alongside the platform, the usual rugby scrum ensued. Pushed by the currents of the crowd, me and John got separated. I was wedged next to a lovely old lady and her three bags of coconuts (I have no idea how she carried these as they were nearly the same size as her) and when I turned to find John, he was awkwardly half hanging out of the train door using his backpack as an anchor. With us precariously aboard, the train set off bound for Colombo.
An hour and a half later, our bodies having been tessellated amongst people and produce (John through a combination of yoga poses and gymnastics had managed to get himself more firmly on board), we arrived back in the hustle and bustle of Colombo Fort railway station.
We had about 40 minutes to buy tickets, purchase snacks and find our train. As we’ve mentioned before in our previous post, all ticket counters are easily identifiable with the destinations and classes displayed above the ticket counter window (counter 8 for Kandy). Two second class tickets (500 LKR, £1.16 or $1.39), two bottles of water and some assorted fried snacks later we were ready to board.
When taking a train in Sri Lanka, all carriages are labelled clearly with what class they are (this was explained to us when we attempted to get on a first class carriage by accident). You can also spot the first class carriages as they are the only carriages without their windows open (due to the air conditioning).
We jumped aboard the correct carriage of our train, luckily it was already waiting in the station on the platform opposite the ticket counters. Due to the heat of the day we wanted to have window or door seats (nothing to do with a desire to take a selfie out of train doors honest!) so we jumped on, stowed our baggage and staked claim to our doorway position. We were surprised by how empty the train was and congratulated ourselves on securing a comfy doorway to lounge in for our 3 hour and 20 minute journey. More fool us…
After leaving Colombo Fort, and for the next hour and a half, each station we stopped at pumped in more and more people, until we were both wedged in a complicated crush of armpits, knees, elbows and various produce. The temperature for the day was also 36 degrees Celsius (96.8 Fahrenheit), things were not looking great.
Thankfully, as we steamed further away from Colombo, we exhaled passengers at each station. Like a lung breathing out, the crush lessened with less and less people boarding the train. Having clung to our doorway position through the tides, we sat down in the open air and finally started to relax into our journey.
With our legs hanging out the carriage, the landscape began to change. The palm trees, farmland and towns fell away as the train climbed higher and higher into the green hills. The line appeared to have been cut directly into the side of the mountains and as it curved and climbed we were treated to increasingly spectacular views. The teenagers next to us brought some rambutan (think a hairy lychee) from a passing seller and instantly offered us some. Generosity on Sri Lankan trains, and public transport in general is amazing, especially when coming from a cold and uptight London. Munching on rambutan the train stopped at a signal station. The line we were on consisted of a single track, and so we patiently waited amongst the greenery and towering trees whilst the signal master manually changed the lines over to let the other train pass by.
Emboldened by our new teenage friends, we brought some train snacks from a basket wielding seller. For 100 LKR (23p or $0.31) we munched down on crispy, fried spicy little hockey pucks of vegetables. We offered them to our carriage companions but they politely refused, and in a display of lunch one-upmanship pulled out their delicious looking biryani packed lunches. We were offered part of their lunch, as well as two other strangers' lunches that day and even though we were full of fried snacks we were blown away by how hospitable everyone was towards two sweaty English people with oversized backpacks taking up most of the carriage room.
As we climbed higher, the views from the doorway just kept getting better and better. A sheer drop on our side of the train led to panoramic 180 degree views across breathtaking forests and jungles, all the way to distant hazy mountains. Sat in our doorway, in a constant state of near disbelief, we must have looked a bit like goldfish to our neighbours. Slack jawed and gaping in the face of the surrounding beauty.
As we pulled into Kadigamuwa railway station, another set of teenagers boarded the train. Phones out and Tik Tok dances aplenty, they were ready to film their new viral video out of the train door. For the next few stations we relinquished our door seat (it was that or become part of the video). Eventually and unbidden, a couple of friendly men pointed out to the Tik Tok teens that they had usurped our space, and if they were quite finished with their video they should give the doorway back to the two tourists who had defended it since Colombo. The unrequested help, and the generosity are frequent occurrences in Sri Lanka, everyone is so eager to help, and are so proud to show off their beautiful country. The Tik Tok teens were full of unnecessary apologies and eagerly pointed out landmarks and waterfalls as the train passed.
Another high point of the train ride were the tunnels. Without exception, when pulling into the darkness screams, whoops and shouts of encouragement would echo through the tunnel. Then when the train burst back into the light, the carriage would erupt in clapping and cheers. As the tunnels sometimes came every 30-40 seconds this became very funny, as the cheers from the exit of one tunnel would quickly merge with the screams of entering another.
After its dramatic turns through the mountains, the train descends to follow alongside the Nanu Oya river before pulling into the mountain ringed ancient city of Kandy. Our expectations were low for this journey, as this was a long travel day on an unknown line. We had big bags, and we knew that, due to the ongoing crisis, the train would be exceptionally busy, so we expected a cramped, uncomfortable and hot journey. The train did deliver all of these things, but they were blown out of the water by the beauty of the landscapes, the kindness of perfect strangers and the feeling of freedom as we hung out, feet dangling off of our carriage doorway. We would highly recommend taking this train line as it's a beautiful way to get between Colombo and Kandy. We know there are also buses, some of them faster than the train, but if you have the time, this was a spectacular journey, and one of our favourite travel days we’ve ever had.
We had now left the coast and Capital behind us and had arrived in Sri Lanka’s green Central Highlands.
How to Get the Train To Kandy
As we have mentioned, the train to Kandy from Colombo can be booked at the train station. However, reserved seated tickets sell out very fast (it is the Colombo to Ella line after all) Frequently the tickets will sell out shortly after they are posted for sale - around 30 days before departure. For us backpackers we didn’t mind the uncertainty and discomfort of the last minute unreserved ticket but bear in mind we were travelling when there were barely any tourists in the country. Sri Lanka is now open and tourism has picked right up, we would recommend booking in advance with someone like 12Go, it is not 100% guaranteed but it is one of the best ways to get your foot in the door for a reserved seat! Book your ticket here.
Certain hotels and travel agents may be able to secure you a ticket but be aware of scams and do not rely on last minute bookings!
If you are looking to book the famous train ride from Kandy to Ella in advance make sure you check out Get Your Guide:
We love journeys, just being moved through a landscape that is not the familiar, is an adventure in itself. Sri Lanka is full of incredible journeys to be made and the Colombo to Kandy train is certainly one of them.
Thank you for reading.
John & Ellie x
#adventuresofjellie