Six hours on the world’s GREATEST jungle railway! - Kandy to Ella

Follow me on my journey through the heart of Sri Lanka, for one of the most beautiful and memorable railway experiences I've ever had...but remember - DON'T go First Class.
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Journey Details:
Origin: Kandy
Destination: Ella
Company: Sri Lankan Railway
Train: SLR Class S14 DMU
Accommodation: Second Class Reserved Seat (2nd)
Distance: 164 kilometres / 102 miles
Price: Rs1800.00 (£4.00 / €4.60 / $4.90)
Time: 5h 49m, arrived 69 minutes late
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[@sxflyer5410]

Omg this is absolutely bucket list material, and definitely have to go there soon! Absolutely breathtaking!

[@janakiabeysundera1734]

Warmly welcome

[@kanishkaherath2850]

You're always welcome to Sri Lanka

[@rolandbol7350]

Definitely. I visited 2017. Walking distance east of Ella is an iconic viaduct (Nine Arches Bridge) where even "normal" tourists go train spotting. I'm surprised he didn't include it.

[@calvinallan2208]

9:31 that looks like Norway or New Zealand this country is really unique

[@jkardez4794]

Sri Lanka is a beautiful country and travelling by train or even road is very enjoyable . Thanks for a great train journey through some very gorgeous scenery.

[@Mrjamalhenderson]

mate I've got a friend named Jeremiah he is English sri Lankan (born in England but parents from sri Lankan ) basically he went on a train from Colombo to some place called vanuya or smth basically he recalls how the seats were horrible and how the train was rats infested but then again he did say that leaving Colombo was awesome due to the costal view my advice would be to book 1 st or 2nd class as it is more value for money 2nd for views and 1st for comfort and way yeah hope it helps

[@_aidid]

The overwhelming greenness in Sri Lankan landscape looks mind-blowing. I have never watched such a scenic beauty along the railway 🏞

[@SuperalbsTravels]

It was even more incredible in person. 😍

[@_aidid]

@@SuperalbsTravels Sri Lanka has entered into my bucket list after watching this video. I have also shared this with my girlfriend. Thanks for making such wonderful videos

[@istiahaque]

​@@_aididyour girlfriend is overwhelmed too after watching this 😊

[@_aidid]

@@istiahaque Hey girlfriend Yes, I can feel that now 😄

[@terriblegpu]

This man is going to be the first person to review every railway. Mark my words!

[@NonstopEurotrip]

not if I get there first 🙂

[@autobusumegejas]

A lot left still

[@gamerailwayfanreal]

dont forget nonstop eurotrips and simply railway

[@mirzaahmed6589]

The Man in Seat 61 probably already has.

[@cryptidhunter9901]

It is not some 'amazing' prophetic ability you are displaying here. He has over 100K subscribers which means he is most likely a secret society member. KZbin is also run by that cult, and they promote mostly other cult members, and sabotage the views of all the other channels.

[@piervail]

I liked the scenery and for $5 I could spend that much time having nothing else to do. That was a nice video. Thanks again for all of it.

[@user-do1qc1og6l]

Srilanka is Very beautiful.

[@hardly.rivai_YT]

The best thing about Sri Lanka's railways - despite the overcrowding and punctuality issues - is the colonial infrastructure, meaning humans are operating the railway. Seeing one operating the points is also something you don't see in other railways. A fantastic experience to an otherwise breathtaking journey. I like tea. 🍵

[@trishitdas3428]

Amazing trains in Sri Lanka. The stations are pretty and eco-friendly as well. In INDIA there are not trains like this(atleast I didn't see one). I would love to ride this trains one day.

[@roh-mj6em]

Check out train in ooty

[@markgr1nyer]

Gorgeous. What makes me laugh....We British built the line so we could have a cup of tea

[@markbracegirdle7110]

The British built the railways using Sri Lankan labour but we built the hydroelectric power stations ourselves. The Raj was essentially extractive in nature and the British saw no value in them. The first two were built during the Raj and were called Aberdeen and Blackpool. The film passes a reservoir for one at 12:30. They provide half the power used in the country and are something that all Sri Lankans can be proud of.

[@nisanka]

Exactly!!😄👍

[@andrewjohnston1963]

I rode that line down from Badulla in the Observation Car (which had seen better days!) At one point railway workers attached a handcar to the back of the train and got a free tow for about 2 hours - hilarious! Agreed one of the most amazing railway lines in the world and one I dearly hope to ride again one day.

[@satyakiray]

I travelled this beautiful route from Ella to Nuara Eliya... one best journey I made between hills tea gardens valleys

[@piervail]

I remember in my early kiddy years (1955-60s) Ceylan (Sri Lanka) produces the famous 'Orange Pekoe' Ceylan tea. I wonder if they still produces it today?

[@sceneryofsrilanka2870]

I wish you be able to visit Sri Lanka again in near future.

[@88dkith]

Yes mate, Sri Lanka still do

[@bjoernaltmann]

Ceylon tea, indeed

[@KasunGunasekara9716]

Yes still we producing best tea in the world specially black tea

[@nafeesnismi]

Yes we do❤

[@isuruaravinda9651]

This is one of the best videos I have ever watched about this railway track. Thank you for visiting Sri Lanka.

[@NonstopEurotrip]

Great video buddy, almost felt like I was there with you!!!

[@x-file-0]

but I don`t think you talk that much about good part instead coplaing about dirty sleeper train all the time

[@ireneuszfus8398]

Fantastic journey, i've made it like 8 years ago, i guess. And as you said - it stayed with me. And hopefully shall stay for the rest of my life. Though i recall, travelling in 3rd class was much more interesting. And the very best thing was riding on the couch steps while traversing these stone bridges. Sri Lanka is awesome, just as its people

[@janakiabeysundera1734]

Thank you for your kind words about us Sri lankans. Most love from Sri lanka

[@halpathotapathirage6581]

🙏🙏🙏

[@Pune122]

I have travelled on this train, and will do so again and again ! It is so very beautiful Thanks for the video !

[@AndrewG1989]

Going through the wilderness of the jungle by train is so incredible and breathtaking 😍

[@jonson-oy4wn]

Beautiful country ❤😮

[@johnmehaffey9953]

Beautiful scenery, I was just thinking to myself that with all the greenery there must be a lot of rain as well, fantastic engineering to make the line also

[@damianxavier7343]

Oh yes, we get massive thunderstorms all the time during the 2 monsoon seasons.

[@skipper2594]

yes sri lanka is so wet compared to neighbouring coutries like india pakistan and bangladesh , also temperatures are low too,

[@damianxavier7343]

@@skipper2594 temperature isnt that low. In dry zone, in between monsoons temperature gets up to 35°C, and even goes a bit higher on rare occasions. In the lowland wetzone areas it's like 30-33° but humidity is very high so you sweat a lot. The coldest place is up in the mountains where it gets as low as 10°c at night.

[@skipper2594]

@@damianxavier7343 i said compared to other neighbouring countries, ive been in india ,its 43-45 C high ,also bangladesh reach over 41 C ,pakistan also have over 43 C in summer,do we ever have thant much heat in SL ???? no ,and this year is the first year it reached 35 as I know ,but im living in wet zone(western) so i ve never experienced over 33,so sl temp s arent that high compared to others

[@damianxavier7343]

@@skipper2594 yes I know it is lower compared to neighboring countries. I wasnt disagreeing with your point, just adding more info to it. Also the dry zone has pretty consistently hit 35°c for many years and some years even around 37°c. I think the highest recorded was around 40°c.

[@marklee1194]

Wow! Fantastic scenery.

[@alasdairmacmillan5359]

lovely memories of doing that trip in the 90s with the observation car you described

[@andrewwood9635]

Good to see Network south east livery lives on in Sri lanka

[@autobusumegejas]

The fact that there are railways like this while my country (Lithuania) isn't able to build a rail line in the plains.

[@jmcortade8161]

Yup. That sucks (I used to live here back in the days. Aš dar biškiuka mokau kalbėti).

[@suliusarg1982]

Yes, I was surprised when I was in Lithuania. Kaunas to Vilnius was easy but for Kaunas to Klaipeda I had to go by bus... LT generally is an underrated country tho!

[@jmcortade8161]

@@suliusarg1982 I heard they are electrifying the Vilnius-Klaipeda section, so they are still doing something about their railways.

[@autobusumegejas]

@@suliusarg1982 Vilnius-Kaunas is one of only 2 electrified lines in our country (other one is Vilnius-Trakai), both of them aren't high-speed and go like max 90kph, i'm not even sure if those were electrified by Lithuania or Soviet Union. There are a lot of places where the train tracks don't go here, busses are quicker most of the times. Its very sad for me as I love trains.

[@autobusumegejas]

@@jmcortade8161 To be completely honest they should focus on Rail Baltica first, especially cuz EU funds it. Electrifying Vilnius-Klaipėda line wouldn't be very helpful in my opinion, because the route isn't that direct, and the electrification doesn't look to increase speed.

[@pus1948]

I had tickets for this train in March 2020, but with everyday more tourists bringing Covid-19 from Europe I decided to drive to Ella by car. We were the last tourists from Malaysia before Lockdowns were introduced.

[@kanchanananayakkara8959]

Pls visit again and travel by train! Malaysia is a country I love so much for the food & the people! I have few family like Malaysian friends 😍

[@dziltener]

TIL the train systems in Germany and Sri Lanka are actually very similar to each other.

[@vihangabimsara4716]

Still we are running engines made in east germany nearly 70 years old still carring passengers everyday

[@bahnspotterEU]

In which way? Because Germany's railways look nothing like this.

[@dziltener]

@@bahnspotterEU Lots of very long delays, shoddily maintained trains, diesel engines on electrified lines, shitty service, and lots of non-electrified lines. Actually, India maybe has more electrified lines now than Germany.

[@spacedh5275]

At 13:04 you see a German built M6 type locomotive. We call it as the Upcountry King in SL. Since 1980s it has been hauling most of the trains in the upcountry line until these S14 diesel multiple units came into action. There are 9 Types of M class locomotives that are in action in SL. M1 to M11 off which M1 and M3 are not in use now. Out of them only M2 M5 and M6 locomotives ( M9 rarely used) are used in upcountry line. Due to huge weight and axle arrangements other locomotives are not permitted to be used in the upcountry line. 😀 just shared some info as a train lover from SL.😇

[@keshavleitan7800]

I was a bit curious as to why the 1650Hp class M6 is allowed while a 2300HP M10 or a 3000Hp M11 isnt allowed. Pretty sure they are more than capable of hauling the coaches without difficulty. isnt it?

[@spacedh5275]

@@keshavleitan7800 Yeah m10 and m11 can haul even 20 coaches easily. But both of those locos are so heavy compared to m6 m2 m5. So m11 m10 are not used in upcountry line as they can damage the tracks and since both m10 and m11 are long locos their axle arrangement make them incapable of taking the sharp bends in the upcountry line. Hence only m6 m5 m2 are used in upcountry line and out of them too it is the m6 that is used mostly.

[@TheEpicTrainChannel]

@@spacedh5275 Class M4 was also used up to Badulla. It hauled the night mail single headed in the 70's and 80's. M4 can even work turns up to Kandy without any problem if the dynamic brakes are repaired, M4 750/756 came to Kandy working the 1039/1036 in May this year. When going back to Colombo they used a M5 to pilot it down because there were no dynamic brakes on M4

[@spacedh5275]

@@TheEpicTrainChannel yeah ik that story. Even recently a M4 went to kandy. Its just they dont use it in upcountry line now cuz they dont have dynamic brakes. 😩😩 and they cant always provide another engine to pilot the m4. So they opt to go with m6 and m5 in upcountry line. Since s14 and s12 are there now we even rarely see a m2 in upcountry line too

[@TheEpicTrainChannel]

@@spacedh5275 Class M2c is now 62 years old, therefore the hauling power of it has decreased alot. Also the M2 engines used to wheel slip alot when used up here... I think M2c 626 got the dynamic brakes removed. 627 has them. There is a rumor that M2c 627 will definitely come up to Kandy for the final time. I'm not sure when.

[@landingslowly]

Stunning scenery! Love it

[@RashmilDahanayake]

@4:14 he pronounced the chinese train manufacturer's name just as good as a native chinese guy.

[@spacedh5275]

Bro i cant believe that you came to SL. 🥺 i was waiting to see you Covering this route. 😇 Loads of Love from Sri Lanka. 😀❤️

[@samkeller6808]

Best train ride I have ever taken! Didn't realize at the time I needed to book in well in advance for reserved seat. The unreserved literally doesn't sell out and that is why it can get so crowded. I bought a 2nd class unreserved seat, thankfully getting on at the first station Colombo. I got on early to secure the seat and literally didn't leave my seat for the entire journey in case someone else was to swoop in. There were people standing but nothing my what you showed in you clip thankfully. No one had to stand for the whole trip as lots got on and off throughout and was part of the fun for many to experience it, I was however thankful to have my seat the entire time. I will definitely book a reserved seat if I get a chance to go back :)

[@markvogel5872]

Signal box visit too! That was awesome. I love interlocking towers.

[@stephenharper9961]

That ticket price is an absolute bargain, great trip

[@SuperalbsTravels]

Agreed! Thanks for watching!

[@Bannerman1903]

Nice to see Hatton featured as I live a few miles from the original Hatton in Aberdeenshire, though amusingly the new Hatton now has 20 times more people.

[@rezaalan3991]

What a great trip, great landscape, and unique experience. It also great to see you can visiting Signal House. The train with opened window something i can only see in Tourist Train at dedicated railway rather than on scheduled train.

[@sxflyer5410]

tbh even in Europe you can still find trains with openable windows on regular (non-touristy) services, notably in Eastern/Central Europe but also Germany and Italy.

[@aritrabha]

This has been on my bucket list for some time now. When did you visit?

[@pasanwaidyatillake5758]

You took us along your journey 🤩

[@SahanRandeniya]

Sri Lankan cashew nuts are the best. So it’s really pricey plus they’re non-GMO

[@samtrak1204]

Breathtaking scenery🌴🌺🌴

[@allendeednella]

I rode that train. Unforgettable memories

[@SuperalbsTravels]

Absolutely amazing! ❤️

[@rashmirajapakshe4927]

One of the most beautiful country in the world ❤

[@trainasseen7838]

Wow amazing train video

[@Tetratravelssrilanka]

Thank you for showing my country to the world ❤❤❤

[@anuraweerasinghe6431]

You have not filmed nor mentioned the long tunnels (about fiftyy odd) passed on this journey. Anyway great review. 👍

[@MrGyngve]

What a journey! Thanks for this video! Cheers

[@hed0rizer]

Great Video as always, with particularly amazing scenery - just a small request for future videos: Please put your inbaked video captions slightly higher up, away from the bottom of the screen because currently it will overlap with the default youtube subtitles and make your captions impossible to read with subtitles enabled.

[@geoffreyswan7866]

Great doco on my motherland, I hope that a lot more tourists come to visit my motherland and ride the rails and enjoy the food and culture and spectacular scenery and beaches, Thank you ,

[@thealiexpress60secs]

Very beautiful country 😮😮😮😮

[@dream.lifestyle]

Well narrated video and well done mate

[@AndreiTupolev]

Lovely semaphores. And a visit to the signalbox!

[@AvioMan]

Beautiful video!

[@kamal9silva]

❤❤❤❤ from 🇱🇰 . Welcome to my country ..

[@travelvideos]

Amazing views 12:24. Looks like tourists are enjoying sitting on the train stairs.

[@Abnerbandanovotempoinscrito1mi]

Muito lindo trem gostei Boa viagem

[@JosephJoseph-se6kl]

Amazing trip❤

[@chamaraindrajith]

❤️ From a Sri Lankan.

[@kanishkaherath2850]

Nice video. Thanks for visiting Sri Lanka.

[@imafiskparasit]

I love your videos!!!

[@nnavideomemories]

Thanks a lot for this amazing review!!! 🚂🚂🚂 Hope you visit our country again to do more reviews on our trains...

[@Bannerman1903]

Absolutely fantastic ttip.

[@SuperalbsTravels]

Glad you liked it, it was AMAZING!

[@Speedster-jw7qx]

I dare you to try the Pilatus Railway in Switzerland Trust me I just looked at the photos of this line and it looks really scary

[@Cocolankatourslk]

Welcome to Sri Lanka 🇱🇰 ❤

[@luisstransport]

Great trip report

[@rameshprabha6743]

Amazing video😍👌

[@dineshgamage2101]

Awesome journey

[@user-ms8he2tu2m]

we highly appreciate your task sir. you are welcome to our country.

[@kaveeshagayanath7774]

Thank you for come sri lanka

[@ssap3717]

6:54 I don't think that's dirt. Looks like color is faded. Railway workers do wipe the seats in the morning before train departs.

[@dava_arvarabi]

I can't wait to see you review Indonesian railway

[@MrIamcool3123]

I’m guessing the waiting for oncoming traffic due to single track is the reason why many trains in Sri Lanka are late.

[@HamishG199]

Incredible video !!!! Can you do an Irish video ? The Belfast to Londonderry has some of the best scenery in the uk it runs alongside the sea !!!

[@manosm2003]

Very green scenery

[@user-qo8ce9rz7h]

😊 beautiful

[@Zuuu40]

Another fantastic video you should start a vlogs channel

[@robyoungquist5803]

Stunning scenery! My only concern would be what’s the heat/humidity ratio in the open cars? Of course the higher up you go, I assume it’s not an issue? 🤔

[@manishaweeraddana5452]

Higher you go it usually.. all most all the time.. gets cooler and windy. Even in the hottest parts of the country the normal carriages don't get too heated. There are fans as well . Only issue is if it rains. Then you'd have to feely stuffy inside the carriage with windows closed.

[@Jaliyagodage]

Thanks for visiting 💓💓

[@jgodfrey546]

Great video! But the price of those cashews was just nuts...

[@billyfran1]

Really enjoyed this video, especially the music around the switch room. Can you identify the music for us? Thanks!

[@bars5718]

Amazing

[@applejiang3663]

nice videos man 😀😀😀😀😀😀😀😀😀😀😀😀

[@thekathal]

Would you consider doing a review of the Darjeeling Himalayan railway at some point? I've heard that there's mixed reviews on it.

[@kev8943]

it doesn't have a power car on each end, there's only one power car but it could be operated from both ends similar to metro trains in the UK or the subway trains in the US, these types of trains are locally known as "powersets" first introduced to the island in the early 50s as an replacement to the short range narrow gauge steam locomotives that ran within the western province.

[@sajeewakalamba1796]

It does sometimes. In the plateau, it has a power car at one end & in the mountains, it has two power cars at both ends.

[@dilanmaheshakya1591]

Try for a train journey in Badulla night mail... from colombo to Badulla.. may be it's your greatest train journey..

[@thealiexpress60secs]

❤Wowi srilanka

[@AndreiTupolev]

Are the carriages the same age as the locomotives? They have a distinct 1970s feel to them. Air conditioning by the traditional method of leaving the doors open 😀

[@vjsujandhanuvlog]

Superb

[@luke211286]

I wish to visit Sri Lanka next year. Just want to know how to get to the areas in the video from the main international airport. There's not much info on the internet I could get compared to other countries. And is Colombo worth a multiple day stay? Most features about Sri Lanka is the countryside

[@nisanka]

You can take a bus from the Airport area to Kandy, which is the central hill capital of Sri Lanka and from there, you can take the train to Ella. Or else, you can come to Colombo city from the International Airport which is about 30 km bus ride and, from there you can take a bus or train to Kandy city. Colombo is worth visiting as many attractions and activities are available including some great street foods!

[@thisisafact9181]

There are many guids from other tourists in youtube that explain where you should go. because it depends on what you want to do in 🇱🇰 . you can chill on beaches in the south or find adventure in the hills and if you are not in a hurry you can go deep into rural areas and get experience what its like to live here.and Colombo not worth staying multiple days .

[@rpb3348]

Have you tried Copper Canyon train? I Highly recommend it, i love your videos, greetings ✌️

[@danielevans28]

Network Southeast lives on!

[@SuperalbsTravels]

So many places have such similar liveries hahaha! 😂😂😂

[@VN_Railway]

please try railway in Vietnam :>>> we also have beautiful scenery.

[@thomas-xj1hs]

Good that you are speaking slower...thanks

[@alz9555]

come visit Indonesia, we have tourist trains in Ambarawa and Sawah Lunto.. and try to take the Jakarta-Bandung high-speed train (Operating officially around August 2023),,, from Bandung take the train to Yogyakarta, the line made by the Dutch in 1875-1925. Hope you visit us.. Thx

[@kanchanananayakkara8959]

Well done! Thanks for having visited my little paradise island! Hope you had a great time!❤😊❤ great video & this is my most favorite journey in my island too! On a side note, most of SL government authorities are still working under colonial rules/mind set! 😂 Especially the outdate railway. And funny enough that many think that the white people should be treated better than locals, where it should have been equal & fair! (Though tourists should be well taken cared & respected as they contribute to the island’s economy)

[@Dan-eg8qf]

Is it me, or do the livery of these trains have a strong resemble with the good old Network Southeast livery? 😉

[@leejoey3287]

You should go to China to ride the Fuxing Hao High speed train and the CRH(China’s national high speed train)

[@donbatugahage9345]

I fully agree that the cleanliness of the carriages is not up to Humanistic Standards, although the rest of the train journey is superb. Hope the Authorities will make a note of it.

[@Ara-bw3tu]

LOL sri Lankan railway with tons of duties, Except railway....

[@enesibrahimdogan]

You have to try Doğu Ekspresi in Turkiye

[@dasunruwan]

Ella is not the end of it and can go further after Ella.

[@BEN-sh9gj]

Hey, what camera do you use?

[@kaveeshacharith8299]

❤️❤️❤️