Travelogue – Andrew Bone

Asia and Australia 2025

Day 20: Friday 25 July 2025

Nuwara Eliya – Ella

Across from our hotel in Nuwara Eliya was this rather well-established catholic school, with an obsession with cabbage it would seem…. The children were in neat uniforms, and they arrived in the rain by private car, van or tuktuk.

Our delightful hotel, Royal Cocoon, dating back to the British colonial time, like many of the luxury buildings in the town. The town is so English: golf course, gardens, cricket field, even a turf club with horse racing track. Police rode by on horses.

Our plush room in the Royal Cocoon Hotel. We were sorry to be staying only one night. On the other hand, it was pouring with rain practically the whole time.

A stupa and Buddhist shrine in Nuwara Eliya. Squeezed onto a singe main road between a turf club, golf course, and the Victoria Park gardens, the town was rather inaccessible to the pedestrian.

Victoria Gardens, looking a little sorry for itself in the heavy rain. The name dates its foundation and founders.

Victoria Gardens

Today we travelled by local bus 50 km in 2 hours, from Nuwara Eliya (1900m) to Ella (1160m). A bit rough, bumpy roads, the bus took the many curves at high speed. Yesterday, we heard that a bus not too long ago went over the edge of the road, down a ravine, killing all 32 people aboard.

Inside snap of the bus. Sorry for the quality, but it serves to illustrate the 7 Buddhas above the driver. We need all the help we can get!

Ella is a tourist mecca, with expansion underway. Everywhere, including behind and in front of our little B&B, are construction works. We liked the attempts at tropical styling, on the whole.

Tuk-tuks are everywhere, and frankly make for a very practical transport option, with their manouverability and ruggedness. We were told a new tuktuk would cost about 6-7,000 US dollars, which would be 3-4 years salary for a waiter. With a local eSIM, one can use an app to summon one to wherever one is. And they are cheap, costing no more than 3-4 francs for a 20-30 minute ride.