Sri Lanka’s Nine Arch Bridge is, undoubtedly, an astounding architecture which can easily impress you with its massive and beautiful presence in the cutest hill-village of Ella.
It was our third day in the small island country of Sri Lanka. We started from Nuwara Eliya and we were on our way to Galle by road. Among the few things that we wanted to cover en route, the Nine Arch Bridge in between Ella station and Demodara station was the most exciting one!
Not just the bridge, we also had the plan to catch a glimpse of an inbound train making its way through the lush jungle and then passing across the almost-half-circle bend of this massive stone bridge.
We reached the Nine Arch Bridge at around 11:00 in the morning by the same car which was taking us from Nuwara Eliya to Galle. A train was scheduled to depart Ella at around 11:30. What a perfect time to arrive!
The car was parked a few meters away from the bridge. Then we walked along a narrow path in the middle of the jungle as we kept following the massive arches which we could see even from a distance. After 15 minutes of waking we saw a tunnel and the railway track and then came the view of the bridge. Wow! Those arches were so big that the people standing over it looked like tiny ants!
ABOUT NINE ARCH BRIDGE
The Nine Arch Bridge is also known as The Bridge in the Sky, rightly so. This enormous tall stone bridge stands at a height of 24 metres and spans 90 metres without a single steel support and is a perfect example of the incredible architecture of the British colonial-era. There are nine huge arches which make the spot a very picturesque one. Add to that the lush green tea fields along the slope and the dense jungle surrounding the bridge.
HOW TO GET TO THE NINE ARCH BRIDGE
There are a few ways you can get to the Nine Arch Bridge in Ella:
Tuk tuk (quickest option): If you are coming from Ella town, you can get a tuk-tuk (200-300 LKR) to reach to a point near the bridge from where 15 minutes of walk along the hills and jungle will take you to the tunnel and the bridge.
Walk (best for adventure): If you have time and if you love to spend more time with the nature, this is the best option for you. Trekking along the tea-plantations will surely give you a different experience altogether. This will approximately take around an hour to reach the epic bridge.
BEST TIME TO VISIT THE NINE ARCH BRIDGE
The best time depends on what you are exactly looking for. If you want some great cinematic Instagrammable shots with less or no people in the bridge, go early in the morning during sunrise or in the evening during sunset to get the best lighting and background.
We wanted to get a glimpse of the famous Ella train moving across the bridge. A train was scheduled to pass at 11:30AM and so we reached there at around 11:00AM. During this time, the bridge remains crowded with foreign and local tourists. However, the train passed at 12:00PM (Lankan trains are sometimes late).
The Ella trains pass over the bridge at the following times:
- 9:30 AM
- 11:30 AM
- 3:30 PM
- 4:30 PM
- 5:30 PM
Just reach the bridge a little early to get a suitable spot from where you can watch the best ever train entry!
OUR EXPERIENCE IN THE NINE ARCH BRIDGE
We quickly selected a spot near the edge of the bridge to catch a glimpse of the train. The view around was terrific. The ambiance was so very perfect with tourists all eagerly waiting for the epic moment of train entry! Their faces clearly showed how excited they were. After waiting for an hour, we finally heard the train horn! Yes, the train made its way from the jungle behind and slowly passed across the bridge with the people waving and cheering with excitement. What an atmosphere it was!
After the train passed, we took a few shots of the bridge and the lush greenery around it before leaving for Galle.
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