How to See Nine Arches Bridge in Ella (Best Insider Tips)

Nine Arches Bridge is one of the most photographed places in Sri Lanka and easily the most famous attraction in Ella.

Yet, we can assure you that it lives up to the hype.

The stone bridge was even more impressive than we expected, cutting through a lush jungle of palm trees and local tea plantations. It’s even more photogenic if you visit at dawn/dusk when the fog creates a mystical atmosphere around the bridge.

The stone bridge is an amazing feat of colonial architecture, standing 80 feet high, 300 feet long, and 25 feet wide. It’s also still fully operational, so all you need to do is look up the train schedule (we’ll show you where you can find it), and you can see the blue train from Kandy to Ella crossing the bridge.

That said, if you’re traveling to Ella, this is one place that we would never skip.

A Brief History

The British government commissioned Nine Arches Bridge during the colonial era in Sri Lanka. It was built to connect the viaduct between Ella Station and Demodara Station, which transported tea from the highlands (hill country) back to Colombo. There, it would be loaded onto cargo ships and set sail for England.

The most impressive part is that the bridge was built without using a single piece of steel.

As the legend goes, the British ran into a shortage of steel during World War I. But a local drummer and devil dancer, P.K. Appuhami, taught them how to complete a sturdy bridge using a combination of stone, cement, and brick.

The bridge was finally finished and commissioned for use in 1921. It’s held up well over the past century, remaining fully functional throughout the century.

how to Get To Nine Arches Bridge

Nine Arches Bridge is pretty easy to get to, no matter where you’re staying in Ella.

It’s just a few kilometers north of town, and there are actually two different ways to get here.

But no matter what vehicle you choose to take to get to the Nine Arches (we’ll get to those in a minute), you’ll arrive in one of two spots:

Nine Arch Bridge Car Park: This is the primary parking lot. We could park our scooter less than 50 meters from the bridge and walk right to it. However, it’s not a direct shot from Ella, so it takes about 20 minutes to get here from town.

The parking lot gets busy (especially midday), but there are no stairs and zero hiking required.

Nine Arch Bridge Jungle Rd: Right off Ella-Passara Road, there’s a smaller road called ‘Nine Arch Bridge Jungle Rd’ leading to the East end of the bridge. The parking lot is smaller, and reaching the bridge requires 100+ steep stairs.

This side of the bridge is full of hotels and homestays, where you can walk right to the bridge from your room. So, if you really want to stay nearby, choose one of the hotels along this road.

Transportation Options

The great thing about traveling in Ella is that it’s more walkable than other cities in Sri Lanka, so you don’t NEED transportation. You can walk to Nine Arche Bridge from Cafe Chill in 30 minutes.

However, it gets very hot and humid in Sri Lanka, so we always choose to rent our own vehicle or hire transportation to the places to see around Ella. You can;

Rent a Scooter: There are many shops around the town, but we simply asked our homestay to arrange for a scooter to be delivered to our accommodation. We only paid $6/day.

Hire a Taxi: Traditional taxis and tuk-tuk taxis are readily available in Ella and cost about 400-600 LKR ($1-2)

Book a Tour (with Nine Arches Bridge on the itinerary): We aren’t the biggest fans of guide tours for things we can do self-guided, but two great tours of Ella include a stop at the 9 Arches!

• The Discover Ella Icons Day Tour – A great, straightforward guided tour (with transportation) to see Ella Rock, Nine Arches Bridge, and Little Adam’s Peak.
• This All-inclusive Ella Day Trip is the best value for your dollar. You’ll get to visit Ella Rock, Nine Arches Bridge, Little Adam’s Peak, PLUS a stop at Ravana Falls, tickets to the Ravana Zipline, and a few undisclosed hidden gems!

Rent a Tuk-Tuk: One of the most unique and memorable things we did in Sri Lanka. You can pick up your tuk-tuk in another region and drive to Ella, or you can schedule your tuk-tuk to be dropped off at your accommodation in Ella.

We recommend tuktukrental.com. They’re a non-profit that helps facilitate passive income opportunities for local families by renting out unused tuk-tuks.

Our Experience + Tips

We’ve actually visited Nine Arches Bridge twice.

The first time we visited, we arrived via Nine Arch Vw Rd at 11 AM. It was extremely humid. The path down to the bridge was under construction, so we had to scramble for nearly a kilometer to get to the bottom.

By the time we arrived, we were drenched in sweat!

So, we decided to just sit and enjoy the scenery, vowing to return later for photos.

The next time, we drove our motorbike to the main parking lot and arrived shortly after dawn. It was way cooler, AND we had the entire bridge all to ourselves for about 30 minutes, which allowed us to get some really cool shots!

We also waited for the train so that we could actually watch it go over the bridge.

This was absolutely worth waiting for, so we encourage you to check the train schedule before you go and arrive in time to see it.

Entrance Fee and Opening Hours

There is no fee to see Nine Arches Bridge. If anyone asks you to pay, it’s a scam.

The bridge is also open 24/7, but you’ll obviously want to come between 6:00 AM & 6:00 PM (daylight hours). If you’re trying to beat the crowds, early morning is better than late afternoon.

Best Viewpoints & Things to See

Almost everyone traveling to Ella has Nine Arches Bridge on their itinerary of things to do, which means it will be crowded. The only way to see it without loads of people is to get there early and know exactly where to go for the best view.

You can check out all of the viewpoints above the bridge, walk through the tunnel, or explore the tea fields below the bridge.

The Parking Lot

Unless you hike from Ella-Passara Road, the parking lot will be your first impression of Nine Arches.

It’s a really pretty view (some would argue the best), but it’s also packed. At midday, there will likely be a queue to take your photo with the Nine Arches in the background.

Most tourists simply stop here, take a photo, and leave. But you shouldn’t!

Nine Arches Bridge Photo Point

This viewpoint is on the east side of the bridge. If you arrive at Nine Arches Bridge via Nine Arch Vw Pt Road, then this will be the first lookout you come to.

If you arrive at the main parking lot, you can walk across the bridge to get to this viewpoint.

It’s also the best spot to be when the train passes over the bridge!

Don’t rush across the bridge, though. We walked back and forth several times and even sat (carefully) on the ledge overlooking the valley.

Explore the Green Tea Fields

Our favorite photos of Nine Arches Bridge came from climbing down into the tea fields below Nine Arches Bridge. From this vantage point, you can really see how grand the bridge is

The easiest way to access the tea fields is at Nine Arches Bridge Photo Point. From there, you’ll see two paths heading down into the tea fields. Both eventually lead all the way under the arch of the bridge, but the best views and photos are roughly halfway down the hill.

Ella Tunnel

To the right of the Nine Arches parking lot is a tunnel that’s become a fun alternative photo spot to the bridge itself.

It’s not very long, but there’s cool graffiti throughout the tunnel, and one of the best photo spots is from inside the looking out.

When to Visit

The best time to visit Nine Arches Bridge is early morning (5:30 – 7:30 AM) or late evening (4:30 – 6:30 PM).

This is when it’s least crowded, and the train almost always passes over the bridge at least once during each of these time slots.

We arrived at the bridge just before 7:00 AM, and NO ONE was there. People began trickling in around 8:00 AM, and by 9:00 AM, hundreds of people were walking back and forth on the bridge.

Train Timetables

If you want to catch the train passing over Nine Arches Bridge, but the timetable is changing all the time, so you’ll need to check the current timetables and plan to be there either;

• 10 minutes after a train departs Ella Station
• 30 minutes after it departs Badulla.

The problem is that the train is rarely on time, so you should plan to spend about 1-2 hours at the bridge. This gives you time to see each viewpoint, explore beneath the bridge, and see the train go over the Nine Arches first-hand.

Closing Thoughts

No matter how many days you plan to spend in Ella, Nine Arches Bridge is one of the most impressive and convenient places to visit, so there’s really no reason it should be left off your itinerary.

However, we’d encourage you to also make time for some of Ella’s other iconic sites, such as Little Adam’s Peak and the hike to the top of Ella Rock.

Then, if you’re looking for dinner suggestions, here are the cafes/restaurants we loved most!