Train travel in Sri Lanka – Helpful tips, Fantasies and Realities
Throughout my travels, I had never experienced getting from A to B by train until a journey in Vietnam. We had to get back to Ho Chi Minh City from Mui Ne/Phan Thiet, and the only options were train, bus or car. We had hired a driver to get us there from Vung Tau, and we wanted to try out a different return method. It was a winner! It was cheap and entertaining, so we decided to do a bit more of it through Sri Lanka.
Unfortunately, the train lines don’t cover every route around the country, although we did manage to make four journeys. I highly recommend train travel over hiring a private driver, but only if you don’t mind the extra adventure and no ‘door to door’ convenience.
Based on our three-week itinerary around Sri Lanka, here are my reality checks and handy tips for moving around via public transport:
Train journey 1 – Colombo to Habarana (Batticaloa line)
Tip: You can’t buy a ticket before the day of travel for this trip. We had one day in Colombo before heading out again. We thought it would be wise to get to the station and buy tickets for the following morning, notably as the train departs at 6.00 am. Please don’t bother, as they won’t sell them to you early, get to the station at around 5.15 am instead. Arriving early will give you plenty of time to buy tickets and soak in the pre-dawn atmosphere. Tickets are unreserved second (and I also imagine third) class, hence the scramble for seats. Nobody was standing, so there was no issue with overcrowding.
Buy your tickets from counter 3. They are 300 rupees (approximately AUD$1.60) for five hours of entertainment.
Tip: You miss out on your hotel breakfast, so book that night’s accommodation without breakfast so that you’re not paying for it. It’s an easy thing to overlook.
Reality: Beware the helpful pickpocket. Sri Lankans are a friendly bunch of people, and you might find a very helpful local to guide you regarding exactly which train to board. They might be a bit too helpful. If this happens and they assist you on to the train with your luggage, make sure that EVERYTHING is secure. It is very dark in the carriage with a multitude of people pushing on and desperate for a seat. They will push up behind you to disguise that they are removing something from the side pocket of your backpack.
Now, I am not that stupid to have a wallet sticking out, but my reading glasses case must have looked promising. Minutes later – in the dark carriage – the helpful local asked who ‘lost’ their glasses. These could not possibly fall out by themselves, otherwise I would not carry them there. I got them back, but that was a valuable lesson and one to pass on.
The journey: The five-hour trip heading north was nothing short of excellent. The time flew past very quickly, and the scenery was lovely.
Do: Buy some Samosas and other cooked treats on offer as they go up and down the aisles. The Samosas on this line cost somewhere around 30 rupees (AUD$0.25) each and are delicious. They are easily the best samosas we’ve ever had, (they are the same throughout the country but not necessarily as cheap).
We got off the train one stop before the popular Habarana station at Palugaswewa for our accommodation. The locals were all concerned that we were not getting off at the right place, so if in doubt ask, as they are eager to help (this time in a better way)!
Public bus from Habarana to Kandy
Unfortunately, there are no trains that can transport you from Habarana to Kandy. On the advice of our accommodation host, we drove to Dambulla (and stopped at the famous Cave Temple), then caught a death-defying public bus down to Kandy. That one cost around AUD$1.20 and was a crazy, fun ride. Suppose you’re familiar with the bus in the Harry Potter movies that speeds, swerves and squeezes between other vehicles. In that case, that’s what I’m saying.
The journey consists of not stopping to pick up passengers (except for us because of our luggage) but to slow down and let people jump on and off. We assume that this is because they are on a tight schedule. To blast that theory away though, we made a pitstop about halfway, where the driver and a good chunk of the passengers took off for 20 minutes into the roadside ‘cafe’ for a cup of tea. It seemed quite bizarre at the time, and we considered checking it out for ourselves. Still, the thought of a random local bus leaving with our luggage while we didn’t understand what was going on made us decide to stay put on the bus. We remained entertained though as we tried to fathom the weirdness of this leg of the trip, and that we were still alive to tell the tale so far (death-defying, remember?).
If you are to do this (and I recommend it), make your way to the Dambulla Main Bus Station on Kandy-Jaffna Highway, Dambulla. Wait outside the bus terminal and wave down the ‘express’ bus that serves the locals, to get to Kandy. We understand that the other busses inside the terminal make many more stops, and it is a much longer ride. Ask a local for advice; they are all keen to help!
On arrival at the bus terminal in Kandy (which was just a street full of buses), we were picked up by a tuk-tuk driver, who then showed us around town the next day. He was a particularly great tuk-tuk driver, full of enthusiasm and personality, so it made for a pretty good day.
This all being too crazy to consider, another other option is a private car – but for much more than $1.20!
Train journey 2 – Half of the famous ‘most beautiful train journey in the world’ – Kandy to Nanu Oya (Badulla line)
Fantasy: Traveling on an exciting and beautiful stretch of track, through the hills and tea fields with magnificent views, hanging your head out of the window while feeling utterly carefree on pre-booked tickets and a guaranteed, reserved seat.
Reality: Pre-booking tickets through online agencies approximately five weeks early (the earliest that you can book) DOES NOT guarantee a seat. After receiving booking confirmations, a notification came weeks later that every seat was previously reserved for almost the entire month.
You can, however, still purchase tickets at the time of travel – the ‘unreserved’ second and third-class tickets never sell out. In other words, the number of tickets sold depends on how much standing room is left and how crammed in you are.
Missing out on tickets was a great disappointment as the booking system shattered our fantasy, but we were still on the train! I did not want to miss the journey and take a car to the next destination (although the views would be the same with a more comfortable ride).
Two hours into the three-hour trip, some seats became available, so all was not lost, and the final stage was enjoyable.
Fantasy: Disembarkation of the train should be like any other time that you exit a carriage – even with luggage – exit swiftly to make room for oncoming passengers.
Reality: The rudeness of other travellers stood out, and they reminded me of how awful tourists can sometimes be. I don’t usually get angry, but I was raising my voice at them repeatedly: “If you let me off, you will have room to get on!” I couldn’t believe that they were cramming onto the train so violently without letting us off first, so is the desperation of having unreserved seats.
Reality: You are still going to make this journey, even with unreserved seats. It is an experience!
Train journey 3 – The other half of the famous ‘most beautiful train journey in the world’ – Nanu Oya to Ella (Badulla line)
Strange Reality: Although all tickets had been sold out weeks ago, after arriving at Nanu Oya, I asked at the ticket booth if there was a chance of buying tickets for the next leg of the journey to Ella. “Do you want First Class?” I thought I was hearing things. So there you go, this proves that you never know what you might get in Sri Lanka! I don’t know how this happened, but we had guaranteed seats with nobody standing in First class aisles.
Fantasy: Standing or sitting in the doorways and enjoying the thrill of the wind and the passing scenery whilst feeling utterly free (AKA the infamous Instagram shots, hanging out of the carriage).
Reality: This is terrifying. The train is hurtling along so fast that it is way too scary to get near the doorway. One of the train’s caterers encouraged me and held on to me while I put one hand out to take some photos, but you still need to hold on very tight with your free hand. It is not as relaxing as you might expect.
Another option to take photos is to ‘cheat’ while the train has stopped at Diyathalawa Station for ten minutes. There, you get a view over the hills and can take doorway shots without fear of death.
Tip: Yes, the scenery is beautiful, and yes, you should do this. I would still recommend second class though, as you can’t open the windows in first class (no clear photos, no wind in your hair and no view of the train curving around the hills).
Tip: The samosas are still for sale on every train and in every carriage (along with fruit, popcorn, colouring books and peanuts to name just a few items), but the price had escalated from 30 rupees on our earlier journey up north, to about 70 or 80 rupees in Second Class to over 100 rupees in First class. The Samosas are the same.
Nine Arch Bridge, Ella
Missed opportunities – Mirissa to Hikkaduwa
The plan was to catch trains wherever possible, but that doesn’t always happen (like taking the public bus to Kandy). Another example is Ella to Kataragama, then on to Mirissa beach. The busses were too hard to navigate and took too long, so a private car was the most straightforward way forward here.
Fantasy: After enjoying four days on Mirissa beach, we were looking for a tuk-tuk to take us to the station for a short trip (45 minutes or so) to Galle Fort. It could have been an enjoyable mini-adventure.
Reality: The tuk-tuk driver eventually convinced us to let him take us (it took a while, as I wanted to catch a train), as it wasn’t too far on the road. He quoted us 2000 rupees (around AUD$17) to go to Galle. When we were halfway there, he announced that we were almost at Galle (we were nowhere near it) and that it would now cost double the amount to take us to the Fort. We are not the type to make issues out of small things, but as he knew that we were going to Galle Fort train station in the middle of town, instantly, we were feeling ripped off. We asked to be dropped at the nearest station, but he insisted on taking us all the way. It wasn’t about the money, as it was still a reasonable amount, but he had deceived us. So a small argument ensued at the final destination, and all parties learned their lessons.
Tip: Always show drivers the exact, written address (or map) of where you are going. Not only did this upset everyone, but we also missed out on one of the train trips.
Getting another tuk-tuk for the next leg of the journey from Galle to Hikkaduwa was our eventual choice, just for the door to door convenience. This time we showed them the exact address and all was good.
Train journey 4 – Going home – Hikkaduwa to Colombo
Our flight was not until 11 pm, so we stayed down south at Hikkaduwa beach until midday, as there was plenty of time to get back.
We had the option to take a private car back to the airport but chose to ‘train it’ for two hours back to Colombo Fort (the central station that we started from) and then take a car or tuk-tuk to the airport. Friends had told us that this train trip wasn’t that exciting (the train line runs along the beach for most of the way), but we disagree!
Most of the journey rambles through tiny beachside villages with pretty gelati coloured houses (as seen throughout the country) on one side and tourist-free beaches on the other.
Approaching Colombo, this turns into slum areas in the outer suburbs – still with the beach on the other side. As we were arriving at 6.00 pm, we also had the added enjoyment of a gorgeous sunset sinking into the horizon.
I find the slum areas fascinating to see, with people painting their houses, kids playing and just general life going on. It’s also a reminder that not everything revolves around the life of the tourist.
Tip: There are commuter trains that head north close by to the airport, but they will be far too crowded to get yourself and your luggage onto them (we were in peak hour). Other options are a car or a tuk-tuk.
On initial arrival into Sri Lanka, our car took 30 minutes between the airport and the city via the expressway. Tuk-Tuks will not use the expressway and will take one and a half hours. Make sure you have plenty of time before flight check-in if you are taking a tuk-tuk to get back to the airport for departure.
Catching trains around Sri Lanka? It’s a YES from me!
