Taxi from Ella to Galle

The Ella to Galle journey at a glance

The road distance from Ella to Galle is about 197.3 kilometres, and a private car covers it in around 3 hours 19 minutes. That works out at roughly 59 kilometres an hour end to end, which is the number worth holding on to: it is well below what the distance alone suggests, and it is the reason journeys here are planned in hours rather than in kilometres.

Down through Wellawaya and Udawalawe to the coast — the same climb in reverse, and just as long.

What the drive from Ella to Galle is actually like

Leaving Ella

Ella sits in a gap in the hills and every road to it is a mountain road. From Kandy the route goes up through tea country and stays high; from the south coast it climbs from sea level in one long haul. Either way the surface is decent and the corners are constant, and the average speed is low no matter what the map suggests. Cloud comes down in the afternoon through much of the year and slows things further.

Arriving in Galle

The Southern Expressway made this one of the easiest long journeys in the country. It runs inland, away from the coast, which is why the drive is dull and quick rather than scenic and slow. The old coast road is still the more beautiful of the two and still an option if you would rather see the sea, but it passes through every town on the way and the difference in time is substantial.

Where the driver meets you in Ella

The town is small and built along one main road, and parking near the centre is limited, so drivers usually wait at the top or bottom of it rather than outside a particular guesthouse. Many people ride the train in from Nuwara Eliya or Haputale and take a car onward from here — arranging the car to meet the train is common and the station is easy to find.

Arriving in Galle

Inside the fort the streets are narrow, cobbled in places and closed to through traffic at busy times, so pickups are usually arranged just outside the ramparts rather than at the door. The new town and the harbour side are straightforward. For anywhere further along the south coast the expressway continues past Galle, so heading on to Mirissa or Matara is quicker than the map makes it look.

Worth stopping for on the way

• Galle Fort — A walled Dutch colonial town still lived in, on a headland over the Indian Ocean. No entry ticket — you simply walk in. Allow half a day. The expressway makes this a genuine day trip from Colombo. Walk the ramparts at sunset, not at midday.
• Unawatuna Beach — A sheltered bay just past Galle — calm swimming, and the closest good beach to the fort. Allow a few hours or a full day. Pair it with Galle Fort in one trip; they are ten minutes apart.
• Sinharaja Forest Reserve — The last substantial stretch of primary lowland rainforest on the island, and a UNESCO World Heritage site. Endemic birds, leeches and a canopy that closes over the track. Allow a full day, and start early, and an entry ticket is required. Take a guide at the gate — it is compulsory and they are the reason you see anything. Leech socks are sold at the entrance and are worth the money.
• Nine Arch Bridge, Ella — A colonial-era viaduct on the hill railway, in the jungle below Ella. Free, and busiest when a train is due. Allow 1–2 hours. Check the train times before you walk down — the bridge is worth ten minutes without one and an hour with.
• Diyaluma Falls — The second-highest waterfall on the island, dropping 220 metres in a single fall, with natural pools at the top for anyone willing to walk up. Allow a few hours. The pools are reached by a path from the road above, not from the base — about forty minutes up. Go with somebody who knows the turning.
• Ravana Falls — A wide fall right beside the Ella to Wellawaya road, named for the king who is said to have hidden Sita in the caves above it. Allow an hour. It is at its best just after rain and can be a trickle in the dry months. Five minutes from Ella, so it costs nothing to look.

Where people go next from Galle

The journeys most often booked onward from Galle:

• Galle to Mirissa — about 34.3 km, around 1 hour 1 minutes.
• Galle to Matara — about 47.1 km, around 1 hour 12 minutes.
• Galle to Bandaranaike International Airport (CMB) — about 152 km, around 2 hours 13 minutes.
• Galle to Hikkaduwa — about 20.6 km, around 41 minutes.
• Galle to Bentota — about 64.9 km, around 1 hour 22 minutes.
• Galle to Colombo — about 128.2 km, around 2 hours 10 minutes.

See every fare, distance and route in and out of Galle on its own page.