Ella is a small town on the edge of a huge drop, and the whole place has arranged itself around the view. It sits at about a thousand metres in the hills of Sri Lanka's Uva province, where the gap between two mountain ridges opens onto the plains to the south, and on a clear morning you can look straight through it and see the land falling away in layers toward the coast. Cafes and guesthouses line the main street, and the town has a relaxed, international travellers' feel, with banana pancakes on the menu and a stream of backpackers coming off the train from Kandy.
That train ride, one of the most beautiful in the world, is part of the Ella story. The line climbs through tea estates and forest to the highlands, and the blue carriages creep along on a steep gradient, with passengers hanging out of the open doors. A short walk from the town leads to the Nine Arches Bridge, a graceful stone viaduct built in the early twentieth century, which curves across a green valley. It is a striking structure, and watching the train cross it is a must for many visitors. Other short walks lead to Little Adam's Peak, a gentle hill with wide views, and to Ella Rock, a longer climb.
The ride out of Ella toward Wellawaya is the highlight for motorcyclists. The road drops through the Ella Gap in a series of hairpins, past Rawana Falls, a wide cascade beside the road, and into the hot, dry lowlands. The air changes from cool to warm within minutes, and the scenery from tea to scrub. The road is paved but narrow and used by buses and lorries, so caution is needed, and the surface can be slick after rain. In the other direction, the road to Badulla runs along a valley through tea and vegetable fields.
Ella has petrol stations on the main road, and there are plenty of small restaurants serving rice and curry, kottu roti and fresh juices. Badulla, about twelve kilometres away, is the larger town. Guesthouses range from basic to pleasant, with views over the gap, though prices rise in the high season from December to March.
Foreigners need a Sri Lankan licence to ride legally, and a temporary one is available through the authorities. The best weather is from January to March, though the area is lovely in any season if you accept some mist.