The 15 Best Ella Tours & Day Trips

Ella: Traditional Sri Lankan Cooking Class - How the shared cooking format works

★★★★★★★★★★4.9 · 788 reviews · 2 hours · from $19Our pick

Learn Sri Lankan cooking in Ella with Ranjani, prepare traditional dishes, eat from a banana leaf, and take home digital recipes.

“This experience was cooking at one workstation with the host demonstrating some of the more complicated techniques whilst inviting attendees to take it in turn to help with other tasks. Throughout the experience she provided lots of interesting facts and advice and the food at the end was excellent. If that’s the kind of cooking experience you enjoy then this is highly recommended. If you’re looking for a cooking experience where everyone has an individual workstation and you eat the food you personally cooked, then this isn’t for you. The teacher was good at giving insight into traditional recipes and the health benefits of good home style cooking.”

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Ella: Drop to Tangalle/Hiriketiya/Mirissa/Galle & Yala Tour

2.Drop to Tangalle/Hiriketiya/Mirissa/Galle & Yala Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.9 · 518 reviews · 3 - 9 hours · from $10Best value

Combine an Ella to Sri Lanka’s south coast transfer with a Yala safari, spotting leopards, elephants, crocodiles, and birds for $10.

“Chatham was really good driver. We were able to see many animals, and we were especially lucky to see a leopard for a long time. It was a perfect experience. He truely tried his best to find animals for us and made sure we were comfortable throughout the tour. I highly recommend him and this Safari tour.”

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Ella: Little Adam’s Peak, Nine Arches Bridge & Waterfalls

3.Little Adam’s Peak, Nine Arches Bridge & Waterfalls

★★★★★★★★★★4.9 · 402 reviews · 6 hours · from $37

Explore Ella by tuk tuk, hike Little Adam’s Peak, see Nine Arches Bridge, and swim at Ravana, Pallewela, and Secret Waterfalls.

“We had a nice day trip with Sugala. We saw 3 waterfalls. And even swam in one of them. We went to a small Adam’s pick, the view was very beautiful! Also we visited Nine Arches Bridge. The trip was very nice. Sugala was an amazing guide. Thank you for this day!”

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ELLA: Drop to Tangalle/Hiriketiya/Mirissa/Galle & Yala Tour

4.Drop to Tangalle/Hiriketiya/Mirissa/Galle & Yala Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.1 · 336 reviews · from $35

Review of Ella to Yala safari and south coast transfer, with wildlife tips, costs, timing, guide notes, and advice on whether to book.

“Janaka was our driver and a terrific guide. He made sure that we get to see a leopard before we leave Yala. It was a smooth and safe ride from Ella to Ayala and then to Mirissa. Thank you for this tour!!! Sri Lanka experience is complete with this leopard sighting in Yala”

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From Ella: Drop to Tangalle/Hiriketiya/Mirissa & Yala Safari

5.Drop to Tangalle/Hiriketiya/Mirissa & Yala Safari

★★★★★★★★★★4.8 · 296 reviews · 4 - 10 hours · from $11

Review of the Ella to Yala and south coast transfer, with a three-hour safari, wildlife tips, costs, timing, and honest advice.

“I highly recommend this service!. The taxi picked us up at the Ella Hotel around 2:45 am (Sri Lanka time) and took us to the safari agency, where we changed the car. The safari began at 6:00 am (entrance fee is not included in this activity, as mentioned) (the safari lasted 3h approx) and was an incredible experience—we saw so many animals! Afterward, we were dropped off at our hotel in Mirissa around 12:15 pm. Everything was well organized and ran smoothly.”

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Cooking Classes, Ella Tours, Tour Reviews, Workshops

Ella: Sri Lankan Cooking Class with Neranji at Homestay

6.Sri Lankan Cooking Class with Neranji at Homestay

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 276 reviews · 2 - 3 hours · from $19Top rated

Cook Sri Lankan curries, roti, sambols, and seasonal dishes with Neranji in her Ella homestay kitchen for $19.

“Fabulous- a high light of our stay in Ella -Neranji was so lovely, knowledgeable and a great cook! Food was amazing!!”

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Cooking Classes, Ella Tours, Spice Garden Tours, Tour Reviews, Tours, Workshops

Ella : Cooking class with amazing Spice Garden Tour

7.Cooking class with amazing Spice Garden Tour

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 239 reviews · 4 hours · from $32

Tour Ella’s largest spice garden, cook seven Sri Lankan dishes over a traditional fireplace, and enjoy a generous banana-leaf meal for $32.

“Absolutely loved this spice garden tour and the cooking class. Upulu’s knowledge was incredible and we learnt so much about all the types of spices in Sri Lankan cooking but also daily spices we use but don’t think about how they’re grown and made into what we know in the kitchen like cinnamon and nutmeg. The cooking class itself was fun and interactive. We learnt how to make quite a few dishes and the best part was the eating!! Our cooking teacher was absolutely amazing and Lahiru (the guy helping us, not sure if I’ve spelt his name correctly) was as the real hero making sure everything was smooth and…”

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From Ella: Yala Safari with Tangalle/Mirissa/Galle Drop-off

8.Yala Safari with Tangalle/Mirissa/Galle Drop-off

★★★★★★★★★★4.4 · 198 reviews · 9 hours · from $10

Review of the Ella to Yala safari transfer with 4x4 wildlife drive and drop-off at Tangalle, Mirissa, Hiriketiya, Unawatuna, or Galle.

“Both parts of this tour were absolutely great. Srimal was an excellent guide for my Safari trip. I felt safe with his driving and he even spotted a LEOPARD, “Jerry”, after only just 1 hour of us arriving to the park!!! It was amazing! He really wanted to be sure I left feeling happy and very satisfied. I would definitely choose him again as a guide if I come back one day . My driver Ravi drove me from Ella to Mirissa. He was so professional, very kind and polite, arrived on time, drove very safely, and did everything to accommodate me during this journey. Thank you so much!”

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Ella: Ella Rock, 9 Arch, Little Adams Peak, & Waterfall Tour

9.Ella Rock, 9 Arch, Little Adams Peak, & Waterfall Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 190 reviews · 1 day · from $34

Review of Ella’s full-day tour with Ella Rock, Nine Arch Bridge, waterfalls, train ride, zipline options, practical tips, and honest value advice.

“We had a wonderful day filled with so many new memories, mainly thanks to our amazing guide Nuwan. ❤️ He was so kind, attentive, and communicative — we learned so much from him! We were able to design the tour exactly the way we wanted and felt comfortable at all times. He drove very safely. Thank you for this fantastic day — highly recommended! ☺️”

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Ella Tours, Safari, Tour Reviews, Udawalawe Safaris

Ella: Shuttle to Tangalle/Mirissa/Galle w Udawalawe Safari

10.Shuttle to Tangalle/Mirissa/Galle w Udawalawe Safari

★★★★★★★★★★4.9 · 166 reviews · 7 hours · from $48

Travel from Ella to Sri Lanka’s south coast with a three-hour Udawalawe safari, elephants, crocodiles, air-conditioned transport, and hotel drop-off.

“Brilliant safari trip! Koshala our guide was so friendly and knowledgeable about the animals! I would really recommend !”

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From Ella: Yala National Park Safari Tour in a 4x4 - Entering Yala National Park at first light

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From Ella: Yala National Park Safari Tour in a 4×4

11.Yala National Park Safari Tour in a 4×4

★★★★★★★★★★4.8 · 155 reviews · 8 hours · from $49

Review of the Ella to Yala safari: wildlife sightings, transport, extra fees, timing, guides, value, and practical booking advice.

“Sasanka was so great. He made sure we saw all the animals possible for the day then doubled back for photos. 10/10.”

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Cooking Classes, Ella Tours, Tour Reviews, Workshops

Ella Sri Lanka : Mom’s Kitchen Cooking class

12.Ella Sri Lanka : Mom’s Kitchen Cooking class

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 113 reviews · 2 hours · from $20

Review of Mom’s Kitchen in Ella, a hands-on Sri Lankan cooking class with family hosts, traditional methods, fresh ingredients, and mountain views.

“A must-try experience! Irosha and her mother are lovely and very skilled at explaining how to cook. We prepared and ate the best chicken rice and curry we had during our entire trip! The location is also very charming and atmospheric 🇮🇹”

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Ella Rock & 9 Arch Bridge, Little Adams Peak with Transfer

13.Ella Rock & 9 Arch Bridge, Little Adams Peak with Transfer

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 79 reviews · 8 hours · from $50

Review of Ella Rock, Nine Arches Bridge, and Little Adam’s Peak with tuk-tuk transfers, lunch, guide insights, and practical hiking tips.

“This tour is definitely to be recommended. The guide, Dinu, is a really nice and passionate person. He made us spend a lovely and enjoyable day trip to the top of Ella Rock, to the Nine Arched Bridge and finally to the Little Adam's Peak. He was able to find and show us animals and plants that alone we wouldn't have noticed! The hiking path, I would say, is medium difficulty.”

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Ella: Yala Safari with Drop at Tangalle/ Hiriketiya/ Mirissa

14.Yala Safari with Drop at Tangalle/ Hiriketiya/ Mirissa

★★★★★★★★★★4.4 · 74 reviews · 9 - 16 hours · from $11

Review of Ella to Yala safari with wildlife, 4x4 jeep, scenic transfer, costs, timing, comfort, and practical booking advice.

“Everything was amazing, perfectly organised, the safari guide was a skilled driver willing to do his best to show us everything he could while sharing fun facts and still respectful to the animals. Great experience!!”

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