Hiking Little Adams Peak and Nine Arch Bridge in Ella
Little Adam’s Peak in Ella is a popular sunrise walk but we favoured a lie-in and went at about 10am. Instead of walking the whole way from town we got a tuk-tuk up to the point where the road ends at 98 Acres Resort. This felt a bit like cheating as we drove past lots of walkers. But this section of the hike is just uphill along a road so it’s by no means the most scenic part of the walk. Doing this also cuts the hike from about 3 hours down to 50 minutes, meaning we could fit more into the day.
It’s not a particularly difficult hike, despite some steep areas. So shorts, a t-shirt, and trainers were fine – there’s no need for the full kit to do this walk comfortably.
How to hike Little Adam’s Peak
From the tuk-tuk parking spot you follow stairs and then a trail for around 20 minutes, straight to the top of Little Adam’s Peak. Though steep in places, this is a pretty easy walk that almost anyone could do. In fact there were a lot of small children doing it at the same time as us.
After 15-20 minutes taking in the amazing view over the valleys and Ella Rock we went back down. The Buddha statue wasn’t there during our visit but there were coconut sellers if you need something refreshing after the uphill walk in the heat.
The way down is even faster and we stopped for snacks at Ravana Pool Club before heading to the bridge. The deck has the same awesome views as the hike, and you can watch people on Ella Swing and the Ravana Zipline over the tea plantations.
How to get from Little Adam’s Peak to Nine Arches Bridge in Ella
From here there are a couple of routes you can take to Nine Arch Bridge. We followed the road uphill out of Ravana Pool Club towards 98 Acres Resort. As you follow the sign to pass out of the grounds and down the track, there are some stone steps on the left of the path. Take these to cut out a big corner and keep following the hill downwards.
You’ll get to a Hindu shrine and just beyond this the path splits in two. Take the left path leading downwards again, and it won’t be long until you see the bridge in the distance. The path is steep and winding but it’s tarmacked and alright to walk on. Just be glad you’re not one of the people walking up it!
Following this path brings you out onto the southeastern corner of the bridge below Asanka Cafe. You can easily view the bridge from every direction and walk along the railway track into the tunnel (as long as there’s no train coming).
How to get back to Ella from Little Adam’s Peak and Nine Arches Bridge
From the southwestern side, opposite the Nine Arch Coffee Shop, we took a dirt path behind a shack selling coconuts (and a chamber for safety against wasp and bee attacks?!) to head back into Ella. It doesn’t look like it leads anywhere, but as you follow it round to the left you’ll pass a small viewing point with wooden benches (Nine Arches Bridge Viewpoint on Google Maps) which is a great photo spot.
From here the path is marked with orange dots and arrows on trees the whole way back to town. This path is far less steep than the one we took in, and winds along streams and through woodlands until you meet the road again. Within 15-20 minutes you’ll come out on the main street in Ella.
Find out more about our hiking experiences in Sri Lanka here.