Location

Nine Skies is a 10-minute stroll from Demodara Railway Station and 15-minutes’ drive to Ella. A train to Demodera Railway Station on the Hill Country’s scenic Main Line, is the best way to reach the Demodara hotel. Kandy is four hours away and Nanu Oya (for Nuwara Eliya) is 90 minutes.

The Main Line links Colombo Fort to Badulla, in the eastern Hill Country, and winds through picturesque hills, cloud forest, market gardens, tea estates, waterfalls and valleys. Designed by the British to transport tea to the capital, the Main Line started operations in 1864, reaching Kandy in 1867 and Nanu Oya in 1885 before the Badulla stretch finally opened in 1924. The line rises as high as 1,890-metres, and was expertly engineered with a unique 360-degree loop of track that winds around the Demodara Railway Station.

The stretch between Ella and Demodara is significant for its nine-arched bridge locally known as “Ahas Navaya” (Nine Skies) so named for the nine skies one sees framed by the arches of the viaduct.

Nearby Ella is a view-blessed village that stands on the edge of the south eastern hills. Views from Mini Adam’s Peak and Ella Rock – two great hikes – peer down the valley, through the Ella Gap towards the southern plains. Ella is a great outdoorsy destination with the undulating forest-edged terrain sprinkled with tea estates, rice fields and vegetable patches.