Sri Lanka – The Nine Arch Bridge

The nine arch bridge is located in Demodara and like the little Adam’s peak, not to far away from Ella but still a 2 hour walk or 20min drive. There are two ways to get there, follow the rails from Ella railway station or on the street by foot or scooter. Both ways are mostly save, there are only 4 trains a day and the streets are not to busy. So pick what suits you better. 

The nine arch bridge itself is the largest of its kind in Sri Lanka with a height of 99.6ft/300m. It is built entirely of solid rocks, bricks and cement without using a single piece of steel. It was build like this because the steel could not be delivered during the time of the First World War and so locals found this solution and got the permission to go on with it. It is a great relict from the British Colonial period and worth a visit.

If you arrive by scooter like us, you  find a little shop/cafe with a beautiful view from the top down to the bridge, here you can get some refreshments if needed or just enjoy the view. 

We had a organised some food before we left and made our way down to the rails for a little picknick till the next train arrived. We had enough time to walk along the trails, take some photos and eat. Unfortunately the weather changed in the last hour, it went from partly cloudy to overcast and then started raining. We took shelter in a little shed close to the rails and had the best fun, because other people had the same idea so it got a bit crowded. 

We left when the rain got less and unfortunately with not seeing the train driving over the bridge but we had a great day and a lot of fun.