Pilkington Point
A quiet clifftop viewpoint just outside Ella looking across the Ella Gap and the surrounding tea slopes, a calmer alternative to the busier peaks.
Along the Poonagala Road near Bandarawela, part of a cluster of hilltop viewpoints collectively known as the Poonagala Hills, Pilkington Point sits roughly 1,400 meters above sea level, its name tracing back to 1898 and Sir George Pilkington, the first manager of the Poonagala Company, a tea estate operator who used this exact vantage point to survey his sprawling plantation holdings back in the late 19th century. Alongside neighboring viewpoints like Lipton's Seat, Millennium Point and St. Catherine's Seat, Pilkington Point rose to prominence during the heyday of British tea planters more than 150 years ago, spots chosen originally for practical estate surveillance that later became beloved simply for the views themselves.
On clear days, the panorama stretching out from the point is genuinely expansive, taking in the Monaragala, Hambantota and Ratnapura districts, along with distant glimpses of Kataragama's Kiri Vehera, the Udawalawe reservoir, and the plains around Wellawaya and Embilipitiya, a sweep of southern Sri Lanka rarely visible so completely from a single fixed spot. Reaching it requires either a rough, roughly one hour walk along a trail off the Bandarawela to Koslanda road, or a short but genuinely bumpy drive along a final 2 km stretch of deteriorated road, one steep enough that visitors are commonly advised to use a vehicle with decent ground clearance, motorcycles and tuk-tuks generally managing it better than larger cars.
A small hut at the viewpoint offers shelter during sudden highland showers, and wild elephants are known to frequent the surrounding area, a genuine consideration for anyone hiking rather than driving in. Despite, or perhaps because of, the difficult access, Pilkington Point has become something of a hidden gem among travelers willing to make the effort, rewarded with dramatically shifting weather and light across the southern plains that few of the region's more accessible viewpoints can match.
At a glance
- Entry fee: Free
- Opening hours: Open all day
- Time needed: 30 to 45 minutes
- Best time: Sunrise, for the light over the gap
Getting there
About 2km from Ella town toward the Ravana area, a short tuk-tuk ride or a walk to the marked point.
Frequently asked questions
- How much does it cost to visit Pilkington Point?
- Free.
- What are the opening hours at Pilkington Point?
- Open all day.
- How long should I spend at Pilkington Point?
- Plan for 30 to 45 minutes.
- When is the best time to visit Pilkington Point?
- Sunrise, for the light over the gap.
- How do I get to Pilkington Point?
- About 2km from Ella town toward the Ravana area, a short tuk-tuk ride or a walk to the marked point.