Waterfalls in Kandy

Hunas Falls is the easiest of the Kandy waterfalls to reach, about 22 km north of town above the village of Elkaduwa, through tea and spice country on a reasonable road. It drops around 60 metres and the viewpoint sits close to the parking, so it works as a half day rather than a trek. Strictly it is just over the line in Matale District, but nothing of this size is closer to Kandy. The plantation walks around it are as much the reason to come as the fall itself.

Huluganga drops around 75 metres beside the Kandy to Mahiyangana road at Huluganga town, an hour to an hour and a half out. The rock around it keeps the water clear even through the monsoon, so it holds up year round. Entering the water is prohibited because the river can surge without warning, and that is a rule worth taking seriously here.

Rathna Ella is a single 101 metre face of rock above Hasalaka, in the east of Kandy District on the Mahiyangana road, and it ranks as the 14th tallest waterfall in Sri Lanka. Reaching it means a 3 km walk along a water channel through forest, so allow most of a morning and treat it as a trek rather than a viewpoint. It pairs naturally with Huluganga on the same run out of Kandy.

Jodu Ella is a twin fall near Gomara and Bambarella, about 36 km from Kandy on the Knuckles side. Two streams of roughly 45 metres come off the mountain side by side and feed the Hulu Ganga, which is where the local name Bambarella Knuckles Falls comes from. The last kilometre is on foot. Come after rain, because the twin effect fades once the flow drops.

Saree Ella is in Gomara village, about 30 km and an hour from Kandy. The water fans out as it falls in a way locals compare to the pallu of a saree, which is where the name comes from. It is a small, quiet stop rather than a set piece, and it works best paired with Jodu Ella, which sits on the same road.

Sudugala is about 40 km from Kandy on the Samanalagama road in the Nawalapitiya area, near the Heightenford railway halt. It also goes by Heightenford Falls and Galpoththa Ella. The pool at the base is wide but shallow, roughly knee deep, so people do wade, though the rock underfoot is slippery. It is the least visited fall on this list.

Galboda drops about 30 metres into a gorge near Nawalapitiya, and the access is the unusual part. There is no proper road in, so the practical route is on foot from Galboda railway station along the Colombo to Badulla line, roughly 20 to 25 minutes. Go with someone local who knows the train timings, because this is a working railway rather than a footpath.