Beautiful Waterfalls in Sri Lanka

At 263 metres this is the tallest waterfall in Sri Lanka, a single thin ribbon down a forested escarpment above Kalupahana, about 5 km off the A4 near Belihuloya. A short walk from the parking area reaches the viewing point and the base pool. Flow changes a lot through the year and it can thin out in dry spells, so ask locally before making the drive. The pool at the base is shallow, but leave the water the moment it rises or clouds.

Sri Lanka's second tallest fall at 220 metres, on the Poonagala Oya near Koslanda, about an hour from Ella on the A4. The base viewpoint is right beside the road. The much photographed natural pools are at the top, reached by a steep climb of about an hour, and they sit directly on the lip of the drop. People have died there. Go with a local guide, stay well back from the edge, and do not enter the water if rain is falling anywhere upstream.

The easiest fall to reach in the hill country, 2 km from Ella town on the Wellawaya road, with a 25 metre drop landing in a pool right beside the tarmac. It is busy, there are stalls and monkeys, and the rocks around the pool are slippery. Locals bathe in the lower pool when the river is low, but it fills fast after rain in the hills above, so watch the water rather than the view. Best flow is November to February.

Five kilometres north of Badulla and about an hour from Ella, Dunhinda drops 63 metres through a narrow gap in the rock and fans out into a misty veil, which is why it is also called the Bridal Falls. Getting there means a 1 km path with steep steps and a suspension bridge, slippery in the wet. There is a viewing platform, and the pool below is not a swimming spot. It runs hardest from November to February.

Known as the Little Niagara of Sri Lanka, St. Clair's is 80 metres tall and 50 metres wide, falling in two broad steps below tea slopes just west of Talawakele on the A7. You see it from a marked roadside viewpoint with no walking required. Its flow is now controlled by the Upper Kotmale hydro scheme, which releases water for about ten and a half hours a day between sunrise and sunset, so daytime visits are the reliable ones.

Devon Falls drops 97 metres in three tiers on a tributary of the Kotmale Oya, the 19th tallest in the country, and it is seen from the road rather than up close. The usual viewpoint is opposite the Mlesna Tea Castle west of Talawakele, with parking and two observation decks. There is no path to the top. Pair it with St. Clair's, minutes away on the same A7 between Hatton and Nuwara Eliya. Fullest May to October.

Ramboda sits at the Ramboda Pass on the A5 between Kandy and Nuwara Eliya, in Nuwara Eliya District rather than Kandy as it is often listed. It falls 109 metres in two drops on the Panna Oya and is the 11th tallest on the island. Steps with handrails climb to a closer view in about 20 minutes, and there is parking at the base. Wettest from May to October.

Inside Horton Plains National Park, Baker's Falls is a 20 metre twin cascade on the Belihul Oya, about 3 km from the main entrance on the circular trail that also takes in World's End. The plunge pool below is roughly 12 metres deep and has a bad safety record. Accidents have happened here and swimming is discouraged, so stay on the viewing deck. Start early, before the mist closes in mid morning.

The eighth tallest waterfall in Sri Lanka, a single plunge on the Maskeliya Oya near Norton Bridge, reached on the Maskeliya road about 20 km from Hatton. It feeds one of the country's oldest hydro stations, so the flow depends on releases as well as rain. Steps lead down to a viewpoint near the base. This is western hill country, so May to October is the full season.

Bopath Ella is named for its shape, which spreads like the leaf of a bo tree, and it drops about 30 metres at Kuruwita, 13 km from Ratnapura and a short turn off the A4. It is one of the easiest falls to reach in the southwest and one of the busiest at weekends. The pool below draws bathers, but this catchment rises fast after rain in the hills above, so stay out whenever the water is high or discoloured.

Aberdeen Falls drops 98 metres near Ginigathena, just off the Colombo to Nuwara Eliya road. Getting to the base means a steep descent of a few hundred steps and a short scramble, roughly 25 minutes down and longer coming back up. It is in the wet western hills, so May to October is when it runs hardest, and the steps stay slick right through that season.

Bomburu Ella, also called Perawella Falls, is about 50 metres high and 20 metres wide, and is really a spread of small streams across one rock face near the Nuwara Eliya and Badulla district border, roughly 15 km from Welimada. The walk in takes about 20 minutes through vegetable plots and gets muddy, so wear shoes with grip. This is the Uva side, so November to February is its best spell.

A 30 metre fall on the slopes of Pidurutalagala, about 3.5 km from Nuwara Eliya town and reached through the Pedro Tea Estate. The last stretch is a rough uphill walk of around 20 minutes past the tea. It is quiet compared with the roadside falls and easy to fold into a Nuwara Eliya afternoon with the tea factory. It feeds the town's water supply, so treat it as a looking spot.

Rathna Ella is a tall single face of rock above Hasalaka, in the east of Kandy District on the Mahiyangana road. Reaching it is 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 combines well with Huluganga Falls on the same run out of Kandy. Best after the northeast rains, December to March.

Hunnas Falls sits above Elkaduwa in Matale District, about 22 km north of Kandy, and drops around 48 metres beside tea and spice country. It is the easiest of the big falls near Kandy to reach on a half day, on a decent road, with the viewpoint close to the parking. The walks around it are as much the point as the fall itself. Flow is strongest from May to October.

Kirindi Ella falls 116 metres in several steps near Pelmadulla, about 7 km off the A4 and 20 km from Ratnapura, with jungle on both sides. It is a short walk in from the road and rarely crowded. This is deep in the wet southwest, so it runs strongly from May right through to November, and the rock stays slippery even between showers.

Huluganga Falls drops around 75 metres beside the Kandy to Mahiyangana road at Huluganga town, an hour to an hour and a half from Kandy. The rock around it keeps the water clear even in the monsoon, so it photographs well year round. Entering the water is prohibited because the river surges without warning. Pair it with Rathna Ella, further along the same road.

Galboda Falls drops about 30 metres in a gorge near Nawalapitiya, and the access is the unusual part. There is no proper road, so the practical way in is on foot from Galboda station along the Colombo to Badulla railway, about 20 to 25 minutes. Go with someone local who knows the train times. The water level here rises suddenly, so entering the pool is prohibited. Full flow May to October.

Duwili Ella means dust fall, for the way the water breaks into spray before it lands. It drops about 40 metres in the Rajawaka reserve near Kalthota, inland from Balangoda, and reaching it is a forest walk of roughly an hour each way. This is remote country with no facilities, so take a guide from the village. It runs hardest between May and October.

A small fall on the stream below Ella, reached in about 15 minutes on foot from Kithal Ella station along the railway line, and often taken in on the way up Ella Rock. The water below it is shallow and locals do bathe there, which makes it one of the few low risk spots on this list, though not when the stream is up. Fullest November to February.

Asupini Ella comes down about 30 metres near Aranayaka in Kegalle District, off the Colombo to Kandy road at Mawanella and about 43 km from Kandy, which is roughly an hour and a half by car. The last few kilometres of road are in poor shape, so check locally before committing a car to it, and allow about 30 minutes on foot at the end. It makes a useful break on the Colombo to Kandy drive. Wet season here is May to October.

Kadiyanlena is about 47 km from Kandy, a two hour journey, and it falls in five separate cascades with a pool below each one. Locals put the bottom pool at close to 30 metres deep and it is off limits. The four above it are shallower and are the ones people use, though only when the river is low. Come for the setting rather than facilities. Best May to October.

Mapalana Ella, also written Mapanana, comes down about 141 metres in three sections near Gilimale, roughly 22 km from Ratnapura on the Sri Pada side. It is little visited and the walk in crosses streams, so it suits the drier weeks rather than the peak of the monsoon. The surrounding forest is part of the Adam's Peak wilderness.

Polgampola, also called Thambadola Ella, drops about 30 metres in several stages in the Ratnapura District, in the wet lowland hills inland from the southwest coast. It stays quiet compared with the famous falls, which is the reason to go. The approach is short but the rock is permanently wet and green with algae, so keep off it. This catchment runs hard from May to October.

Rikille Ella is a 30 metre fall in the hills above Bulathkohupitiya, near Kitulgala where the white water rafting runs. The name comes from the Sinhala word for tree branch, after the way the water splits as it falls. It suits a stop between Colombo and the hill country. This is one of the wettest catchments on the island and the river responds fast to rain upstream.

The low country option, a 26 metre fall in Kalutara District about 40 km inland from the coast and within reach of Bentota or Kalutara for a half day out. There is a pool below it that people swim in, and it is one of the calmer spots when the river is low, but the same rule applies here as everywhere: not after rain. Wettest from May to October.