The Ferocity of H2O – Tour de Waterfalls 12…

Hi folks, I’m happy, rather overjoyed coz managed to do yet another Tour de Waterfall, this time with my long-life buddy, Hariya. The inter-monsoon kept hammering the whole country with gallons of water and the dried out waterfalls were revived as a result. This is when I get this nagging feeling in me forcing me to go looking for them. Whether I had seen them before or not doesn’t really matter so long as I get the chance to visit them.

When Hariya called asking if we could go see Doovili Ella in Kalthota, I couldn’t have been happier. It brought back the sweet memories of our old gang doing a tour in and around Kalthota. Kalthota Doovili Ella is one of the most beautiful of all I’ve seen to date. She has this unique way of falling down very much similar to a pyramid. The whole Walawe River squeezed through that tiny opening with so much pressure creating millions of water drops scattering the entire area.

Even the base pool is nice and surrounded by some gorgeous rock formations. So thinking of the prospects of seeing her once again made my heart beat ever-so-faster. So we set our plans for the 6 Dec despite all the weather forecasts predicting heavy rains. As Hari hadn’t been to Kirindi Ella or Doovili Ella before, we decided to visit them plus another two, Kuda Ella and the evading Diyawini Ella that we missed due to lack of time even after going all the way to her.

So the prospects looked good and weather wasn’t gonna frighten us. However, looking back, the rain gods were extremely kind to us. They kept away as much as possible trouble as little as possible as if taken a fancy to us. Even though they were kind to keep away, not so kind to Hariya’s bottom as he kept repeating Great Western Journey slips getting his back muddy.

Tour Highlights: 

1. Kirindi Ella, Kuttapitiya.
2. Kuda Ella, Kuttapitiya.
3. Doovili Ella, Kalthota.
4. Doovili Ella Upper Falls, Kalthota.
5. Diyawini Ella, Diyawinna.
6. Piyangiri Ella, Diyawinna.

We left Colombo around 4.15am (another milestone for Hariya being able to get up without fuss and coming at the promised time) in the December chill. The bike ride early in the morning sent me shivering while Hariya was cozily wrapped in his rain coat as he was expecting it to rain at any moment. Passing Kaduwela, Avissawella and Yatiyanthota in the darkness but with a fully-starred sky overhead was something grand and I savored the scenery so much.

Arriving at Kuruwita, feeling ravenous (as always before a journey) I managed to convince Hariya to stop at French Way, one popular eating place along Ratnapura Road that offers a very tasty breakfast buffet for Rs. 350/-++. This was not the usual thing we do and it made a huge dent in our small budget for which Hariya kept moaning about. The amount we had allocated for a single waterfall sky-rocketed as a result.

The meal was tasty and we had a hearty one followed by tasty cups of tea. The sky had turned into its typical gloominess once again threatening to break free. We pushed on towards Pelmadulla passing the morning rush hour at Ratnapura.

Kirindi Ella

We turned into the Kuttapitiya Road (in front of Cargills at Pelmadulla) also known as Vidyala Road. The road was a mix bag of carpet, washed-out concrete, lose rocks and the last 3-3.5km typical-gravel-estate road. It’d be tough going for a car, especially a hybrid, but not impossible. The total distance is around 6-7km.

We reached the Kirindi Ella trail head where there used to be a ticket counter but no completely abandoned, leaving only a derelict structure. However, the sign-board is newly done and you can’t miss it. We started down the trail which is a long set of concrete steps. Whoever did this must be complemented as it’s a great relief to be able to get down rather easily to the falls.

Unfortunately, there are a couple of places that can be tricky to cross, especially in the rains. Moreover, the concrete pillars that border the path with iron railings are now in their last legs. Most of them had fallen off or broken in half leaving skeleton metal pokes jutting out. Some of the pillars are now not connected to the ground properly having come loose from the foundation after hundreds of times of being used. So you gotta be extra careful when you get down the path holding onto the railing.

The steps are covered by moss making it very slippery. So watch your step all along and don’t let your guard down. Falling along this is not something you wanna add to your memories.

Kirindi Ella Trail – Info.

Distance – 394.732m

Time Taken – About 40 mins

Elevation from Trail Head (414m) to the Base (271m) – 143m

Trail Head – 6.6423, 80.5617

Base of the Fall – 6.6417, 80.5632

We started around 8.05am and got down the steps first to the viewing platform. The whole waterfall was obscured by the mist leaving us no chance to take a picture. So we decided to get down immediately. The path had many water streams flowing across making it slippery.

The going was slow but we took it cautiously and finally reached the bottom while the mist lifted off and sun appeared out of nowhere sending his golden-brown rays across the waterfall falling on to the rocky slope. What we saw amazed us both, even though I had seen this beautiful girl before. The water levels were richer than I saw her last, dancing down the rocky slope.

It was great to be back and we had her for ourselves as this being a weekday and even if anyone bothered, they wouldn’t have made it this early. Having spent about half hour taking pictures of her in every possible way, we decided to go hunting for the Kuda Ella.

The new notice board at the trail head

From the observation platform. The mist covered everything, the falls is faintly visible

Giving the “Rashta Look”

Wondering what’s happening around

Here she is

Holy, Moly, Guacamole

The top of her

The base

Sliding along the rock. Note the sunlight on the rocky wall to the left

Full flow

Towards the top

Hari taking it carefully

See you lady!

Steps

Hari coming up the path

Here the mist lifted off

What we can see from the platform

Amazing

The full package

Scary

There were 2062 of them. Ask Hari if you don’t trust me coz he counted them.

Kuda Ella

We met a villager on the way uphill and when we asked him about Kuda Ella, he knew nothing about it. Then we simply asked if there’s any other fall other than Kirindi Ella to which he doubtfully replied “There is, a very small one by the road side about a mile up”. That was enough to see us going but Hariya didn’t wanna waste any time hunting for a small waterfall but I’d seen pictures taken by Ashan long time back and knew this was to be a considerably larger fall.

What we didn’t know was whether it was the same one. We took our chances and got back on the bike. Oh, I forgot to tell you about the uphill journey of Hariya, didn’t I? Do you really wanna know about it? Well, this time, you’ll have to call and ask him coz I’m too pressed for time and have to hurry it up with my tale. Please don’t tell him that I asked you to call and get the details though.

Ok, getting back to the topic, you gotta go further uphill along the same road you came up to Kirindi Ella. After about 500m, you’ll come to a ‘Y’ junction with an estate board. According to that left turn leads to a reservoir and you don’t need that. The straight one goes to the factory. That’s what you need, so go straight till you meet the factory looming over you to the left just by the road.

There’s a bus service up to this point from Pelmadulla (Pelmadulla-Thotilagama Bus) and we saw another going all the way to Balangoda. Unfortunately, I can’t tell you how frequent they are run but from the look of it, there can’t be many. We asked from the tuk-tuk park about the Kuda Ella and as usual they had no idea whatsoever. Then we asked if there’s any other fall for that we got the same reply but that guy who spoke to us was very evasive as if sensing trouble from us.

He said there’s a small fall closer to the road nearby and we just followed the road further now going downhill passing the factory. Another 300-400m, you’ll see the Kuda Ella (not a small fall she is) to the left while going down the road. There’s a small bridge and passing this, the road will bend sharply to the right. Just here, there’s a left turning to a mud-walled house and you have get up to that. There’s a dog but not a fierce fellow. Maybe it got scared by the gigantic Hariya for it looked away when we approached.

Having got the permission to cross the garden, we went to the back of the house where there’s tea cultivation in big time. There’s a stream that goes too behind the house. The fall is about 100-200m from this point. You can follow the stream or walk through the tea patch parallel like we did. Soon you’ll come to a point where you can see this gorgeous waterfall that falls in two segments.

The upper part is about 8-10ft in height but the lower part resembling somewhat the Lebanon Estate Falls 1, is around 40ft in height. I got uphill along the tea patch to get a clear shot of both segments but Hari, after the Kirindi Ella climb, didn’t bother with that. We reached the base of the falls and you can only see the lower part of her as the upper segments sits a bit behind the lower part.

We enjoyed this beauty for a long time. I just can’t imagine why they kept telling us this was a small fall. Well, compared to Kirindi Ella, she’s tiny but still a waterfall with a height of around 50ft is something you don’t discount like that. The water levels were great and Hariya had to practically drag me from her.

We retraced our steps and got back on the road heading back towards Pelmadulla and then onto Balangoda. Our next stop was the gorgeous, sexy, breath-taking, sensational, cuddly, sensuous and kissable Kalthota Doovili Ella.

The water stream under the tiny bridge I told you about

The house and the water stream towards the falls is behind

After about 100m along the stream

Took to the tea patch

There she is

The top half

The more beautiful lower part

Picturesque

Framed

Hmmm

Getting to the base

From the base, you can barely see the top

Very nice

Portrait

Time to go back

Kalthota Doovili Ella & Doovili Ella Upper Falls

Doovili Ella Trail – Info.

Distance – 312.378m

Time Taken – About 15 mins

Elevation from Trail Head (338m) to the Base (202m) – 136m

Trail Head – 6.6600, 80.8654

The Falls – 6.6619, 80.8660

We stopped at a shop in Rajawaka and had some very tasty Dhal Wadei with soft drinks. They were so tasty we bought extra and kept to have later.

The turn off to Doovili Ella is just before the 26^th km post on Kalthota Road passing Rajawaka, Kuragala turn off and Galtamyaya Ruins. From the main road, there’s another 3km to the falls and about half-way is the ticket counter. Usually on weekdays the counter is not open full time as the number of people visiting this falls is minimal. However, Sarath’s, the person at the ticket counter, house is nearby and you can call him on the number I’ve given.

The gate was closed by the time we went but the side entrance, a narrow passage for people was open. We were wondering what to do when he appeared from a nearby house running to us. He opened the gate and we bought tickets, Rs. 20/- each. I guess it’s worth paying that amount as the ticket itself is well-designed giving the information on nearby tourist attractions such as Kuragala, Galtamyaya and Budugala.

From the gate there’s another 1-1.5km drive to the car park and there’s a boutique where you can have a snack. They’ll even do lunch if you order in advance. The shop was open even though there weren’t many visitors but on our return he’d closed shop and gone home. We could hear the roar of her from up here and I was itching to get to the base. The path is well maintained and easy to get down.

The surrounding area of the Doovili Ella is fascinating. It looks more like the Medicinal Garden inside Gal Oya National Park. I didn’t notice this first time as I’d not been to Gal Oya by then. The mainly Mana surrounding with scattered medicinal plants such as Nelli is something unique. The area is so tranquil and breath-taking.

We started down the path looking for this beauty. The path is well maintained and we even saw people working on site clearing the area, cutting grass and some maintenance work which is a good sign that the authorities take care of the place. The path is bordered by lush greenery and towards the bottom it runs through a partial forest.

At the end you’ll come to a kind of a circus where the right path will take you to the front of the falls and then to the observation area while the path to the left will lead to the top of her plus the Doovili Ella Upper Falls. We took the right and just going on got the first glimpse of her and that made my front foot stopped in mid-air. Here was the moment of truth, one beautiful girl falling sensually wearing a long King Louie-era French-style milky white skirt.

I went mad with joy and kept running about trying to get the best possible angle to picture her while Hari, seeing this one for the first time, kept up with me. The sky looked grim and started drizzling lightly that got a bit heavier but it couldn’t ward us off. I had taken an umbrella with me which helped to take pictures uninterrupted. After spending time seeing her from the front, we went to the top of her by circling around.

The water levels were so high and we could see the pressure at the tiny opening where the whole of Walawe River had to squeeze through. The sight was unbelievably beautiful but Hari insisted we go see the Doovili Ella Upper Falls that is a bit upstream and can reach very easily. However, the rocks can be slippery so mind your step.

She is very small compared to her big sister measuring I guess about 6-8ft but there was so much water as Walawe River was coming through a tiny opening creating this chubby girlie. The base pool was so large and would’ve been ideal on another day for a bath which Hariya was also eagerly waiting for. Unfortunately, the soaring water levels made it so frightening even Hariya, self-acclaimed experience swimmer, was scared to get into which was a very wise decision.

We rested our feet and had the Wadei bought at Rajawaka. They tasted even better with Jeewani. After a break, we decided to get back on the bike and go looking for another girl that I missed having reached so close last time.

We’re here

Closer to the shop

Starting the trail

Bordered by many trees

Nelli

Picturesque

Out of a dream

Arched

Just look at her

Here she is

Portrait from the side

Going towards the front of her

Another viewing place

The almighty base pool

The viewing platform with the fence

Through the fence, rather over it

Pristine white

The top with twin water streams joining as they fall on

Well maintained

Towards the top

Rocky

Looking at her from the top

Side view

The view from the side

The base

Water stream and going up towards the Doovili Ella Upper Falls

Here she is

Another ferocious beauty

Jumping in the air

Hariya tired but still munching on a Wadei

Down she goes

Artistic

Steps

Ooops

The view

Zoomed in

Diyawini Ella & Piyangiri Ella

Getting back to Kalthota Road we headed towards Kalthota which is 4km away. At Kalthota we turned to the right that runs through Budugala, Welipathayaya, Damwelodaya and Diyawinna. Even though I’d visited Kuragala, Galtemyaya and Budugala before, Hariya hadn’t but we simply didn’t have the time for them. That means there’ll probably be another tour very soon.

So we reached Diyawinna Village and I could remember the turn off even though we asked a couple of locals just to be on the safe side. Closer to Diyawinna, we saw this tall and elegant beauty falling among the green forest with a charcoal grey sky overhead. That is a picture that’s etched in my memory.

We reached the Sri Dewagiri Cave Temple Road which runs through a paddy field. They’re now building kinda Makara Thorana by the road and there’s a notice board too. As per Hari’s suggestion we took pictures from the main road first and then along the nearly 1km journey towards the temple, we got many more views of her popping in and out of our view as if mocking us.

It took more than 40 mins for us to reach the temple; you can imagine how slow we’d been going. Arriving at the temple premises there was a notice saying that nobody is allowed inside the premises without the prior notification or approval from the chief monk between 6pm and 6am. I couldn’t believe my eyes. A Buddhist Temple is never closed day or night but now even they had to be closed and monitored thanks to the damn treasure hunters. You won’t find any old temple or archaeology site that is not vandalized by these inhumane creatures. I guess we must hold the record for having the most vandalized archaeology sites.

Feeling depressed and excited at the same time we reached the temple to find it isolated. Nobody was in sight save for the tuk-tuk parked inside. We wanted to speak to someone and ask for permission to leave the bike and walk towards the falls as the footpath starts from the temple but nobody was in sight. We had no choice but to leave the bike and helmets there. We started the hike and there was a small notice board nailed to a coconut tree and we followed it.

About 30m into the hike you’ll come to a Y junction and take the left turn. There should be another small notice board nailed to a tree too. Follow the clear footpath for maybe 100-150m and you’ll see another notice board about 10ft high pointing uphill to your right. The footpath continues straight too but don’t take it coz I took it for a short while on our return hoping to get to the base but after about 100m the path was nearly blocked by the overgrown trees and didn’t wanna take a chance. I guess it goes to the very base of the falls.

Keep in mind that this is the last notice board and from there you’re on your own inside the thick jungle but the footpath is not so difficult to follow. It’ll continue to go uphill and at two places will take left turns and you’ll have a short distance to walk across the jungle in those left turns. This means you keep getting closer to the falls. We could hear the mighty roar of this ferocious girl but wanted to get closer to her nonetheless.

The hike was nearly strenuous as we were already soaked by the water drops falling off the trees when we hold onto them and the soggy earth kept sapping at our energy levels. It was so dark inside as there was no way for the light to pierce the thick tree cover and I was under the impression the time was getting to 6 in the evening but all the time it had only been between 2pm and 3.30pm. I kept urging already struggling Hari on as I didn’t wanna get separated.

The continuous roar of the falls so near kept me going even though I felt at times if we were on the correct footpath. However there was no other footpath we came across but my mind was playing tricks on me. I guess that happens to everyone in a situation like that. I kept going ahead but made sure Hari was within sight. It’s really crucial to stick together especially in a jungle as separating will be fatal. The mobile reception was not there and there was no way we could’ve communicated as shouting from the top of voice couldn’t beat the continuous roar of the waterfall.

After slipping, huffing and puffing we reached what looked to be the last bit of stretch and the fall was beyond us. We took a turn in the path and there she was falling like crazy (I just remembered “Day after Tomorrow” for some unknown reason). We were amid the jungle, beyond us, maybe 50m away was the base of the second segment (the largest of all three). A huge body of water was crashing with a thunderous blow to the rocky base sending billions of water drops all over the jungle creating a huge cloudy-like effect.

We were well within the trees yet were soaked to the bone in no time. There was no chance to take out the camera and picture this roaring beauty. Hari took a picture with his phone and I took a couple of videos with mine just to show you how furious this girl really was. Numerous attempts at getting closer were to no avail. We only managed to get more and more chilled. Check the furious flow of water videos below.

Furious Diyawini Ella – Video 1 of 2

Furious Diyawini Ella – Video 2 of 2

After a brief stay, getting hammered by the fierce water stream, we decided to call it a day and head back along the treacherous downhill path. Getting down was easy but didn’t spare Hari’s poor bottom nevertheless. We were glad to get back at the temple (couple of times we nearly got lost) and the rain was falling a bit steadily.

After a few more pictures, we got on the bike and took the road passing Samanalawewa Power House and then turned towards Rajawaka at Kapugala. Coming back to Colombo, we witnessed some gorgeous sunset over the hills closer to Ratnapura. From there, taking the occasional break to rest our backs, we hit home around 9.30pm being on the road for more than 17 hours.

View from the road

Turn off

There she is

Zooming in

Over paddy fields

Just breath-taking

The top

The body

The boddy hitting the base, we reached somewhere closer to the right of that

Couldn’t reach the base

Towards Kuragala Mountains

Freshly ploughed and planted

Thanks to Treasure Hunters

At the temple

The head of the trail, note the sign

Here we go, there’s another sign is there in yellow

Here it is. The last sign. From here it’s uphill all the way

Nothing but dense forest. No pics here after until we got back on solid ground

Ok, you wonder where all the others are but nothing was taken after that. This after we came back. But do watch the videos

The fiery girl

Portrait

Lush green and plenty of water

Hari admiring the beauty

Back on the road and as we were about to go, I spotted the Piyangiri Falls towards the right. (Can you also see her?)

30X	Time to go…

V cut between Kapugala and Rajawaka

Here is the sunset

Gorgeous colors

There is a temple too

Well, that’s it folks for the time being and it got longer than even I anticipated narrating the story to you. Hope you don’t mind.

It was really a great journey and all the falls were in nearly full flow making me go mad with joy. It was good to go on a journey with Thadi Hariya once again and boy, did we have a ball!

Keep travelling guys and but be safe at all times. So far I’ve brought you a dozen of waterfall hunts and hopefully there’ll be more.

Take care…

Bene Vale!

Sri…