Beginning of the Waterfall Season in Rathnapura: The Most Breath-Taking of All – Tour de Waterfalls 1…

Dedication – I’d like to dedicate this report for everyone who’s ever bothered to share their travelling experience with others such as writing a trip report or using a post. Folks, your time and efforts are very much appreciated and continue the good work.

Hi folks, I’m back with yet another Journey and this will be the first of another type, Waterfall Hunting aka Tour de Waterfalls. I’ll try to keep these too short and sweet like my Pic Journeys so that you won’t have to spend that long to finish reading them.

Ok, so let me straight get down to business without any hanky-panky.

The 1 May that has a very dramatic history behind was about to be celebrated yet again by all the laborers and working people around the world. Unfortunately in SL, it’s nothing but political drama being played on vividly decorated stages by bringing hundreds and thousands of people to Colombo from all around the corner using our public transport buses depriving the needy to go anywhere on that day.

We decided to celebrate this historical day with the beloved Mother Nature by visiting the Best Creation of her, the majestic Waterfalls. While the Sri Pada season is about to wind down and the South-West monsoon rains are beginning to hit the parched and cracked earth bringing that freshly earth smell with it. Trees were beginning to dress nicely and Hasitha out of nowhere suggested we do a waterfall hunt on A4.

We found very vital pieces of info from one of Ashan’s trip reports way back in 2012. This is why I love trip reports. You can get some very crucial pieces of info even after years thanks to the people who had bothered to share their experience. Lakdasun is becoming the best knowledge bank thanks to these when it comes to visiting SL.

Uncle Tony, after a long silence, decided to break the shackles and join us but not before his majesty granted him permission. I felt lucky to be single after all. We got together on the dawn of 1 May and headed towards the Kottawa under the capable hands of Hasitha while Tony started typical Pacha Stories to keep us awake.

The Path we took in details:

Maharagama->Kottawa->E1 up to Galanigama Exit->Rathnapura->Kuruwita->Take the Devipahala Road->Bopath Ella.

Continue further up the Devipahala Road->Dodan Ella.

Back to Kuruwita->Weralupa Junction->Turn to Kospelawinna Road (Mahawela Estate Road->Katugas Falls.

Back on A4->Thiruwanaketiya->Take Nivithigala-Kalawana Road->Marapana->Rajana Falls.

Back to Thiruwanaketiya->Maswatte Junction before Lellopitiya->Nuga Lena Monastery Road->Hathbili Ella.

Back on A4->Pathakada Junction->Devalegama Road (Buddhist College)->Pulun Ella.

Back on A4->Pelmadulla->Opanayake-Ellepola->Ellepola Falls (138km Post – 138/11 Bokkuwa).

Tour Highlights:

 1. Bopath Ella – Kuruwita

2. Dodan Ella – Kuruwita

3. Katugas Falls – Weralupa

4. Rajana Falls – Marapana

5. Hathbili Falls – Lellopitiya

6. Pulun Ella – Pathakada

7. Ellepola Ella – Opanayake

So let’s get started:

Bopath Ella – Kuruwita

Take the Devipahala Road near the Kuruwita Pradeshiya Sabha (to your right when coming from Ratnapura side) for about 2-3km until you reach the turn off to your right to Bopath Ella. There’s a Pradeshiya Sabha Car Park about 500m down the road. If you are early you can drive right up to the ticket counter, further 500m or so.

N.B. You have to buy tickets Rs. 20/- each. Wear your school uniforms and get a 50% discount. Further, you have to cross the river to get to the base of the falls. This might be tricky due to flash floods and rise in the water levels within a very short time. Be careful and don’t try anything which might endanger you or your team.

Don’t forget the school uniform and get the 50% discount

Please do these not just read and forget

The info about the waterfall

View from the steps

Calm and placid water

These guys were showing us the safe passage

Early morning and she was simply awesome

Closer

More	Right up to her face… very kissable

The stem of the Bo Leaf

Bopath Ella on fire? Nope it’s jus the water vapor

The trio

Tackling the slippery rocks while keeping an eye out for broken glass

Gushing down

Up to knee level

For them, it’s just a part of day-to-day life

Dodan Ella – Kuruwita

Get back to the turn off of Bopath Ella and turn to your right further up Devipahala Road for another km or so till you reach the Dodan Ella Road (the road name is that with a sign) to your right in front of a shop. There’s a huge concrete man-made canal and just follow it till you reach the falls to your left next to a house. You can get to the top of the falls as well.

The typical village mud houses still at large

The top of Dodan Ella

The fall is just beyond the edge

We were treated to some clear skies

The water seeping through the tank like structure on the top

The falls seen from the top

Good for a Lakdasun Gathering

Here she is

Just the right amount of water

Gorgeous

Portrait

The below

Could keep looking at her forever

Time to go

Common ones in the area

Katugas Falls – Weralupa

Along the A4 just before Ratnapura town, you’ll come to Weralupa Junction where there’s a turn off to your left called Kospelawinna Road, also called Mahawela Estate Road. Take this road straight till you reach a football ground to your right. (About 2-3km away from the A4). This is your landmark and there’s a small bridge (more like a Bokkuwa) and take the tiny path to the left of it along the waterway for about 100-150m till you reach the falls.

N.B. You’ll come across a tiny falls which flows along a slanting rocky slab go further up and there’s a tiny waterfall to your right similar to Gal Oruwa Ella, Wedda Peni Ella or Pilituda Ella which I named Katugas Mini Falls. You have to go further uphill for another 100-200m to reach the real Katugas Falls.

See where Tony is pointing. This is just passing the Bokkuwa. The football ground is about 50ft before

Getting to the Katugas Mini Falls

There she is, very narrow reminds me of few other falls

This is not the couples I was referring to

Up close

From the top

Searching for the real Katugas Falls

Plenty of safe bathing places available

Going uphill was a tough ask

There she is… just falling down a narrow passage but hardly any water

The base pool and there’s a cave like thing at the bottom

The cave is barely visible from here

Obscured by the water vapors

Rajana Falls – Marapana

Take the road up to Thiruwanaketiya where it’s forked into two. Take the Nivithigala-Kalawana road for about 1km till you meet a bridge with a bend to the right at Marapana Junction. (Not the bridge you meet as soon as you turn to Nivithigala Road.

There’s a fruit stall at the end of the bridge. Take the steps built into go down to the waterway to your left at the beginning of the bridge bordering a house. Follow the path for about 150-200m till you reach the falls.

Just at the start of the bridge… The fruit stall is at the end

Here it is

Juicy

Beginning the trail

Rajana falls too had very little water to offer

Up close… the base pool is almost 320-degrees encircled

The water is muddy

The top of her

There were these fellas having a dip in the top pool

Here they are waving at us

Hathbili Falls – Lellopitiya

Just before Lellopitiya junction called Maswatte Junction. Here there’s a road to your right with a notice saying Nuga Lena Monastery. Take this for about 500m till you meet a concrete paved 3-way junction. Go straight till you reach a shop (on the wall it says “Nuga Lena Aranya Senasanaya 1.5km with an arrow to the left) and take the left footpath. There are at least 2 different cascades you can visit. The first you meet after about 500-600m along this road. However the correct Hathbili Falls is further up.

Walk some more along this path till you reach the end of the road with a sharp bend to your left. There’s a mud hut with a jack tree and beyond that a large house. The path to the Hathbili Falls is in front of this house through a tea patch about 100m away.

Lush greenery

The shop with the directions go the Nuga Lena Monastery

Leading from the front

Mangustine

A cascade along the path

Abysmal looking

Oh dear!

At the end of the road and see the hut.

Good for a tea advert

From the top of Hathbili Falls

No different from others

Hmmmm

Trying his best to capture what little there is

The middle part

This is the top half with a nice pool for a dip

Crystal clear water

Pulun Ella – Pathakada

Go along the A4 towards Pathakada. There’s a road to the right called Devalegama in front of Pinwatta Gems. Go about half a km passing Pathakada Buddhist College till you reach the turn off to your right with a notice on a yellow painted board. The falls is less than 100m from here.

I don’t think they really are awake having seen many hundreds of liquor bottles and cans

Pebbles

Here’s Pulun Ella, the lower part

Barely any water

The bottom

The upper part with a deep water pool for swimming and diving

The village boys were enjoying making it hard to get a clear pic of the falls

The top

Ellepola Falls – Opanayake

This is located just off A4 just passing 138th km post at 138/11 Bokkuwa to your right. Ellepola School is just before the falls. It’s easy to miss if you don’t keep an eye out for it.

See the diversion of water?

The falls is created by the gap in the wall

What a pity!

This the gap which creates Ellepola Falls

Going downhill trying to reach the base

Here we are

Water going downwards

Finally some water to speak of

The bottom

Rocky well like place

Side view of her

Just reflecting on day’s events so far

The pic of the day…

Time to say good bye

What a tragedy most of these falls are facing

Looks cute, ain’t he? He was with some people who had come for a bath

Well, folks, as you see except Bopath and Dodan Ella, all the other waterfalls are nothing glamorous in terms of water levels. This is due to both lack of the rain falls and diversions created by the villagers or local authorities to take water for mini hydro power plants or other purposes. It’s heart breaking to see this happens but there’s nothing we can do. Dodan Ella too will suffer the same fate not long before as we saw a gigantic canal is being made to divert its water elsewhere.

Video Collection of the Waterfalls:

Hope you enjoyed my first encounter this year with waterfalls in a specialized version of my trip reports, Tour de Waterfalls. Hoping against hope that there’ll be some with more water to expose in the upcoming months.

Take care and keep travelling.