Bambarakanda Waterfall (790 ft) | The Highest Waterfall in Sri Lanka

admin | Jun 30, 2010 | 0 comments

By : Dinesh Deckker
Contact the Author : dineshdsd@gmail.com

Year & Month	Number of Days	Crew	Weather	Transport
Jun, 2010	2	18	Windy	Bus \| 3 wheeler

Trip Route
Colombo-> Ratnapura-> (Badulla Road)Kalupahana Junction -> Bamarakanda
Accommodation
Bambarakanda Holiday Resort

Travel Tips, Travel Notes and Special remarks
Take enough water before travelling Be ready for strong Wind Conditions Pines patch is slippery and be careful when walking PLEASE LEAVE ONLY FOOT PRINTS Thank you Mithila and Lakdasun Forum for organizing this event. Thank you Priyajan, Malaka and Supun for help on Rock climbing! This travelogue is dedicated to ALL THE LAKDASUN.ORG MEMBERS PARTICIPATED THE WONDERFUL EVENT. We stayed at Bambarakanda Holiday resort which is very close to Bambarakanda waterfall which is the Highest waterfall in Sri Lanka and Bambarakanda Holiday resort is a basic Eco lodge with beautiful scenery, tasty food and lots of information. The lodge contains 3 cottages and a dormitory which altogether can easily accommodate 35 people The owner Mrs Sera Mayakaduwa is a very knowledgeable lady and we learned a LOT from her. You can book the resort by calling 0573575699. Bambarakanda Resort Cottage Bambarakanda Waterfall through the Resort Dining Area Window BAMBARAKANDA WATERFALL Bambarakanda Falls (also known as Bambarakele Falls) is the tallest waterfall in Sri Lanka. With a height of 263 m (863 ft), it ranks as the 299th highest waterfall in the world. Situated in Kalupahana in the Badulla District, this waterfall is directly visible from the A4 Highway. The waterfall was formed by Kuda Oya, which is a branch of the Walawe River. The Bambarakanda Falls can be found in a forest of pine trees. View Bambarakanda Waterfall Video Bambarakanda Sunrise We had our tea watching the sunrise on Bambarakanda and it was amazing different colours of shades reflection of the true beauty of nature. This is an experience you cant explain but you have to go and experience it to understand. The Beauty…. Balathoduwa and Gommolli Kanda Wangedigala Mountain Next to Bambarakanda Waterfall are the most scenic mountain range i have ever seen in Sri Lanka which includes Wangedigala, Balathoduwa and Gommolli Kanda. We wanted to climb that but due to the tight schedule we were not able to do so. But definitely will climb! Picture taken by Dinesh Deckker in 1835 By the way the most important fact is that even though it is the highest waterfall in Sri Lanka still you can bath directly under the waterfall and also you can bath at the top of the waterfall. ( But it is strongly recommended not to do so..for safety precautions) The Top of the Waterfall We couldn’t walk to the top of the waterfall this time as were were tired but next time sure will and will insert the details. But in the above picture you can clearly see the path through pines to the top of Bambarakanda. Also in the above picture you can clearly see ungrown trees on the rock which is called “Kuru Gas” which is a formation natural bonsai. The Other end of the Bambarakanda Rock The Rainbow… After our breakfast we did Lanka Ella trail and on our way we managed to go to Bambarakanda Base Pool. There are 2 ways the hard one is with rock climbing and the easy one through the pine forest. We chose the hard one and returned using the easy one. If you are familiar with push and pull, better take the challenging one. “The Water fall” The Base Pool of Bambarakanda No matter how much time you stare at the water fall you wont regret a single second. By the way many visitors attracts to the fall lately and If you can be a Responsible Tourist we can protect the natural beauty. please don’t litter garbage and Bambarakanda Waterfall is not a BAR. View Bambarakanda Base Pool Video The top from Bottom There are two significant marks on Bambarakanda waterfall idintified as “the sleeping man” and “bambarakanda lovers” which can be notice in below pictures. The sleeping man is in the middle of the waterfall and the bambarakanda lovers is on the left side of the waterfall. “The sleeping Man” – Bambarakanda Waterfall “Bambarakanda Lovers” – See whether you can spot them Have a Safe Journey!

Usually “Ambalam” were built in a chosen spots such as by the side of a paddy field or stream

Commonly “Ambalam” were simple buildings built by villagers on co-operative basis. They were consisted with a hipped type tiled roof on few timber or masonry columns. Perimeter walls were short and formed a seat for resting known as “Pila”.

Few were built totally with timber structures. In such a case, the Ambalama was built on four rock boulders to prevent from termite attacks. Panavitiya (or Panapitiya) was one of the said few.

Directions…

Chamila(My wife) & I visited Panavitiya few months ago. Finding the Panavitiya Ambalama was not difficult although there was no sign board on the main road (Negombo-Kurunegala). The turn-off was nearly 3km before reaching Narammala town, where the road leading to the Matiyagana School. Having traveling another few kilometers we had to turn left again.

we reached the Archeological site passing a temple

“Sri Lanka Thilakaramaya“ the temple @ Panavitiya

With nearly 4km drive from the main road, we reached the Archeological site passing a temple. In the first moment, having seen the outside appearance of the Ambalama, I was also confused as like as most of the previous travelers, whether we had reached the correct place. But once we entered in to the shelter, we could discover the wonder of wood carvings that Panavitiya was so famous for.