Bambarakanda Falls
Two hundred and sixty-three metres in a single thread down a rock face — the highest waterfall in Sri Lanka, and one most visitors drive straight past.
What Bambarakanda Falls actually is
Bambarakanda drops 263 metres off the edge of the Horton Plains massif, which makes it comfortably the highest waterfall in Sri Lanka — taller than Diyaluma, and taller than anything in the hill country. It is also considerably less visited, partly because it is set back from the main roads and partly because it is at its best in the months when fewest people are in the hills.
Flow is the whole question. After the north-east monsoon, roughly October to January, it is a full white thread down the cliff and audible from the road. In the dry months it can reduce to a trickle against black rock, still tall but far less impressive.
A short track leads from the village of Kalupahana to a pool at the base, about twenty minutes on foot through pine plantation. There are no facilities, no entrance fee and usually nobody there. It sits close to the road between Haputale and the southern approach to Horton Plains, which makes it easy to fold into a hill-country day.
Worth your attention
The full drop
263 metres in essentially one fall. Stand well back at the base to take it in; from close up you only see the lower third.
The base pool
A shallow pool at the foot, reached in about twenty minutes from the village. Cold, and the spray reaches a long way.
Pine plantation walk
The approach runs through planted pine, which is an odd and rather beautiful thing to find in tropical Sri Lanka.
Lanka Ella
A smaller waterfall nearby, worth a short detour if you have already come this far.
Before you go
Do this
- Come between October and January when it is actually flowing
- Go in the morning before cloud settles on the escarpment
- Wear shoes with grip; the track is slippery near the pool
- Ask locally about flow before making the detour
- Combine it with Haputale or the southern Horton Plains approach
Know this first
- In dry months it can be a disappointing trickle
- The access road is narrow and rough in places
- No facilities, no signage and no phone signal at the base
- Rocks near the pool are slick and the spray makes everything wet
Getting to Bambarakanda Falls
Bambarakanda Falls sits within reach of Haputale, so almost everyone visits it as part of a stay there rather than as a trip in its own right. Our Haputale guide covers where to stay, how long to give it and what else is nearby.
Coming straight from the airport, the relevant run is Colombo Airport to Haputale — fixed price per vehicle, driver waiting inside arrivals with a name board.
Read the full Haputale guideFrom Colombo Airport
Car up to 3 passengers; vans quoted on the route page. No night surcharge.
Bambarakanda Falls — frequently asked
How high is Bambarakanda Falls?
263 metres, making it the highest waterfall in Sri Lanka. It falls in essentially a single drop off the edge of the Horton Plains massif.
When does Bambarakanda flow best?
After the north-east monsoon, roughly October to January. In the drier months it can thin considerably. Ask locally before making the detour, because a low-flow day is a long way to go.
Can you swim at Bambarakanda?
There is a shallow pool at the base that people paddle in. It is cold, the rocks are slippery and flow can rise quickly after rain upstream, so treat it with caution.
How far is it from Haputale?
About an hour by road via Kalupahana. It sits close to the southern approach to Horton Plains, so the two can be combined into one hill-country day.
Other places worth the detour
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