Though located in only 6 km distance to the north of a popular tourist destination, Kitulgala, the amazing Manaketi Falls remain a secluded attraction, which is rarely visited. The main waterfalls and their additional cascades at a natural pool just a few meters further upstream are definitely worth a hike, though it's not easy to find Manaketi. The 60 m tall main waterfall is “knife shaped”. The name of the river, which is a tributary of the Kelani Ganga, is Girankathi Oya.

Pinnawela Elephant Orphanage is one of the most beloved tourist attractions in Sri Lanka, particularly families with children love this site. A viewing area at the elephant bathing place is part of the orphanage, though located on the opposite side of the main road crossing Pinnawela. Be aware, that there are several elephant camps in Pinnawela. The state-run elephant orphanage has by far the largest amount of elephants, with almost a hundred individuals it‘s actually the largest herd of elephants held in captivity in the world, whereas the private camps have smaller groups of about a dozen elephants. The advantage of the private camps is that they organize elephant rides and give you a chance to take part in the washing of the elephant. In contrast, there are no jungle tours on elephant backs with elephants from the orphanage. However, the Pinnawela Elephant Orphanage is the best place to take part in bottle feeding of baby elephants. The sanctuary, a combination of nursery and artificial herd, was established by the Sri Lankan Department of Wildlife Conservation in 1975.

There are only few megalithic sites in Sri Lanka. However, one of them is a spectacuarly large dolmen, called Gal Massa in Sinhala. It’s situated in the village of Padavigampola not far from Rambukkana. The prehistoric site, of course, is surrounded by legends. Only giants were able to create it. Nevertheless, the Gal Massa of Padavigampola is also the setting of a famous story from the Buddhist period. It is believed to be the place – though not the only one – that served as the dwelling of the last monk who attained enlightenment on the island of Sri Lanka, Maliyadeva. Surprisingly, the Gal Massa of Padavigampola is almost unknown to tourists, though not far away from a major travel destination, the Pinnawela Elephant Orphanage.

Diva Guhawa is mentioned in ancient Buddhist Chronicles as a cave that was visited by the Buddha, he is said to have stayed here the day after visiting Siri Pada (Adam’s Peak). In the 20th century, the famous Batatota Lena, a cave near Kuruwita which is known for its for ist prehistoric findings, has been identified with this Buddha-visited place and became a major Buddhist pilgrimagesite. Inside of Diva Guhawa are several sculptures and decorations from the Kandyan and colonial period and images houses, making this large rock shelter a quite colourful place. In height, the cave measures up to 15 meters. Accessing the shrines of Diva Guhawa requires climbing several stairways along a half-kilometer hike from Sudagala.

Kitulgala, which was the setting of the movie „The Bridge on the River Kwai“, has become famous as Sri Lanka’s number one destination for white water rafting, also visited on day trips by beach holiday makers from the southwest coast. But in recent years, Kitulgala has developed into a major holiday destination in itself offering various other adventure and nature attractions, too. Kitulgala now offers a wide variety of holiday activities such as jungle expeditions for hiking and trekking, relaxing canoeing or birdwatching, exciting canyoning and waterfall-abseiling. Though Kitulgala attracts more and more guests, there are still many places of interest in the river valley and beyond that are not at all crowded. This make Kitulgala still a perfect place for those holifaymakers seeking experiences of untouched nature. Kitulgala is located in a river valley, the slopes of the hills are covered with jungles. Kitulgala lies in an intermediate zone between tropical monsoon climate and moist mountanous areas. Particularly during the southwestern high-season (from Christmas to Easter) the weather can be pretty sunny in Kitulgala.

Read our more detailed description of Kitulgala and holiday activities in and around ist river valley here...

Dodan Ella, also spelt ‚Dodam Ella‘ and pronounced ‚Dodang Elle‘ and also spelt 'Dodam Ella, literally translates to ‚orange waterfalls‘. The name refers to the red colour of the water after heavy rainfall, when lots of coppery soil is washed away by the Kuru Ganga originating from the mountain massif of Siri Pada (Adam’s Peak). Dodan Ella near Kuruwita in Ratnapura District is not often visited, although it’s not far ways from the very popular waterfalls of Bopath Ella.  

Bopath Falls is a weekend destination popular with locals. The picturesque 30 m tall waterfalls are situated just outside Kuruwita in Ratnapura District. Bopath Ella translates to „Bot-tree-leaf waterfall“. The name refers to the eye-catching shape of the waterfalls, which resembles the leaf of the Sacred Fig, known as "Bo-tree“ in Sri Lanka or „Bodhi-tree“ in India. Local legends have it that Bopath Falls are haunted and hiding a treasure trove.

More about the waterfalls of Bopath Ella here...

The Kotavehera in Dedigama in Sabaragamuwa Province is the largest stupa in Sri Lanka’s wetzone, which corresponds to the west and southwest of the island. It’s situated halfway between Pinnawela Elephant Camp and the river rafting destination Kitulgala, but not many tourists find their way to Dedigama. The Kotavehera stupa was built by King Parakramabahu as a memorial at his place of birth, as Dedigama was the capital of his father  Manabharana, who was one of the three independent rulers of the island in the mid 12th century.

The Kotavehera is one of Sri Lanka‘s very few stupas the relic chamber of which was opened by achaeologists with special permission of the government. Actually, the brick cnstruction consisted of were two stupas with separate relic chambers, an earlier one was overbuilt by the large Kotavehera of Parakramabahu. The findings were spectacular. Some of them were brought to the National Museum in Colombo for safekeeping, whereas others are on a display in a newly erects archaeological museum close to the Kotavehera stupa.

This history of the cave temple known as Sankapala is beliebed to trace back to the times of Dutugemunu (Dutthagamani). Sri Lanka’s most famous king reigned in the 2nd century BC. Ten giants are said to have been Dutugemunu's helpers in his campeign against the foreign invaders in Anuradhapura. One of these giants was Pussadeva, who informed the people about victories by blowing a conch shell. After the war, the area of Sankapala was granted to the loyal warrior by the king, the conch was entombed in the rock at the top of Sankapala, wgich became a Vihara, a Buddhist monastery, since Pussadeva lived as a hermit at this place. The caves of the Sankapala rock were restored as a Buddhist Vihara during the reign of the Kandyan king Rajadhi Rajasinghe. Most decorations that can be seen today are from the 20th century. Sankapala has become a popular pilgrimage destination. Buddhist devotees also venerate Hindu deities at cave temples called Devales within the compound of the Sankhapala Vihara.