St. Clair's Falls

St. Clair's Falls as seen from the Hatton-
Thalawakele (A7) road.

Being one of the most spectacular waterfalls in Sri Lanka, St. Clair’s Falls has been a hot topic among the environmentalists when it was revealed that it would be threatened by the Upper Kotmale Hydro Power Project. As a top contender in the list of the widest waterfalls in Sri Lanka, this natural wonder has always received the prime attention from the local as well as foreign tourists alike, due to its close proximity to the Avissawella – Nuwara Eliya (A7) road.

Also referred as “Little Niagara of Sri Lanka”, St. Clair’s Falls is situated near the St. Clair’s Estate, just 3 km towards Hatton from Thalawakele. It has an added specialty in the Sri Lanka geography, as it comprises of two cascades from two different water sources. Maha Ella (literally means “The Greater Falls”) which is the biggest waterfall among the two with a height of 80 m is formed by the Kotmale Oya. The other one called Kuda Ella (“The Lesser Falls”) which is 50 m tall, is formed by a tributary of Kotmale Oya.

"Maha Ella" ("The Greater Falls").

Quick Facts

	Total height	80 m (262 ft.)
	Rank in height	20th (in Sri Lanka)
	No. of drops	2
	Watercourse	A tributary of Kotmale Oya & Kotmale Oya (Mahaweli Ganga)
	Category/Form	Cascade

"Kuda Ella" ("The Lesser Falls").

Getting There…

St. Clair’s Falls can be viewed when travelling along the Hatton-Thalawakele (A7) road.

If you are coming from Hatton:

1. Continue past Kotagala junction (5.6 km from Hatton junction) along A7.
2. After you have travelled around 7 km, the waterfall should appear beyond the valley to your left.

If you are coming from Thalawakele, you should start seeing it after travelling roughly 3.5km.

There are a few gravel roads and a number of footpaths crisscrossing the tea plantations which are leading down the slope towards the waterfall. However, this is fairly a difficult waterfall to reach closer.

It is also possible to view this waterfall from the train track between Kotagala and Thalawakele railway stations.

Places to Stay

• Rest House, Thalawakele.

Attractions Nearby

• Devon Falls, Thalawakele. (1.5 km)

Travel Notes

Following are based on the observations on 2007-01-01.

• There is no such place along the main road where you could get a “perfect” view of the waterfall. At each viewpoint different parts of the falls will be visible making it really interesting. It’s always better to try some footpath downhill to get a better view. Just check with the locals for guidance.

The valley below the waterall.