Diyaluma Falls – Sri Lanka’s 2nd largest waterfall

August 24, 2024

Sri Lanka’s second-largest waterfall offers countless natural pools for adrenaline junkies or simply for relaxing. I’ll show you everything you need to know about the impressive Diyaluma Falls.

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What to expect from Diyaluma Falls

As already mentioned, the Diyaluma Falls (220 m) are the second highest waterfalls in Sri Lanka and really impressive. The special feature is that you can swim in small pools at the top before the waterfalls plunge into the depths (if you dare), or simply chill out on the rocks next to the abyss. With my fear of heights, I felt quite queasy up there, but it was only when I later saw the waterfall from below that I realized just how high it was.

The great thing is that there is another smaller waterfall at the top (Upper Diyaluma Falls) where you can swim with less of an adrenaline rush. You can also easily climb it, where you will find another cascade of pools that are safe for swimming, at least in the dry season.

What surprised me positively was that, apart from two individual strolls, the nature up there is as good as untouched and there was hardly any garbage lying around, so I didn’t mind to pay the entrance fee of 700 LKR per person.

How to get there?

If you google the waterfalls, you will see both the Diyaluma Falls and the Upper Diyaluma Falls, which initially confused us a little. The Upper Diyaluma Falls is another small waterfall from which the large Diyaluma Falls then emerges.If you want to be on top of the waterfall Upper Diyaluma Falls is the right location.

Most people visit Diyaluma Falls from Ella or as a stopover on their onward journey. So we also organized a tuktuk, which took us from the small village of Haputale south to the falls and waited for us there with our luggage. From Ella it is a 1.5 hour ride.

You could also rent a scooter and drive by your own to the waterfalls if you want to be more flexible. The streets are mostly in a good condition. You can easily spend half the day exploring the waterfalls.

A short hike to get on top

To get to the top of the waterfalls, you need to plan around 30 minutes for a short hike. There are two different starting points for the hike:

First option:

This is the path we took. It takes about 25–30 minutes along a small path through grass until you reach the waterfalls. The path itself is not very demanding, but there is no shade, which makes headgear and plenty of water essential. I also recommend downloading an offline map, as the reception is not good and the path is somewhat overgrown in places.

Once you hear the roar of the waterfall, you can turn left to go straight to Diyaluma Falls, or turn right to go to the pools of Upper Diyaluma Falls first. If you have enough time, I would definitely include this in your plans.

Second option:

An alternative route starts in the village of Poonagala . This path is a little steeper, but there is not much difference in terms of time. While we were almost the only ones on the other route, this one is a little more popular as it starts directly at the main road.

Therefore, there are also some stalls to buy drinks and fruit. You can also get to the Upper Diyaluma Falls from here, so in the end it doesn’t matter which route you take. It probably depends on where your driver drops you off and prefers to wait for you.

Do you need a guide?

You definitely don’t need a guide, even if the locals try to convince you otherwise. If you feel more comfortable with a guide you can still hire one, but the short hike to the waterfall is easily doable, especially if you have google maps as a back up.