Laxapana Falls

Laxapana drops about a hundred and twenty-six metres on the Maskeliya Oya below the Adam's Peak range, and it has been part of the country's power system since the 1950s, when the first major hydroelectric station in Sri Lanka was built to use it. Water is diverted for generation, so the flow over the fall depends on what the scheme is releasing as much as on rainfall. Steps run down from the road to a viewing point.

Background

Laxapana is 126 m (413 ft) tall, placing it 8th among the waterfalls of Sri Lanka and 625th worldwide, and it falls in a single drop 23 metres wide. It is in Kiriwan Eliya, a village of Nuwara Eliya District on the Maskeliya-Norton Bridge road, about 16 km (10 mi) out of Maskeliya town. The Maskeliya Oya forms the fall close to where it meets the Kehelgamu Oya, the two streams together creating the Kelani River. Two hydroelectric stations carry its name, Old Laxapana at 50 MW and New Laxapana at 100 MW. In Sinhala, Laxa means hundred thousand, while Pahana or Pashana means rock.

Source: Wikipedia, "Laxapana Falls"

What's there

• The fall - about 126 metres down a rock face in the Maskeliya hills.
• The hydro scheme - the 1950s power station the water feeds.
• The tea country - estates covering the slopes on the approach.
• The viewing steps - a stepped path down from the road to the base view.

When to go

April to June and October to December, after the monsoons, give the strongest flow. The hydro diversion reduces it in dry periods regardless of rain. Mornings are clearest.

Things to know

The flow is controlled by the power station and can be weak even after rain. The steps down are steep and slippery. There are no facilities.

Nearby

Adam's Peak is south, and Hatton is east.

Key facts