Kalutara is a charming village tucked away about 45 km from Colombo. Kalutara is very popular for Sri Lanak one-day tours and Sri Lanka 2 days tours. A large part of Kalutara has a long coastline, which makes it a very popular beach holiday destination in Sri Lanka. Kalutara harbours dozens of beach resorts and those beach resorts attract many thousands of travellers every year. Other than the tourism industry Kalutara is famous for many different industries such as the fishing industry, and toddy industry, and Kalutara is also famous for agriculture. Some popular crops in Kalutara are paddy, coconut, tea, rubber, vegetable and fruits. The history of Kalutara goes back many thousands of years and it had been a ruling centre on the west coast during the colonial Era.
Best time to travel to Kalutara
Kalutara is located in the west zone of Sri Lanka; therefore, it receives a large amount of rainfall every year, mainly during the monsoon period from May to October. So, if you are hoping for a beach holiday to Kalutara during the monsoon, it is advisable to change the beach, because during the monsoon the sea is rough and hardly possible to engage in saltwater-based activities. Frequent heavy rain also occurs in the region during the summer.
Beach holiday in Kalutara
Kalutara is a popular beach holiday destination in Sri Lanka and it offers a large number of top-notch beach resorts in Sri Lanka. Kalutara is included in most Sri Lanka round tour packages such as Sri Lanka 14 days tour, Sri Lanka 10 days tour itinerary and Sri Lanka 7 days tour itinerary. Kalutara is just 45 kilometres from Colombo, therefore it is one of the best places for one day trips in Sri Lanka from Colombo and its suburbs.
Things to see in Kalutara
A few kilometres away from the Kalutara, towards the interior of the country, the travellers can find many interesting places such as wildlife reserves, patches of forests, mountains, rivers, lakes and waterfalls. In this article, we discuss 5 amazing waterfalls that can be easily reached from your beach resort in Kalutara.
Makeli Ella
This wonderful waterfall can easily be reached from Kalutara within a few hours. The water cascade through the woods and create a natural at the foot of the waterfall. The waterfall looks amazing during the rainy season as it swells many times with water resulting from the torrential rain. This waterfall is considered as one of the most beautiful waterfalls in the Kalutara district. The waterfall is 10 meters in height. Makeli Ella viewpoint is a platform constructed near the Makeli Ella and it provides a nice view of the waterfall. Bathing in the poll here can be dangerous and many people have perished over the last many years, as they were bathing here.
Ahas Bokku Ella, Athwelthota
The picturesque waterfall is located in Athwelthota, about 46 km from Kalutara. If you hire a vehicle to go to this waterfall it would take around 1 hour and 3o minutes to reach the location. A small trek is required to reach the waterfall from the vehicle. The waterfall is about 30 meters in height.
Maha Ella, Morapitiya
This waterfall is located in Morapitiya village. The twin waterfalls are to be found close to the much larger Maara Kapu waterfall. The travellers need to drive about 3 KM backward direction from the Maha Ela to reach these waterfalls. The waterfalls are surrounded by pristine forest cover and it would be a good opportunity for nature lovers to enjoy the beauty of nature.
Marakapu Ella Falls
This beautiful natural waterfall is located in Agalawatte, which is located about 30 km from Kalutara. This waterfall is located within the Sinharaja rainforest, which is the largest rainforest in Sri Lanka. The height of the waterfall is about 16 meters. All around the waterfall is sheer granite rock and lush green vegetation. The best time to visit rainfall is during the rainy season, and it cascades beautifully with a large amount of water. During the dry season, the waterfall is reduced to sheer silver.
Ginigedara Falls
Genigedara waterfall is the last on this list and it is about 14 meters tall from top to bottom. The name denotes ‘house which caught fire’. The waterfalls are named after a dark tale of a family homestead located close to the falls which caught fire, thus killing the family residing within. The waterfall can be categorized as an off-the-beaten-track tourist attraction in Kalutara. The waterfall shares a beautiful natural forest cover with the visitors and it is a great opportunity for nature lovers to experience the typical rainforest-type vegetation after a few minute drives from Kalutara