Kitulgala, a village in the western hill country, is famous as the setting for the award winning “The Bridge on the River Kwai”, the movie the British actor Aec Guiness owed his fame to. The story is about prisoners of war building a railway line in Southeast Asia, the real River Kwai is in Thailand, but the movie was shot in a much more luxuriant green setting in Sri Lanka.
Today, Kitulgala’s main attraction is river rafting on Sri Lanka’s most amazing white waters. Furthermore you can enjoy canyoning in a side valley in only one kilometre distance from the main river, you can enjoy jumping into natural pools or sliding down within small waterfalls. Larger waterfalls in the surrounding can be reached walking along small jungle pathes. Kitulgala is famous among birdwatchers, too, as they can observe species from lowland and highland areas alike in this valley. Kitulgala is worth an extra overnight stay when travelling to the hill country destinations Kandy or Nuwara Eliya or Adam's Peak. A good range of accommodation is available. |
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