Kitulgala City
If you are into water sports specially white-water rafting, Kitulgala is the place you should visit. Kitulgala is a township lying on the western slope of the central hills belonging to the Kegalle District. You could reach this picturesque area in two-hour drive on the Colombo-Hatton Road when you proceed from Colombo. It lies in the wet zone rainforest, which gets two monsoons each year, and is one of the wettest places in the country. Nevertheless, it comes alive in the first three months of the year, especially in February, the driest month.
It is Kelani River that flows fast for few kilometres across Kitulgala with lots of rapids leaving it best for white water rafting. Many a hotel in the area offers all the facilities for white-water rafting under well-trained rafters. Should you need to enjoy an adventurous holiday, Kitulgala makes it happen without doubt. Hundreds of thousands of local and foreign tourists visit this fine destination to enjoy a wonderful holiday replete with adventures and recreations.
Apart from white-water rafting, Kitulgala promises you a number of other adventurous as well as recreational activities such as bird watching, walking in the jungle, trekking to waterfalls, jumping and sliding into natural pools, river expeditions, flat water rafting and mountain biking.
Kitulgala came to international fame due to the fact that the academy award-winning “The Bridge on the River Kwai” was filmed on the Kelani River near Kitulgala 1950s, although nothing remains now except the concrete foundations for the bridge.
