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Feel the diversity
From waterfalls and a gem pit, to a herbal plantation and varieties of birds and butterflies, a trip to Belihul Oya has something to please everyone
By Lankika de Livera
Belihul Oya is a cool destination for holiday-makers desperate to escape the heat of April in the city and en-route, with many interesting spots for sight-seeing.

We stopped first by Bopath Ella, which is at the 85.5 km post on the Colombo-Ratnapura main road. One has to turn at the Higgashena junction, close to Kuruwita. The waterfall is in the shape of a Bo-leaf, as its name denotes. One can take a vehicle almost up to viewing point, but unfortunately, the approach has been hindered by unplanned shacks put up by vendors, which spoil the atmosphere and almost obstruct the view. One wonders why the local authorities do not do anything about this eyesore.

From there, we went to the Gem Museum at Ratnapura, just past the Ratnapura town. Passing the Kalu Ganga Bridge, one turns left at the sign post. Viewing is free of charge here, and there is a large display of gems – precious, semi-precious and even a “Gaja Muthu” – the pearl forming inside the tusks of the elephants. Gems of other countries are also on display, as well as minerals and semi-precious stones.

On the roadside, if one is watchful, there are pits, where men are at work digging for gems. We stopped by a paddy field, and made our way through a bit of mud to one of these pits. There we saw how deep the pits are, and how the men have to climb down on rope ladders to get at the soil in search of gem stones. By a lever system, the baskets of earth are sent to the top. A different set of men swirl the baskets of soil in water, like sifting for stones in rice. Thereafter the baskets are kept one on top of the other for the mudalali to inspect for gems.

Our next destination was the Kirinde Falls. This is 6 km on the Pelmadulla – Kuttapitiya road, which commences at the Pelmadulla town near the Central College. One has to go past a tea estate, to the entry point. The viewing point of the falls can be reached by going down two flights of easy stairs. But if you decide to go down to the bottom of the waterfall, which is further down another 444 steps – you had better be very fit. This was one of the most arduous climbs that I have done so far. The one-foot high steps are very steep, and at some points there are no steps, and one has to scramble on rocks; slippery with water trickling down, stepping on roots of trees, with nothing to hold, and a dangerous drop alongside.

Dense forest was on either side of the waterfall. The rocky outcrop had big rounded holes full of water. It was an exhilarating experience to be by the gushing, foamy water, which fell into a river, flowing down peacefully among the rocks. The surroundings were completely wild and free.

Our overnight stay was at Belihuloya by the river. There are many new places to stay as the area has developed. The well known Belihul Oya Rest House itself offers many facilities. From our little hotel, at breakfast in the dining room, we got a breath-taking view of the Horton Plains mountain range. The surrounding trees were full of birds, butterflies and giant squirrels. The melodious chirps and tweets of our feathered friends gave us a treat at dawn and dusk every day.

On our itinerary the next day was the Rajawaka Herbarium, famed as a medicinal plantation from ancient times. There were many herbs and plants of medicinal value like Aralu, Bulu, Nelli, Kudu mirissa, Kabarassa, Bing Kohomba, Kohomba, Nagaraja, Walingasal and Heen Araththa. The herbarium is 10 km from Balangoda town on the Weligepola – Kaltota road. There is a prominent rock on the property, and from the top of this, is a spectacular vista of the entire area and the canopy of trees. It was a great moment when we spotted a magnificent Black Eagle swooping down very low near us.

Thirteen km past Behlihul Oya on the A4, there is a left turn before Kalupahana, which leads to Sri Lanka’s highest waterfall – Bambarakanda. It is five km interior from the main road, and can be more easily done in a four-wheel drive vehicle. To trek right to the foot of the waterfall, it is another one km, but from where we stood, we had a beautiful view of it.

The countryside is unspoilt, and right around as far as the eyes can see, we were surrounded by green velvety slopes of mountains. Bambarakanda falls from a height of 263 metres, and plunges like two silver ropes over a vertical dark grey wall from the green saddle between Mt. Welihena and Mt. Bambaragala into a deep pool (Dr. Eberhard Kautzsch in A Guide To Waterfalls Of Sri Lanka). Belihul Oya is a quiet hamlet suitable for a serene holiday with an option of many treks in the cool climes at a moderate elevation of 1800-feet above sea level.

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