From Kalupahana to Ohiya via Devil's Staircase

 Do a search on Google maps for the distance between the towns of Kalupahana and Ohiya and you will find that it is 35-40 kms. A little known fact though is that there was a road many years ago between these two towns which was less than half this distance. This road still exists though it is little more than a jeep track now and can only be navigated with a 4 wheel drive vehicle.

Devil's Staircase is found when travelling on the jeep track highlighted in blue. The route shown in grey is the standard route other non 4WD vehicles need to take.

The trail between Kalupahana and Ohiya is easily one of the most scenic routes I have traveled on. While most prefer to navigate this trail within the confines of a 4WD vehicle, my personal preference has been to do this by foot. 

The first part of the trail is a well paved road leading from the Kalupahana junction to a little beyond the Bambarakanda waterfall. Bambarakanda is Sri Lanka's highest waterfall and at 863 ft it is the 299th tallest waterfall in the world.

Bambarakanda Falls

If you have time on your hands, take a break to visit the foot of the waterfall. If you don't mind plunging into freezing cold water, this pool is perfectly safe to bathe in. For the more adventurous, take the opportunity to hike up to the top of the waterfall. If you hike to the top, don't miss the opportunity to visit Lanka Ella falls - a small waterfall where the base pool takes the shape of the island of Sri Lanka. More details on this will follow in one of our future articles.

The base pool at Bambarakanda falls

A mini waterfall at the top of Bambarakanda falls, the water falling into the base pool here carries on to create the main waterfall

The base pool at Lanka Ella falls. Look closely and you can make out the shape of Sri Lanka. The water falls into the Puttlam/Mannar area and flow out of the Batticaloa area

If you need to have a break for meals, Bambarakanda Eco Holiday Resort is situated close by overlooking the falls. Despite being named as "resort" don't expect any of the luxuries to be found in other places. This is a very rustic back to basics type of place which is part of the charm. Mrs. Sera Mayakaduwa who runs the place is a great fount of knowledge about the area and can advise you about plenty of nature trails in the area.

Once you decide to resume your journey, continue on the road past the waterfall and Bambarakanda Eco Holiday Resort. The road meanders on through tiny village houses and pine forests until all of a sudden the well paved road makes way for the jeep track which shows remains of what must have been a tarred road a long time back. 

The final part of the well paved road, making its way through a pine forest

The paved road ends and the jeep track begins

At the time of visit, there was a plaque mentioning a road rehabilitation project, therefore the entire jeep track maybe restored at some date in the future

The track now meanders through the mountains, steadily climbing. Right throughout you will have a view of the Bambarakanda waterfall. 

After a while, the road travels through a split in the mountain. Known as the v-cut, this place has religious significance for the people in the area and you will notice a small altar as you pass through the v-cut. Quite often you will notice significantly different weather on the two sides of the v-cut. While one side can be very windy, the other side can be very calm. 

Approaching the v-cut

An altar at the v-cut

A short distance after passing the v-cut, you will pass a small stream that runs across the road. This stream is what eventually flows down and becomes the Bambarakanda waterfall. 

This little stream running across the track is what forms the Bambarakanda falls

The jeep track crossing the stream

The trail now continues steadily climbing. The scenery alternates between panoramic vistas of the surrounding mountains, streams and mini waterfalls and tea estates. When you pass through tea estates you are bound to come across little children fascinated to see strange people walking through their domain on this little used road. Some of the little tikes have the most gorgeous smiles which become all the more wider if you pass them a sweet or two.

After continuing to climb a number of kilometers, you will come across a notice board - Udaveriya Estate, West Haputale division. Soon after passing this notice, the road once again cuts through a mountain similar to the v-cut. You have now reached Devil's staircase. The road descends steeply through a series of hairpin bends. When seen from neighboring mountains, this winding road appears as a series of giant steps which only the Devil can climb - hence the name.

The notice board which marks the start of Devil's staircase

The road travels through a split in the mountain just before the start of Devil's staircase

At the top of Devil's staircase. The road steeply descends in a series of hairpin bends from here onwards

Devil's staircase seen from above

After passing Devil's staircase keep travelling along the trail towards Ohiya. On the way, you will reach a fork where the main trail continues downhill and another trail forks away and begins a steep climb up. The road on the left is a shortcut to Horton Plains and emerges on to the main road a few kilometers before the ticketing counter. The other road continues on to Ohiya.

The road on the left is a short cut to Horton Plains while the one on the right leads to Ohiya

And so ends one of the longest blog entries on Uncommon Paths. I will leave you with a few pictures of the panoramic vistas that can been seen on this route. Pictures however, does not do justice to the beauty of this trail - it is something that simply has to be experienced.