Hiking to Diyaluma Falls: Second Highest Waterfall in Sri Lanka

Diyaluma Falls is the 2nd biggest waterfall in Sri Lanka and is the perfect spot for a full-day adventure. There are multiple falls and natural pools throughout this hike in the Badulla region. I could’ve spent days here at one of the top spots in Sri Lanka.

DIYALUMA FALLS HIKE IN SRI LANKA

In this blog post, I’ll share everything you need to know about hiking to Diyaluma Falls in Sri Lanka.

How to get to Diyaluma Falls

There are several ways to do this hike and several starting points. First I will tell you how I did it and then give you an alternative.

Our driver dropped us at Makaldenya Junction on Poonagala Road, which is actually way above the Diyaluma Falls. From here we trekked down the hill arriving at Diyaluma Upper falls after about 30 minutes. From there Diyaluma Falls is a 10-minute walk.

To get down we continued down the hill towards Koslanda village, visiting the small, local rubber factory on our way down.

The alternative route is to begin at Koslanda village and hike up to the top of Diyaluma Falls, check it out, and then continue to Upper Diyaluma Falls before returning the same way you came.

 

THREE TOURS I RECOMMEND IN SRI LANKA

Diyaluma Falls Hike

We began the hike at Poonagala Road. The hike was almost entirely downhill and led us through the long grass but the trail was marked the whole way. It appeared that the trail wasn’t used too often as the trail was quite overgrown in many parts.

After about 30 minutes we reached the top of Diyaluma Falls. Here you have a series of pools cascading towards the edge of the cliff. When the falls finally reach the edge they fall into one final pool before crashing 628 feet into the pool, far below. This is the 2nd highest waterfall in Sri Lanka and it is hard to get a good look from this vantage point but if you are game enough you can peer over the edge.

After chilling here for over an hour we headed back up the track passing the upper falls and arriving at the top of the upper falls. This was a 15-minute hike and we just followed the track alongside the upper falls. Here we found more pools. It looked quite average until we explored further towards the edge of the upper Diyaluma falls and found a spot where we could jump. We checked the depth found an area with no rocks and spent the next hour flipping into the refreshing water.

Hiking out of Diyaluma Falls

To get out you can head back up to Poonagala road if you parked your car there. Luckily for us, our driver was waiting for us at the bottom so we had to hike for 30 minutes but it was all downhill. On the way out you will pass through a small village that specializes in producing rubber. We saw the process in all of its stages from the collection of rubber from the tree to the finished product hanging to dry in the sheds.

Once out of the small village you will be back to where you began and can even choose to head to the base of the falls for one last photo if you didn’t get quite enough!

DIYALUMA FALLS VIDEO