Trail Difficulty: Easy | Moderate | Strenuous | Tough

Trail Head: Kanneliya Conservation Centre

Nearest Town: Udugama                      Nearest City: Galle

Access to Trail head:  Kanneliya Trail Map | More about Kanneliya Rain Forest

Route to Kanneliya Conservation Centre

Route1: Colombo -> Galle[116km on A2] -> Udugama [32km on B129] -> Panangala [6km on B156] -> Koralegama -> Kanneliya Conservation Centre [2km](approximately 156km)

Route 2: Colombo -> Kalutara (Katukurunda) [45km on A2] -> Nagoda [3km on B008] -> Mathugama [5km on B308 & 11km on B8] -> Horawala [5km on B3] -> Moragala [7km] -> Palewatta [8km on B3] -> Pitigala [10km on B3] -> Udugama [24km via Mapalagama] -> Panangala [6km on B156] ->Koralegama -> Kanneliya Conservation Centre [2km](approximately 125km)

Roads are paved all the way up to the Kanneliya Conservation Centre

Trail End: Narangas Ella

Total Length: 5.4 km

Elevation Gain: 200m (Elevation at Trail Head: 30mm | Elevation at highest point: 230m).

Approximate time: 2-3 hours

Hiking Season: Dry months are from December to April and July-August which will be ideal for walking in the forest but you will only be able to see the waterfalls in full flow during the wet months.

Permit Required: YES. Permit can be obtained from Kanneliya Conservation Centre.

Hidden deep in the Kanneliya rain forest, Narangas Ella is a small but an attractive waterfall. The trail leading to this waterfall is not at all difficult to tackle, even though it’s a walk slightly more that 5km. Also the trail covers three other of Kanneliya which are the cave, the Giant Navada tree and the giant creeper.

0 to 4km: From Kanneliya Conservation Center (Waypoint: NG01) you have to start walking along the old tarred road which leads to the now abandoned circuit building located inside the forest. The road is still mostly intact and it winds along the bank of the “Nanikitha Ela” stream. This section of the trail is a continuous, mild climb up. As you walk about 1.4km, you will reach the first point of interest which is a small cave which lies beneath the road. At this way point you can climb down on the right hand side of the road, walk through the cave, and get back on to the road from the left hand side.

Passing the cave, as you proceed 400m more, you will find a foot path climbing down towards the stream on the left hand side (Waypoint: NG03). This trail leads to the “Anagimale Ella” waterfall.

Passing the turn-off to the Anagimale Ella waterfall, continue to walk along the tarred road. About 200m from NG03, you will find another small trail on the right hand side of the road (Waypoint: NG04). You have to climb up to this trail to see the giant creeper (Waypoint: NG05). It is located just few meters inside the forest from the main road.

As you walk about 200m more from NG04, you will notice that the continuous slight ascend you experienced all the way form the trail head eases off to a more flat/mild descend (Waypoint: NG07).

In about 800m from NG07, you will again find a foot path on your left hand side (Waypoint: NG09). This foot path moves in to the forest, crosses the stream, circles thought the giant Navada tree (Waypoint: NG10), and crosses the stream again to rejoin the road in 200m from NG09 (Waypoint: NG11).  The length of the detour to see the Navada tree is approximately 500m.

800m from NG11, you will reach the end of the tarred road (Waypoint: NG12). At this point, if you look inside the forest on the right hand side you will be able to see the remaining of the old circuit bungalows hidden in the forest.

4km to 5.4km: Once the tarred road ends, continuation of the trail will be a broad nature trail. As you proceed about 125m along the nature trail, a large stream has to be crossed (Waypoint: NG13). This stream is called “Millagaha Dola” which is a tributary of the “Nanikitha Ela” stream.

Once you cross the stream, you will again have to continue your walk along the trail which is now very much flat and completely shaded by the canopy. About 100m from the “Millagaha Dola” crossing, you will reach the “Nanikiththa Ela” (Waypoint: NG14).

Once you cross “Nanikiththa ela” the trail will continue in to the forest. For the next 400m the trail will be fairly flat with occasional, minor ascends and descends until you reach another stream (waypoint: NG17). Between NG14 and NG17, you will be crossing another small stream which is very much likely to disappear during the dry season (Waypoint: NG16)

Once you cross the stream at NG17, the trail starts a some what steep ascend which lasts for about 250m. At the end of ascend you will reach a flat area where you will find a trail branching off downhill on the right hand side (Waypoint: NG18).

At this point, you can either take the trail to your right hand side to directly climb down to the waterfall or you can continue along the trail until you reach upper parts of one of the streams (Waypoint: NG19) that meets at the waterfall, take an almost 180 degree turn once you reach the stream to climb down to the place where the three streams meet which is also the base of the Narangas Ella (Waypoint: NG22)

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Tips, Notes & special remarks:

•  You don’t have to carry a lot of water, Take a small bottle with you and keep it filled from the streams that you cross during the hike.
• Drinking water from streams is safe.
• Leeches can become a problem when the trail is wet.
• If you want to see this waterfall in full flow, you have to choose a wet month as opposed to a dry month. During the dry season, the waterfall becomes just a trickle.

Way Points