St. Clairs Falls (සාන්ත ක්ලෙයාර් ඇල්ල)

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Height :80 meters
District :Nuwara Eliya

Most conveniently seen by the travellers on Hatton – Talawakelle Road, the twin waterfalls of St.Clairs cascade over three rock outcrops into a massive pool. This beautiful and hugely popular fall, located among tea gardens, carries a large volume of water and is one of the widest waterfalls in the country. The fall is situated over 500 m. away from the main road, and one needs to walk down among the tea bushes at a steep gradient to reach it.

Downstream to the main fall is a second waterfall of 50 m in height called Kuda Ella, which is best visible at the curve near 90 km post. At this point, though far, the complete fall of St. Clairs is visible including the last section that was partly hidden.

The main fall is located 3 km from Talawakele.

Unfortunately, the recently commissioned Upper Kotmale Hydropower project has affected seven waterfalls out of which 5 are major tourist attractions in the country. These are

  1. Devon Falls
  2. St Claire’s Falls
  3. Puna Oya Ella Falls – ( 70% reduction in the water flow)
  4. Ramboda Ella Falls – ( 50% reduction in the water flow)
  5. Dunsinane Falls ( Pandalu Oya Falls)
  6. St. Andrews Falls (50m) – expected to disappear altogether
  7. Hollywood Falls (25m) – ?

St Claire’s Falls waterfall will be one of the most affected waterfalls and the Government has ordered relevant authorities that enough water will be released so that the St. Clair’s waterfall will maintain a continuous flow of 47,250 m3 (1,668,618 cu ft) of water for 10 hours and 30 minutes daily, between sunrise and sunset. But the water has dwindled to such an extent that it has lost all its glory now.

References

  1. Kautzsch, E. (2003). A Guide to the Waterfalls of Sri Lanka (2nd ed.). Tisara Prakasakayo.
  2. Lanka Council On Waterfalls. (n.d.). Lanka Council On Waterfalls. http://www.srilankanwaterfalls.net/

Also See

Map of St. Clairs Falls

Please click on the button below to load the Dynamic Google Map (ගූගල් සිතියම් පහලින්)
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The map above also shows other places of interest within a approximately 20 km radius of the current site. Click on any of the markers and the info box to take you to information of these sites

Zoom out the map to see more surrounding locations using the mouse scroll wheel or map controls.

St. Clairs Falls Video

An informative video clip by Nade Gura Travel & Conservation Society

Travel Directions to St. Clairs Falls

The waterfall lies on the main route to Nuwara Eliya from Colombo after passing Hatton. You can view the fall from the main road itself or climb down the tea estate for a better view.

Route from Colombo to St. Clairs Falls Route from Nuwara Eliya to St. Clairs Falls
Through : – Avissawella – Hatton
Distance : 136 km
Travel time : 3.5 hours
Driving directions : see on Google map
Through : Hatton Road
Distance : 29 km
Travel time : 1 hour
Driving directions : see on Google map

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