7 Photographic Spots in Badulla

Seen through a camera lens, even the most mundane place in Badulla is impossibly beautiful. We’ve listed seven great spots in Badulla that beg to be photographed.

This is, perhaps, the most photographed location in the Badulla district.

The scene? The Colombo-Badulla train crosses over the Nine Arch Bridge spanning over the Demodara Gorge. When I say tourists flock to see the famous train crossing the bridge, I am not kidding.

The scene often looks more similar to the footage tourist Krzysztof Duda captured –

Despite the behind-the-scene photoshopping and editing you do to end up with photos without the crowds, Badulla is so worth the effort.

(And there are plenty of great spots in Badulla where every other Tom, Dick, and Harry won’t accidentally photobomb your pictures!)

Fun Fact about the Badulla District

• Badulla District belongs to the Uva Province – one of the remotest regions in Sri Lanka
• Badulla (the town by the same name, not the district) is the capital of the Uva Province
• The train ride to Badulla is one of the MOST scenic train journeys in Sri Lanka, but…
• It was only in 1924 that the British were able to get the railway line extended to Badulla
• Agriculture is a major part of the locals’ lives with tea and vegetables being the crops of choice

Great spots in Badulla for photos

The most famous tourist attractions in the Badulla district create a tight little cluster. So many of the photos you see of the Badulla district tend to be of these great spots only.

Badulla District may be difficult to reach – but there’s a LOT to do in the area. There are famous towns such as Badulla (naturally) and Ella. The latter, in particular, offers plenty of action to keep the visit interesting.

Aside from the towns, other attractions make the visit to the district worthwhile. Among the many great spots in Badulla, waterfalls tend to feature a lot in photos. It makes sense, since, with the high altitude, there are plenty of sheer rock walls, chasms, and gorges over which rivers and streams can tumble down.

Badulla also has several historical locations, most of them religious. They may not draw as much attention as the more famous locations like the Temple of the Tooth Relic in Kandy or the ancient stupas in Anuradhapura or Polonnaruwa.

Read on to find some great spots that are perfect for photos in Badulla.

Bogoda wooden bridge

See this bridge?

As great as the Nine Arch Bridge is – and in my opinion – this bridge gives the former a run for its money… Or the bridge equivalent of the phrase. A wooden plank for its cement, maybe?

Why a wooden plank? And what’s the deal with this bridge?

This is the Bogoda Wooden Bridge. As the heading already informed you. And as it says on the tin, this is a wooden bridge. Not partly or even 99 per cent.

Completely.

Except for the tiles used on the roof. So maybe 99.9 per cent?

One of the great, though unknown spots in Badulla for photos, this bridge is over 400 years old. It dates back to the Kandyan era, and you can see the influence of the trends back then in the architecture.

The Bogoda Bridge spans over the Gallanda Oya, allowing access to Buddhists to visit the Bogoda Rajamaha Viharaya in Haliela. It’s about 16 metres long, and nearly two metres wide. 20 pillars support the roof two and a half metres above the wooden planks of the bridge.

Nine Arch Bridge

We’ve let the spotlight turn to a location that doesn’t get it often.

So let’s turn to the ONE spot in Badulla that gets all the attention, the Nine Arch Bridge.

This is a great spot in Badulla if you are planning to take Instagram-worthy photos. Whether you manage to capture the famous blue train or not, the setting is dramatic enough to make the difference.

The bridge is a more recent (relatively) construction than the Bogoda Bridge. It was in 1921 the British commissioned the construction so that they could extend the railway to Badulla. The viaduct is a great example of human ingenuity as well as being one of the best spots in Badulla for photos.

Dunhinda Waterfall

Did you know that there are 31 waterfalls in the Badulla district?

Some of these waterfalls offer the opportunity to enjoy an adventurous hike. Plus, most locations are great spots for photos in Badulla.

One of the best waterfalls in Badulla is the Dunhinda Falls. Dunhinda cascades down a narrow opening on a 64-metre-tall rock wall. It’s not one of the tallest waterfalls in the country – that honour belongs to another waterfall in the Badulla district.

No, Dunhinda grabs the attention because of the fine mist that appears in front of the fall, especially during the rainy season, when the wind carries water droplets away from the falling water.

There is another (smaller) waterfall on the way to the main waterfall. Kuda Dunhinda (Lesser Dunhinda) Falls is harder to reach than the main waterfall. But there is a viewing platform from where you can observe the cascade.

Little Adam's Peak

If any place in Badulla deserves to land in a list titled Great Spots in Badulla for Photos, it’s Little Adam’s Peak.

Not to be confused with the Adam’s Peak in Ratnapura. The remarkable similarity between the two gave the former the moniker Little Adam’s Peak. But there are nearly 130 kilometres between the two mountains.

Little Adam’s Peak in Ella is one of the best hikes in the area. The many incredible viewpoints along the trail allow hikers to capture stunning photos of the undulating landscape.

At 1,141 metres, Little Adam’s Peak is nowhere as challenging as the hike up to the summit of Adam’s Peak. Add to that, Ella itself has a high elevation, so you don’t begin the hike at the base of the mountain. The trailhead is close to Ella town and only takes a few hours to complete since you are only climbing the last several hundred metres of Little Adam’s Peak.

Sunrise and sunset are the best times for photos.

Diyaluma Falls

Hold your horses.

No, this is not the highest waterfall in Sri Lanka. At 220 metres, Diyaluma IS the second-highest waterfall on the island.

It’s just a quirk of fate, or rather, geography, that the highest and second-highest waterfalls in Sri Lanka belong to the Badulla District. Then again, the area has over 30 waterfalls, so why not bag the tallest waterfalls for the bargain?

From a distance, Diyaluma Falls in Poonagala looks deceptively like a column of water falling off a smooth rock wall. Nothing complicated about it, right?

Well, the waterfall has hidden depths. Heh.

There are different levels and natural pools galore, particularly at the top of the waterfall. You must visit during the dry season to explore these natural pools when the water levels are low if you value your life.

Hiking to the foot of the waterfall is easy to do. It’s a long-time popular activity, so the path is easy to figure out and takes less than thirty minutes. The hike to the top, however, is relatively new. It’s more arduous and takes hours. But the payoff is more than worth it.

During the dry season, you can even test your mettle by getting into the natural pool near the edge of the rock. From there, you can look down and get a vantage view of the waterfall as it falls some 200 metres below.

It’s only possible during the dry season, but even then, be extremely cautious.

Idalgashinna

If you want great spots in Badulla to take landscape or nature photographs, go to Idalgashinna.

The Colombo-Badulla train passes the tiny village during its nearly 11-hour ride. Conveniently, there’s a railway station in Idalgashinna, if you want to get off. And guys, it might be the prettiest railway station on the island!

Given the size of the village, the station is also predictably tiny. And looks adorable from a distance, especially against the pine forest that towers over the one-platform station. If you time it just right, you can get a super cool picture of the landscape with golden bursts of sunlight peeking through the trees. Or if you are lucky, you can get an eerie image of the station as it gets slowly obscured from sight as heavy mist covers the area.

Bambarakanda Falls

After shoving two waterfalls at you with a disclaimer that neither has the superlative “tallest”, I feel it’s only correct to include The Tallest. Bambarakanda Falls is the tallest waterfall in Sri Lanka at 263 metres. Located in Kalupahana, it is another great spot for photos in the Badulla district.

Word of warning, though, it is almost impossible to take a photograph that captures the falls in full from the pool at the bottom. You’ll struggle with it, especially if you are new to photography. A wider shot from a distance is your best bet. Lucky for you, the landscape enhances the beauty of the waterfall, so your photo will look perfect, either way!

Capture as many Insta-worthy photos as you wish

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