Galboda Waterfall

On a bright and sunny day three of us boarded the Colombo-Badulla bound “Podimenike” train at the Nawalapitya Station on a trip to Galboda to see the beauty of the waterfall and the environment.
Passing Inguruoya station we experienced the natural beauty of the hill country. The train passed through several tunnels. In between tunnel no. 12 and 13 we saw a bridge over a stream. The valley below was beautiful surrounded by hills planted in Cyprus and Pinus trees. There were also jungle flowers, Orchids were also seen in bloom on the sides. Passing the 13th tunnel we reached Galboda Station.
A fellow passenger in the train who became friendly with us voluntarily agreed to give us directions to reach the waterfall. The road was leading through a tea estate. On the way we sat on a terrace and watched the far distance, the beautiful trees hundreds of years old with huge trunks and branches giving shade over large areas.
We walked along passing streams and we met two Tamil friends of school-going age who could converse a little in Sinhala. A little way along this road there was a steep cliff. The person who accompanied us told us that there is a shrine in the forest believed to have miraculous powers and that the path to the shrine is on a difficult track and people who have tried to climb to the summit have failed. He left us at this stage as he had to take a different road to his house. The two Tamil friends accompanied us. We were rather tired due to the rough track and the hot sun. There was a stream to cross and we were very careful as the stones were slippery. Passing the stream, we were stuck by the beauty and grandeur of the scene before us. We were there to observe the Galboda waterfall. One could stand for hours in a spirit of amazement wondering at this beautiful scenery which we all wish to preserve in its’ uniqueness for generations to come.