White Water Rafting In Srilanka at Kitulgala

After our visit to the UNESCO World Heritage Site- Galle Fort, it was time for a new adventure!!! Kitulgala, a small village located 80 kms from Colombo is the adventure hub of Sri Lanka and offers many activities like white water rafting, rain forest trails, waterfall abseiling and much more. A peaceful habitat, Kitulgala offers a beautiful setting with thick rain forest covered hills surrounding the waters of River Kelani. We chose white water rafting on the picturesque Kelani river and were enchanted by the experience. The adrenaline rush we felt shall stay with us forever and our videos and pictures will surely tempt you to include this action packed adventure on your travel bucket list :D

Many travelers, make a stop at Kitulgala en-route Kandy or Nuwara Eliya from Colombo. After our safety briefing and a short walk towards Kelani river, it was time!! As our instructor handed safety equipment like a life jacket, helmet and a paddle, we had butterflies in our stomach. Watch our video here to know how excited we were:

A small practice ride prepared us for our activity and we started our rafting experience that spanned over approximately 5 kms. The rapids range from Grade 2 to Grade 4 and are named in a very interesting manner-Virgin's breast, Butter Crunch, Killer's Fall, White quarter, Head Chopper and Rafter's quarter. We were really excited to know that we would also get to see the location of the iconic scene from the Oscar winning movie "The Bridge On The River Kwai " where the bridge blows up towards the end. It was an amazing moment!!! 

The river was flowing with force and the experience lasted for almost an hour as we maneuvered over rapids, struggled to keep our balance in the raft over rapids and took breaks to admire the lush green beauty around us. The rapids are easy and white water rafting in Kitulgala can be enjoyed by anyone over 10 years of age with proper safety equipment.

We loved the experience and skill of our facilitator that was on par with international standards. The cost per person for white water rafting starts from USD 20 and a minimum of two people are required per raft. White water rafting at Kitulgala is surely one of the best way to admire the beauty and adventure opportunities offered by Sri Lanka. If you are looking for a similar experience, closer to home in India, Dandeli river offers a great white water rafting experience.

How Do I Get Here:

It's advisable to reach Kitulgala with a hired private vehicle to save time. We hired our vehicle from Spiceland Holidays.

How Do I Book My Experience:

There are many adventure specialist companies that offer a variety of adventure activities in Kitulgala. It's advisable to book beforehand and take the local number of the camp operator. We booked our experience with Xclusive adventures via email but paid only after reaching the camp. Many camps offer overnight stay facilities too.