Badulla overview

The gateway to Sri Lanka’s east coast, Badulla is one of the oldest towns in the country. Famed for its black market commerce as much as its waterfalls, the rail journey to Badulla from Columbo, through the Hill Country, is among the most spectacular in Asia. The centre of social life for the colonial British elite, the modern town’s road network has impacted significantly on the genial atmosphere of the mountain town. At 2,200 feet above sea level, Badulla is surrounded by tea plantations and almost encircled entirely by the Badulu Oya River. A stroll through downtown is pleasant enough and will take in Hindu and Buddhist temples while the more adventurous can climb the many nearby peaks for sweeping vistas of terraced rice fields.