St Clair's Falls

St Clair's Falls lies about 3 kilometres west of the town of Talawakele on the Hatton to Talawakele road in Nuwara Eliya District, in the tea-growing hill country of central Sri Lanka. It takes its name from the tea estate through which the river flows.

The falls are on the Kotmale Oya, a tributary of the Mahaweli River, Sri Lanka's longest river. The water spreads across three rock outcrops and drops into a large pool, which explains its popular name, the Little Niagara of Sri Lanka.

There are two falls. The upper and larger one, Maha Ella or the Greater Fall, is about 80 metres high and 50 metres wide. Just downstream is Kuda Ella, the Lesser Fall, about 50 metres high. The falls are ranked as the 20th highest in Sri Lanka.

The waterfall sits 2.2 kilometres below the dam of the Upper Kotmale Hydropower Project. Environmental groups raised concerns that the dam would reduce the flow, and the government committed to releasing enough water to keep 47,250 cubic metres flowing over the falls for ten and a half hours each day, from sunrise to sunset. St Clair's is one of six waterfalls affected by the project. Since the project opened, the volume is usually lower than before, though it increases strongly after heavy rain.

Most visitors see the falls from viewpoints along the main road and from the St Clair's tea centre, where tea is served with a view. Paths lead closer through the tea estate, but they are steep and slippery in wet weather. There is no entry fee.