Maha Ella
The Greater Fall, 80 m high.
Jakub Hałun — CC BY 4.0 · Z thomas — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Z thomas — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Rehman Abubakr — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Z thomas — CC BY-SA 4.0
St Clair's Falls is one of the widest waterfalls in Sri Lanka, commonly known as the Little Niagara of Sri Lanka. It lies 3 km west of Talawakele among green tea estates on the Hatton to Talawakele road, and many people see it from a viewpoint beside the road. The falls are on the Kotmale Oya, a tributary of the Mahaweli River, cascading over three rock outcrops into a large pool, running through the tea estate that gave them their name. There are two falls: Maha Ella, the Greater Fall, 80 m high and 50 m wide, and Kuda Ella, the Lesser Fall, 50 m high just downstream. The Upper Kotmale Hydropower Project has affected them, drawing protests from environmentalists and changing the flow. From the viewpoint you see the falls amid slopes of tea in winding rows, with tall eucalyptus shading the hills and mist crossing the ridges on many days. White water steps down over dark rock, then drops towards the valley. A distant mountain stands behind the scene on clear days, a view that sums up this highland area. The falls lie about 15.8 km from Nuwara Eliya and 86.6 km from Colombo in a straight line. The flow may drop depending on the dam and the season, so expect the scene to vary. Stick to the viewpoint and stay out of the tea fields without permission.
The Greater Fall, 80 m high.
Winding rows around the water.
An easy view with no long walk.
Hatton-Talawakele Road, Nuwara Eliya District, Sri Lanka
Yes, the roadside viewpoint gives you the full scene.
The Upper Kotmale project and the season affect the flow, so the scene varies.