Watawala

MAP OF WATAWALA AND AROUND

Carolina Tea Factory - Watawala

TP - 94 (0) 11 4702400 . Carolina Tea Company of Ceylon Ltd. Incorporated in 1892 is one of the pioneer tea companies

in the country, set up primarily to plant tea. It consisted of a group of plantations situated in Lower Dickoya. They were

Agarawatte, Carolina, Kandawella, Mount Jean, Wigton, Udeapola Group, Trafalgar, Goarfell and St.Margaret

Estates.The Management of this group that was originally with Leechman and Company changed to Mackwoods Estates

& Agencies Ltd. at a later date.

According to the times of Ceylon Green Book of 1939, this

group had over 1,000 hectares in tea, 245 hectares in rubber,

a few hundred coconut trees, and 726 hectares uncultivated,

comprising a total extent at the stage was considered a

substantial area for administration. The Carolina tea factory

was one of the original "central factories" constructed by the

river that ran by the estate, to avail themselves of water

power. It was indeed an improvement to some of other

factories of the day, with no mud floors and cadjan roofs. The

building was of wood assembled firmly on stone pillars. It had

three floors going up to the height of 42 feet from ground to

ridge. Provision had been made for further expansion, but there was sufficient space to accommodate all the leaf not

only from that group, but from many other adjoining plantations who were satisfied with a return of 9 cents (about 2p)

per pound. The novelty was that very often than not, the green leaf arrived by train.

Aberdeen, Seven Vigrins, Luxapana, Maskeliya Trail

Aberdeen Waterfall

Aberdeen Falls is a picturesque 98 m (322 ft) high waterfall on the

Kehelgamu Oya near Ginigathena, in the Nuwara Eliya District of Sri

Lanka. Aberdeen is named after the place Aberdeen, the third largest city

in Scotland and the capital of Aberdeenshire. Kehelgamu Oya is a major

tributary of the Kelani River. From Ginigathena town, proceed along

Ambatale Road up to the Buddha statue at the end. Then park your

vehicles and walk about 1.2 km along the little bit worse road. Keep in

mind that viper, snakes are in this nature. This waterfall is very beautiful

and it is covered with a big stone complex behind. The waterfall is ranked

as the 18th highest on the Island.

10 min, 8.2 km from Greendale. From Diyagala Junction, it will be 5 in,

4.1 km

DIRECTIONS :

1. Diyagala Junction - Head

north on Avissawella-Hatton-

Nuwara Eliya Hwy toward

Carolina - Norton - Wanarajah

Rd/B71 - 37 m

2. Turn left onto Carolina -

Norton - Wanarajah Rd/B71

Pass by Giyagala Tamil School

(on the left in 350 m) - 4.0 km

Norton Bridge Dam

The dam

creates

the

relatively

small

Norton

Reservoir,

which is

sustained

by water

from the

Kehelgamu Oya, and water discharged from the Wimalasurendra

Hydroelectric Power Station, which is located at the site of the reservoir.

Water from the Norton Reservoir is further channelled through a penstock to

the Old Laxapana Hydroelectric Power Station, located 3.8 km (2.4 mi)

downstream, 1.5 km (0.9 mi) northwest of Kiriwan Eliya. The power station

consists of five hydroelectric generators, three of which are rated at 8.33 MW,

and two of which are 12.50 MW. The first three and last two units were

commissioned in December 1950 and December 1958, respectively.

DIRECTIONS : 11 min, 9km

1. Diyagala Junction - Head north on Avissawella-Hatton-Nuwara Eliya Hwy

toward Carolina - Norton - Wanarajah Rd/B71 - 37 m

2. Turn left onto Carolina - Norton - Wanarajah Rd/B71

Pass by Rathanayaka Hardware (on the right in 4.4 km) - 8.9 km

O Mile Post

After passing Laxapana power station we come to ‘Double cut junction’ where you can see the ‘Zero’ mile post.

Luxapana Falls

Laxapana Falls is 126m high and the 8th highest waterfall

in Sri Lanka and 625th highest waterfall in the world. It is

situated in Maskeliya area in Nuwara Eliya District, about

16 Kilometers from Maskeliya town on Maskeliya-Norton

Bridge road, in a village called Kiriwan Eliya. It's formed

by Maskeliya Oya near the confluence of Kehelgamu Oya

and Maskeliya Oya which forms Kelani River. The Falls

gives its name to twin Hydroelectricity Power stations,

Laxapana which generates 50MW of electricity and New

Laxapana which generates 100MW. Relates to Polpitiya

Hydro Power Station. (We can see the polpitiya river on

this route)

DIRECTIONS :

1. GREENDALE, 63rd Mile Post - Head west on

Avissawella-Hatton-Nuwara Eliya Hwy/A7. Continue

to follow A7. Pass by CHANDRA AGENCY (on the left

in 350 m) - 4.2 km

2. Turn left onto Carolina - Norton - Wanarajah

Rd/B71. Pass by Rathanayaka Hardware (on the

right in 4.4 km) - 8.6 km

3. Turn right at Norton Bridge onto Norton -

Maskeliya Rd/B328 - 6.4 km

4. Slight right - 1.0 km

5. Turn right - 1.3 km

Article : http://trips.lakdasun.org/ravana-gala-laxapana-king-ravana-other-airport.htm

Seven Virgins Mountain Range (Saptha Kanya)

This mountain range is mostly famous because of the

plane crash happened in 1974. It is also known as a hard-

to-climb mountain.

About the

Plane

Crash :

The

deadly

plane

crash on

the

Saptha

Kanya

range

(Anjimale

or the

Seven

Virgin Hills) in Maskeliya - Nuwara Eliya on

December 4, 1974 has presented mysteries

hitherto unresolved. The air crash generates a

complete enigma as to what caused Dutch Pilot

Hendrik Lamme to fly the plane at a lower height

of two-thousand feet when the top of the Saptha

Kanya range was at about four thousand and three

hundred feet The plane crashed on the 5th

mountain, as the picture shows. Martinair Flight

138 was a chartered flight from Surabaya,

Indonesia to Colombo, Sri Lanka. The aircraft was

operated on behalf of Garuda Indonesia. On 4

December 1974, the aircraft, a McDonnell Douglas

DC-8-55CF crashed into a mountain shortly before

landing, killing all 191 people aboard – 182

Indonesian hajj pilgrims bound for Mecca, and 9

crew members

DIRECTIONS : 30 mins, 21.4 km from Greendale

1. Head west on Avissawella-Hatton-Nuwara Eliya Hwy/A7. Continue to follow A7. Pass by CHANDRA AGENCY (on the

left in 350 m) - 4.2 km

2. Turn left onto Carolina - Norton - Wanarajah Rd/B71. Pass by Rathanayaka Hardware (on the right in 4.4 km) - 8.6

km

3. Turn right at Norton Bridge onto Norton - Maskeliya Rd/B328 - 6.4 km

4. Slight right - 1.0 km. Turn right - 1.3 km

Canyon Reservoir and Power Station

The Canyon Dam is a large arch-gravity dam built across the Maskeliya Oya, 4.5 km (2.8 mi) upstream of the iconic

Laxapana Falls, in the Central Province of Sri Lanka. The associated power station plays a major role in the national

power grid, due to its significant output.[1]The dam creates the relatively small Canyon Reservoir, measuring at 450 m

(1,480 ft) and 350 m (1,150 ft) in its longest length and width, respectively. The reservoir's primary source of water is

the Maskeliya Oya, with additional water discharged from the Canyon Hydroelectric Power Station, located at the same

site. Water from the Canyon Reservoir is further transferred through a penstock to the New Laxapana Hydroelectric

Power Station, located 7 km (4.3 mi) downstream, at 06°55′05″N 80°29′31″E, 1.5 km (0.9 mi) northwest of Kiriwan Eliya.

The power station consists of two hydroelectric generators of 50 MW each, both of which were commissioned in

February 1974.

Maskeliya Reservoir

The Maskeliya Dam (also known as the Maussakelle

Dam) is a large gravity dam at Maskeliya, in the

Central Province of Sri Lanka. Along with the

Castlereigh Dam, the dams are the highest point and

beginning of the Laxapana Hydropower Complex,

involving a number of dams, penstocks, and

hydroelectric power stations. The dam creates the

Maskeliya Reservoir over the route of Maskeliya

Oya, a major tributary of the Kelani River, which is

the 4th longest in the country.

Power Station - A 4.2 km (2.6 mi) penstock from the

Maskeliya Reservoir, measuring 3 m (10 ft) in

diameter, transfers water directly to the Canyon Hydroelectric Power Station, located further downstream. The 60-

megawatt power station consists of two 30-megawatt units, commissioned in March 1983 and May 1988, respectively.

Water from the Canyon Power Station is discharged into the Canyon Reservoir, located at the same site

Two waterfalls come and join the reservoir.

Moray Falls :

40m height. Moray Fall is located on the Moray estate on on the

shadows of Samanala Range. The waterfall is fed by a stream

originating from the Samanala Mountain Range and ends up at the

Muskeliya Reservoir at the bottom of the fall. This fall cascades in 3

segments before finally hitting the bottom.

Sri Pada Falls / Adam’s Peak Falls / Gartmore Falls – ශ්‍රී පාද ඇල්ල

25m - Another

fall, Sri Pada Falls

(also known s Adam’s Peak Falls / Gartmore Falls) lies only few

hundred meters away falling on the Maskeliya reservoir in similar

fashion. Due to the close proximity of these two falls, some confuse

the names of these waterfalls and the Moray Falls is sometimes

identified as the Sri Pada Falls.

DIRECTIONS : 48 min, 36.8 km from Diyagala junction

1. Diyagala Junction - Head north on Avissawella-Hatton-

Nuwara Eliya Hwy toward Carolina - Norton - Wanarajah

Rd/B71 - 37 m

2. Turn left onto Carolina - Norton - Wanarajah Rd/B71. Pass

by Rathanayaka Hardware (on the right in 4.4 km) - 8.6 km

3. Turn right at Norton Bridge onto Norton - Maskeliya

Rd/B328. Pass by Maussakele Despancery (on the right in

15.7 km) - 16.5 km

4. Turn right onto Sripada Rd. Pass by Saman Devalaya (on

the right in 1.1 km) - 8.2 km

5. Turn left onto Mare Estate Rd - 950 m

6. Keep left to continue on Moray Estate Rd - 1.7 km. Moray Estate Rd turns slightly left and becomes Mare Estate Rd -

850 m

Article : http://setz-uom.blogspot.com/2011/01/blog-post.html

Castlereigh Reservoir

The Castlereigh Dam (also spelled Castlereagh) is a gravity

dam built across the Kehelgamu Oya, a major tributary to the

Kelani River, approximately 3 km (1.9 mi) south-west of

Hatton, in the Central Province of Sri Lanka.The Castlereigh

Reservoir is also home to the Castlereigh Water Airport,

registered under the IATA code NUF

DIRECTIONS : There are 3 routes.

1. Head west on Avissawella-Hatton-Nuwara

Eliya Hwy/A7. Continue to follow A7. Pass by

CHANDRA AGENCY (on the left in 350 m) - 4.2

km

2. Turn left onto Carolina - Norton - Wanarajah

Rd/B71. Pass by Rathanayaka Hardware (on

the right in 4.4 km) - 16.7 km

3. Turn right - 700 m

4. Sharp left - 4.6 km

5. Turn left - 210 m

6. Keep left - 4.1 km

Christ Church Warleigh

With its colonial-style architecture and picture-postcard background,

the church attracts many a visitor, says Fr. Andrew Devadasan under

whose staff falls Christ Church although he is based at Dick Oya. Built

by the British for the British long ago, the church is now very much a

community one, he says, explaining that both Tamils and Sinhalese

attend services here or drop-by to say a quick prayer. Nestling amidst

giant cypress and flowering trees, Christ Church had been built way

back in 1878, 133 years ago, and each and every item within and

without are relics of a bygone era. The stained glass windows tell the

story of Christ’s humble life while the Bible, nearly as old as the church,

sellotaped to ward off the weathering of age, had been gifted in July

1879 by the Revd. Charles Hill, Rector of Warboys Parish in Huntingdonshire, England.

DIRECTIONS : This one here is directions from Hatton

1. Head south on Avissawella-Hatton Nuwara Eliya Hwy

toward Hatton - Maskeliya - Dalhousie Road - 130 m

2. Turn left at Philip Motorcycle Workshop onto Hatton -

Maskeliya - Dalhousie Road. Pass by Lankarus Private

Hospital Ltd (on the right in 350 m) - 1.1 km

3. Turn right onto Side St. Pass by G K S. Filling Station

(on the right) - 200 m

4. Turn left at Hatton Tower onto Hatton - Maskeliya -

Dalhousie Road. Pass by Dr.Rajaratnam's Health Care

Clinic (on the right)

5. Destination will be on the right. From Greendale –

16km, 20 min

Zesta Tea Cup – Hatton

DIRECTIONS: 4 min 3.0 km from Greendale

Mlesna Tea Castle - Thalawakele

DIRECTIONS : 21.8km from Greendale

This place has the clear view of St Clairs

Falls and Devon falls.

1. Head east on Avissawella-Hatton-

Nuwara Eliya Hwy toward Rozella Station

Rd. Pass by Zesta Tea Cup (on the left in 3.0

km) (9.9 km)

2. Turn left at Philip Motorcycle Workshop

to stay on Avissawella-Hatton-Nuwara Eliya

Hwy

3. Pass by T.L.S (on the right in 6.9 km)

4. Destination will be on the right (10.8 km)

Devon Falls and St Clair’s Falls

Devon Falls: The falls is named after a pioneer English coffee planter called Devon, whose

plantation is situated nearby the falls. The Waterfall is 97 meters high and ranked 19th

highest in the Island. The fall formed by Kothmale Oya, a tributary of Mahaweli River.

Altitude of Devon falls is 1,140m above sea level.

St Clair’s Falls: St. Clair's fall is one of the widest waterfalls in Sri Lanka. It is

called the "Little Niagara of Sri Lanka". The falls derived its name from a

nearby tea estate. The fall is 80m high and hence 20th highest waterfall in Sri

Lanka. St. Clair's falls comprises two falls called "Maha Ella" and "Kuda Ella,"

which is 50m high and was created by a tributary of Kotmale Oya.

St. Clair's Tea Centre

Another sales outlet and a restaurant which also offers open seating, on

the Hatton Road at Talawakale. Just above the St Clairs falls. There is a

good viewing platform from the location

Sun Grown Strawberries Jagro’s Strawberry farms ( as the website stated )

Pass by Lindula Police Station (on the right in 3.9 km) -10.8 km. Slight left onto Radella Short Cut Rd. Destination will

be on the right - 600 m: 1.9 km

JAGRO Telephone : +94 11 2199041/3